When putting together the run-down for the 2015 Year in Review series, January and February may not have had many items on the list, but it was a pivotal time that would set the stage for some of the biggest stories in NC sports, while closing the chapter on others.
For Duke, a series of events that started with a literal ass-slap from NC State’s Mark Gottfried, continuing through three losses in a six-game stretch, the sudden dismissal of a polarizing star player amid a cloud of mystery, and ending with the Blue Devils down 9 points with 5 minutes to play in Charlottesville, what would happen next would change the course of the entire season, and in a way, change college basketball as a whole.
Meanwhile, UNC football filled their Defensive Coordinator vacancy with former Auburn head coach and national champion Gene Chizik. The move was seen as a good hire at the time, but no one knew that 11 months later we’d be arguing over UNC’s value as a College Football Playoff contender.
We also said goodbye to two legends with the passing of UNC’s Dean Smith and ESPN’s Stuart Scott, both of whom left behind a tremendous impact on every sports fan in North Carolina, regardless of allegiances.
Hayes also talked to President Obama, but whatever.
Episode 1 – January/Early February 2015
