PHILADELPHIA — The players on the North Carolina bench stood on their feet, waving their arms and urging the sea of fans clad in Carolina Blue to stand with them as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Less than a minute remained in the Tar Heels’ 88-74 win over Notre Dame in the Elite Eight, but the celebration was already underway.
When the final buzzer sounded, Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, UNC’s senior leaders, embraced after four hard years of pursuing what now stood in front of them.
For the first time since 2009, the Tar Heels knew they were going to the Final Four.