For one night, the Barton Bulldogs gracefully let another team have the spotlight in Wilson Gym, as the seniors from the North Carolina's men's basketball team — absent their biggest star — visited for an exhibition game. Playing the Cyclone All-Stars, which included senior players from Barton, Community Christian School and other area private schools, the national champion Tar Heels easily won Wednesday 131-82 in a jam-packed Wilson Gym.

But the experience, for the high school players in particular, was priceless.

"I'm a Carolina fan, so playing with the Carolina players, it was just a dream," CCS's Josh Burt said.

Even teammate Daniel Mercer, a Blue Devil at heart, added: "I'm a Duke fan playing against Carolina players, but it's still the coolest thing that's happened to me in my life."

The six Tar Heels seniors, Danny Green, Bobby Frasor, Mike Copeland, Jack Wooten, J.B. Tanner and Patrick Moody, signed autographs at CCS for more than an hour before heading over to Wilson Gym.

When they arrived, fans had already lined up almost completely around the gym, waiting to get in. Every seat was filled, and many more fans were turned away at the door.

"It's really cool for people to get to see us play in person who might not have come to a game in Chapel Hill," said Tanner, who visited Wilson a couple years ago to watch a friend play against Barton.

"You don't realize how big our fan support is until you see these people in smaller parts of North Carolina," he said. "How much they support us and really care about how we're doing and really proud of how we've been doing."

Since the team won the national championship a week and a half ago in Detroit, the seniors have been in the middle of a whirlwind that has included this month-long, nine-stop tour of North Carolina.

"Whirlwind is kind of an understatement for this last week and a half," Frasor said. "We still haven't really settled down. We've always been on the move -- either travelling, signing something or people talking to you on the street.

"It's kind of been surreal. I don't know if it's sunken in yet. I don't really feel like we've won the national championship, but it's been a lot of fun."

Green echoed Frasor's sentiments, saying, "You take it all in and enjoy it as much as possible because you never know when it's going to be like this again."

The three Bulldog seniors who played in the game, Bobby Buffaloe, Errol Frails and David King, know what that's like after winning a championship of their own.

They even know what playing ACC teams is like, having played at N.C. State and Duke in the preseason last year. So, to finish off their careers against the UNC seniors was a fitting end.

"It's fun playing against guys you see on TV with that kind of skill level," King said. "We were thankful we got a little bit of time out there with those guys and hang out with the CCS kids, too."

But, to the disappointment of some, the Tar Heels most famous senior was a no show.

Tyler Hansbrough was a last-minute scratch because he was in New York for an awards presentation.

But even without the four-time All-American, the rest of the UNC seniors put on a show that had flashbulbs popping throughout.

After the Cyclone All-Stars hung close early, the Tar Heels did what they do so well -- hitting 3s and getting into transition for several highlight reel dunks.

"Just to see those guys -- even the guys that don't play a whole lot -- how much they can shoot," King said. "You can just see the level they're at. They're all good players, and you kind of match yourself up against them. So, it was fun."

The Cyclones All-Stars had their standout moments, but, overall, night belonged to the UNC seniors, who certainly left their impression on the event.

"It turned out great," said CCS athletic director Gerald Garner, the event coordinator. "With six of the seven here, they were great ambassadors. SLps We have them booked for next year. "