Last night, North Carolina lost in the ACC Tournament and was semi-officially eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. It's okay if you didn't watch, since Thursday at the ACC Tournament only kind of counts.
Two nights ago, coincidentally, Weber State lost to Montana in the Big Sky Conference final, behind a 42-point performance for the ages from Montana's dishwasher-turned-superstar Anthony Johnson. (It's not okay if you didn't watch. Seriously, do not continue reading this blog post until you watch the highlight.) Unfortunately for Weber State, the Big Sky Conference regular season champions, that loss cost them a berth in the NCAA Tournament. However, due to a change in the NIT selection process prior to the 2006 season, any team that wins its conference in the regular season but fails to earn a place in the Big Dance is automatically selected for the NIT. So Weber State has that going for them, which is nice.
But here's what's also nice: Way back in 1999, a former JUCO player named Harold "The Show" Arceneaux turned in one of the most memorable performances in NCAA Tournament history as 14th-seeded Weber State upset third-seeded North Carolina. Arceneaux scored 20 of his 36 points in the second half, all while wearing a spectacular purple-accented 90s uniform.
Wouldn't an NIT loss to Weber State just be the perfect end to UNC's season?
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