Marcus Paige makes the shot for UNC, and all sensation leaves my body. Gaping fear and shallow breathing become my quick, overwhelming reality.
4.7 seconds remain.
Dizziness creeps into my head, but suddenly I’m jolted back to consciousness by a firm grip on my hand. I look down and realize that in the moments of Paige’s incredible ascent into the air and the ball funneling into the basket, my friend and I had instinctively grabbed each other's hand out of immediate shock and dread.
“I can’t feel my fingers.”
“Right, right. Neither can I.”
We don’t let go.