Woodling: Carolina will have to wait
If ifs and buts counted more than three-point goals, this paragraph would have started with a Syracuse, N.Y., dateline. And I guarantee you it would have contained the words “Roy” and “Williams.”
If Kansas University had made two of 11 three-point goals, the Jayhawks would have defeated Bucknell in the first round of the Syracuse Regional. But KU made only one of 11 three-pointers.
If Kansas had defeated Bucknell, the Jayhawks would have met No. 6 seed Wisconsin in the second round. But KU brought its D game to Oklahoma City’s Ford Center and never had a chance to battle the Badgers who were beatable, in my opinion, even with the Jayhawks’ B game.
If Kansas had knocked off Bucknell and Wisconsin, Thursday KU would have been in the Carrier Dome for the obligatory open practice and media sessions in anticipation of today’s clash with surprising North Carolina State.
Except that most of the media questions directed at coach Bill Self and the KU players would have been about Roy Williams being there, too. North Carolina will collide with Villanova in the other game.
And, when it was North Carolina’s turn to be on the dais, does anybody really think the first question directed at Williams would be about Villanova?
Having known Williams during the 15 years he was head coach at Kansas, I’ve been trying to imagine what his response would have been.
Would he have said:
A. “Last time I looked we were playing Villanova. If we’re lucky enough to beat Villanova and play Kansas, I’ll talk about it then.”
B. “I don’t give a (bleep) about Kansas. I’m North Carolina’s coach. Ask me about the Tar Heels. Or ask me about Villanova.”
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I think we can throw out B, so it’s down to A and C.
I’m go with A. I think Williams would have saved C for Saturday’s media grilling on the assumption Kansas and North Carolina each would win tonight.
Ironic, isn’t it, that Williams is expected to advance to the Final Four with players Matt Doherty recruited while Bill Self stubbed his toe relying heavily on the four seniors Williams lured to Lawrence.
Many people have forgotten, too, that Williams probably still would be at Kansas if North Carolina center Sean May hadn’t been lost for the 2002-2003 season after suffering a post-Christmas foot injury in practice. Doherty didn’t have a replacement for May and the Tar Heels went in the tank, costing the former UNC player his job and toppling the dominoes that led to Williams’ return to his alma mater.
You may remember the 6-foot-9 May’s fourth game as a collegian was against Kansas in a semifinal of the Preseason NIT at New York’s Madison Square Garden. May was impressive, too, with 11 rebounds, eight points, five blocked shots and four steals as North Carolina won easily, 67-56.
Four months later, however, the Tar Heels’ season was over, Doherty had been fired and Kansas was playing Syracuse in the NCAA championship game.
Today, most of the UNC players who were on the Madison Square Garden floor on that late November night in 2002 are members of a team considered a shoo-in for the Final Four and the odds-on favorite to meet Illinois for the national championship.
To this day, folks in Kansas have mixed emotions about Williams. Some Sunflower Staters will be hoping Williams finally sheds the stigma of failing to win a national championship. Others will be hoping he loses, reinforcing the notion he can’t win the big one.
In the meantime, one thing is certain: With Williams not about to schedule the Jayhawks during the regular season, fans both pro and con will have to wait at least another year for the potential Kansas-North Carolina meeting they want so much to see.