UNC vs. Texas A&M - Players of the Game: the seniors

This post is not really based on anything these two players did against Texas A&M. Frankly, it’s hard to really single anyone out for praise after that game. If you did have to choose one, you might go will Joel Berry, but he, like the rest of UNC, had a sub-par shooting night.

Really, this post is for the last four years. Over that time, Berry and Theo Pinson have been part of UNC teams that have accomplished about as much as any other. Their Tar Heel careers are now over, but they been a massive part of one of the most successful eras in school history.

Berry and Pinson will end their college careers with two ACC regular season championships, one ACC Tournament championship, 14 NCAA Tournament wins, three Sweet 16s, two Final Fours, and a national championship. They will leave the Chapel Hill having accomplished more than a lot of other programs, never mind other players.

Berry will soon have his jersey in the rafters, having been named Final Four Most Outstanding Player last year. Pinson will not get that honor, but he will leave school as an extremely beloved figure due not only to his play, but also his personality. (If Pinson isn’t one of your all-time Tar Heel cult favorites, he should be.)

Even as bad as it was, if you did pick someone from this game, these two are high up there. Berry shot just 7-17, but led UNC with 21 points. Pinson didn’t play quite as well as he had down the stretch, but he still finished with four points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists. Plus, there certainly aren’t other people who really stood out against Texas A&M.

This certainly isn’t the manner you would have thought their UNC careers would end. However, it is and there’s nothing that can be done about that now. The fact that a second round loss stings this much shows how good of a job Berry and Pinson and the rest of the players from the last four seasons have done at maintaining the level of the program.

This loss hurts now, but don’t let it take away how incredible the seniors have been for UNC basketball.