The atmosphere for this neutral court, spotlight event felt slightly different than last week.
The competition was still fierce, but the energy was at a high level. Last night in the Spectrum Center it was larger and louder than the typical partisan crowds in Charlotte or Greensboro during the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
This was a critical game for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the crowd reflected that. Country music superstar and UNC superfan Eric Church sat beside the man himself during that game. One of Michael Jordan’s drivers, NASCAR champion Kurt Busch, was cheering in his Carolina Blue.