NCAA tournament fever is here. It's as predictable as pollen. During our news Wednesday afternoon, a 5:30 live shot from Chapel Hill featured a hundred or so Tar Heel fans cheering on the guys as they left for Ohio. Tom Suiter's 6:00 pm live shot from Greensboro referenced the legion of Duke fans already at the coliseum just wanting a glimpse of the Devils.

Then a live shot of the bus -- only the bus -- waiting to take the NC State players to Texas. I say only the bus because the parking lot was bare.

Where were the fans? ANY fans? Pack supporters cry foul about their fortunes, their coach, their late-season collapse. I was struck by their absence.

Even those years when Carolina basketball had a bad case of the "blues" their fans never gave up. Yes, they were frustrated, mad, irritated, fit to be tied, aND at the games and never wavering in their support of the players.

State fans, you tell me you are "loyal to a fault."

Really?