Cincy on the Prowl
Fansided

UC Will Face The North Carolina Tar Heels In The Belk Bowl

By Chris Bains

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Oct 17, 2013; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels run onto the field before the game at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

As was expected but has now been made official, Cincinnati’s opponent in the Belk Bowl will be the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC finished with a 6-6 record and quite honestly that record couldn’t be more reflective of how they performed this season. For the most part, the Tar Heels beat the teams they were supposed to (Virginia, NC State, ODU) and lost in games where they were underdogs (Miami (FL), South Carolina). But I’m sure a .500 record was a slight disappointment for UNC fans. Still, it’s not all bad. The Tar Heels have won five of their last six games, save a close loss to intrastate rival Duke from going undefeated in that span.

Cincy on the Prowl will have more on Cincinnati’s Belk Bowl opponent over the next few weeks leading up to the game. For now, here’s some quick hits for you on the Tar Heels.

What are the best places to find out more about them?

Where do they hang out?

Why do they call themselves the “Tar Heels”?

  • There are several folk stories around the origin of the term but probably the most widely agreed upon source comes from North Carolina’s history of being a critical source of tar as a colony of England way back in the 1700’s. The production process was a messy one and in one journal in 1845 from the Cincinnati Miscellany of all publications, the people were called “tar boilers”. It was a derogatory term and eventually was applied to all citizens of North Carolina. This continued through the Civil War when “tar heel” was first used, again as an insult of sorts. But as time passed, the term was taken as a source of pride for the people of North Carolina, who continue to wear it as a badge of honor today.

What do they eat?

  • I dunno, it’s North Carolina. They probably like seafood, barbeque, and I think Krispy Kreme is headquartered down there so tack on doughnuts to that.

What do they drink?

  • Everything. North Carolina is well-known for its numerous craft breweries and distilleries. When alcoholics die, their spirit likely winds up in North Carolina. If none of the branded stuff tickles your whistle, I’m sure you could head into the Appalachians to find a nice moonshiner who’d be willing to share some grain alcohol with you.

XBox One or PS4?

  • The hub in North Carolina is a research mecca but based on a quick look at Google maps, it seems Microsoft has a larger presence in the state than Sony. So based on that, I’m making the poorly-researched conclusion that these guys are Xbox Oners.

What else is there to know?

  • Obviously the University of North Carolina is close to Charlotte, so you can expect several thousand Tar Heel fans to come to this game. It should be a very similar experience to the Belk Bowl last year when UC played Duke. The only difference this time around is I’d expect more fans at the game. Given the Bearcats’ propensity to bring 10-15 thousand fans to bowl games, it should make for a pretty electric atmosphere.