strange and evolving

My friends and family know that since my toddlerhood, I have rooted feverishly for the University of North Carolina men's basketball team. UNC has perpetually been my favorite squad, even when I attended the University of Memphis. If during my undergraduate days, the U of M (Memphis State in those days) had played UNC in the NCAA tournament, I would have been pleased no matter the outcome, but more fulfilled if Carolina had won. Fortunately--sort of--I never had to face that choice and celebrated with screaming abundance when the Tarheels won the championship in 1982, 1993 and 2005. I felt disappointment in the years "we" did not win, but had an excellent chance to do so, this year being the most recent example (although I'm glad the Heels didn't have to play Florida: the Gators simply had a better team than anyone else in a "all else being equal" head to head matchup and I did not want to see either Carolina or Memphis lose in the Final Four).
Since the end of the tournament this year, however, I have felt strange inklings to--well--rearrange my order of teams. I am, after all, a Memphis graduate and have in the last several years begun to do what I could to help the school in this or that way of concern. I feel more of a personal kinship to Memphis than I do to Chapel Hill and I expect the chance that I may end up living in Memphis someday to be more likely than ever returning to UNC. In a word, 1984 and 1999 (when I graduated and became a member of the Alumni Association respectively) are a lot more recent than 1970 when my family left Chapel Hill. So I feel a logical bent to my inkling, thereby helping to assuage my "inner academic."
Where I'm going here, of course, is to say that I will now unabashedly root first and foremost for my belovedly frustrating University of Memphis Tigers in every sport and UNC second, but only in men's basketball. That has a right feel to it. A note to my friends: you can get off the floor now.

GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!