Man, after listening to Donna and Paul talk about what passes for sport where they come from, I’m glad I come from here. I don’t think watching Reggie Jackson showboat in practice or folks skating in circles chasing a disc around could ever compare with seeing the Cardiac Pack knock off five No. 1s in nine games en route to the ACC and NCAA championships, topping it off with a couldn’t-have-been-scripted-any-better game-winning dunk at the buzzer to win the national title.

It may even have inspired the phrase “March Madness,” as by most accounts the Pack had to win the ACC just to get to the NCAA. Or maybe it was the sight of Jim Valvano running madly around on the court afterwards looking for someone to hug. And out of those nine games, five were won by a basket or less and two more were won in overtime. It certainly was maddening ? and indelible.