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CHAPEL HILL -- Michael Armstrong smiled as he approached the stairs leading to the Carolina Basketball Museum. His silver digital camera dangled from his left wrist.

Armstrong, a 32-year-old Duke fan and Durham resident, noted North Carolina's many basketball titles and women's soccer titles -- 5 and 19, to be exact. Thirty-five UNC teams have been national champions in total, including six this decade. Many other individual athletes at the school have won titles, as well.

"Chapel Hill has a lot of history," he said. "Chapel Hill's a great place."

That's why it's one of 20 finalists in ESPN's search for TitleTown USA. The winner will be declared the nation's No. 1 sports city.

A panel of journalists and ESPN anchors dwindled about 200 candidates to 20.

Even Armstrong, who sits on the darker end of the blue spectrum, doesn't deny the sports history of North Carolina.

"I think it has a good shot at it," Armstrong said of Chapel Hill's chances of winning.

"SportsCenter" has been traveling to the 20 communities since the finalists were announced on June 24, landing in Chapel Hill last week.

The show began airing a taping from each candidate on Friday.

North Carolina was featured on the evening and morning "SportsCenter" broadcasts of Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Palo Alto, Cal., a stone's throw from Tiger Wood's alma mater Stanford University, will be featured today.

Eric Amidon, a housing assignment officer at UNC, said he heard about the show Wednesday morning and was excited to check it out later.

He began working for the university's housing department about four months ago and often visits the athletic department.

"You kind of latch onto the flavor here, as far as athletics and academics," said Amidon, outside of the museum.

"I've got 'The Carolina Way' bracelet on," he said, pulling at the light blue band on his wrist.

Fans can vote for the winner on ESPN.com from July 24 to July 26. The winner will be announced on "SportsCenter" on July 27.

Chapel Hill is up against several sports meccas -- New York, home of the Yankees, Mets, Giants and the once-esteemed Knicks, and Boston, home of the Red Sox, Celtics and New England Patriots.

Smaller cities are also represented, including Massillon, Ohio, a city about 54 miles south of Cleveland. The city of 31,325 loves football so much, its high school football stadium, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, can seat almost 17,000.

According to the U.S. Census, Chapel Hill's population is almost 48,000. North Carolina enrolls more than half that number each year.

"Chapel Hill is a college town," Amidon said. "There are no professional sports teams in Chapel Hill.

"Just the history and the success of all the Carolina sports programs ... I don't want to say that it makes up for (not having a professional team), but it makes Carolina unique."

Contact Dioni L. Wise at 373-7016 or dioni.wise @news-record.com