No, not Christmas, or even Halloween for all those who invade Chapel Hill on Oct. 31.

The magical time is when the North Carolina football team is filling Kenan Stadium and working toward another bowl game, and the Carolina men's basketball team resumes practice in the Smith Center for yet another season that is almost sure to be filled with excellence.

This crossover has become really special again only after Butch Davis took the job as head football coach. In three years, he has put real athletes back into the program and returned the fun to football. Before that, one had to go back to the days when Dean Smith and Mack Brown ran the two marquee programs.

Carolina football is on the rise, no matter what any detractors may say. And, of course, the basketball program is, amazingly, at its pinnacle as it celebrates 100 years of existence and excellence.

Superior basketball has been such a regular phenomenon in Chapel Hill that even an 8-20 blip on the screen in 2002 couldn't keep the program or fans' collective egos down for long.

What's just plain crazy is that Carolina basketball has never been better during any stretch of the previous 99 years. Frank McGuire won an NCAA title. Smith won two, but he didn't win two in five years.

Roy Williams has done that, and, with his relentless pursuit of the best players (who fit his criteria) in the country, there is every reason for UNC fans to hope for more titles in the next few years.

The craziest notion of all? The Tar Heels could actually win the title again this year after losing Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Bobby Frasor.

A year ago, one had to feel for Marcus Ginyard because he underwent foot surgery that was supposed to heal within weeks. Instead, he spent the entire season sitting on the bench. He had to watch his buddies win the title with him in a suit.

But now the Tar Heels are going to reap the rewards of Ginyard's misfortune.

If ever there was a player to rival David Noel as a leader for a relatively young team, it's Ginyard. No one will outwork him. No one will out-talk him.

"It's very similar," Williams said of Ginyard to Noel. "We even used that as an example of the pros and cons of sitting out the rest of the year. I think that is something that appeals to Marcus. That sets a high standard. David Noel may be the best leader I've ever been around.

"To take a group of young kids and get everybody going in the same direction, I never had anybody do it any better than David. It'll be a big challenge for Marcus to see if he can do it as well."

Sophomore point guard Larry Drew said that Ginyard never stopped leading, even when he had to trade his uniform for a coat and tie.

"He is the leader of this team," Drew said. "He's a fifth-year senior. He can play just about every position. He knows exactly what Coach is looking for. He's a vocal leader. He's like everyone's big brother on this team. He looks out for people. ... Even last year, when he was hurt, he was the leader."

With that type of player eager to start basketball season, this fall's transition from football to basketball could really be fun again.

The best way to look at it is enjoy it while you can. It only comes once a year.