One more Final Four
Williams reflects on KU after May, North Carolina hold off scrappy Wisconsin
Syracuse, N.Y. ? Roy Williams is headed to his fifth Final Four, this time as coach of his alma mater, North Carolina.
“It’s special. There’s no question about that,” Williams, the former Kansas University coach, said after the Tar Heels’ 88-82 victory Sunday over Wisconsin in the Syracuse Regional final at the Carrier Dome.
It’s North Carolina’s NCAA Division One-best 16th Final Four and first since 2000.
“But I’ll tell you folks,” Williams said, “I loved 15 years at Kansas. I loved the feeling I had those four times there. It’s only different because it was so emotional to leave Kansas to start with. It was so emotional what the kids had gone through at North Carolina.
“Tonight, when I sit back and think about it a little more, it might be something special just because I did go to school at North Carolina. But I’ll tell you …. the University of Kansas gave me a chance, so there’ll never be anything negative crossing my lips or my brain, or that any place is more special. But I did go to school here, my wife went to school here, my son went to school here, and my daughter went to school here. It is special.”
One by one, he sent his players up a ladder to cut down nets on both ends of the court. He did the same when North Carolina clinched its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 1993, choosing to ignore any criticism for celebrating before the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels advanced thanks to Sean May’s 29 points and 12 rebounds.
May, a junior, was mighty motivated entering the game.
“Coach Robinson has been wearing this awful T-shirt from Kansas when they went to the Final Four,” May said of UNC assistant and former KU aide Steve Robinson, “and I told him before the game if we win, I get to rip it up. That was my main motivation.”
North Carolina coach Roy Williams clips the net to celebrate the Tar Heels' 88-82 victory over Wisconsin. The Heels beat the Badgers on Sunday in the finals of the Syracuse Regional in Syracuse, N.Y.
The 54-year-old Williams at the podium was asked to compare his first Final Four team at Kansas (1991) and his first at his alma mater. The Tar Heels lost a second-round game a year ago.
“This group of kids, rightly or wrongly or whatever, there were some negative things said about them, about player revolts (under Matt Doherty) or all those kinds of things, so it has been more difficult for these kids than it was at Kansas,” Williams said.
“Last year, I’d gone on record saying it was the most difficult year I’ve had in coaching. There were just so many emotions, trying to get the players to understand the man in front as opposed to the man in the back.”
UNC junior Rashad McCants swished a clutch three-pointer and had two huge defensive stops down the stretch. Raymond Felton added 17 points — including four free throws in the final minute to seal it.
But it was McCants who did the most to end a marvelous run by the sixth-seeded Badgers (25-9) and send the Tar Heels (31-4) to St. Louis.
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With North Carolina clinging to a three-point lead, McCants jumped high to swat away a three by Clayton Hanson with about two minutes left, Hanson’s only miss of the second half from beyond the arc. Later, when Kammron Taylor drove to the basket, McCants again was there to stop him.
“I knew they were going to come at me,” McCants said. “I took that as an assignment and shut him down.”
Wisconsin closed within three again on an alley-oop dunk by Alando Tucker before McCants made his three-pointer, coming off a screen by Marvin Williams to give North Carolina an 81-75 lead. He finished with 21 points.
That proved to be enough, and when the final buzzer sounded, McCants and Felton spent several seconds embracing in the lane while teammates quickly donned hats that read “Syracuse Regional Champions.”
North Carolina's Sean May celebrates after defeating Wisconsin, 88-82, to win the Syracuse Regional final. UNC advanced to the Final Four with the victory Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y.
Tucker scored 25 points for the Badgers, who — despite their reputation for steady and methodical offense — never once tried to slow the pace. They scored more than 80 points for only the third time this season and the first since Dec. 27.
“Any time the season ends like this, it’s emotional,” Hanson said. “Five years down the road, I’ll be proud of it. But, right now, it stinks.”
Meanwhile, May has become Carolina’s No. 1 offensive option. The burly center certainly was that in this victory, shooting 13-of-19 to reach double figures for the 19th straight game.
In 14 of those, he’s also grabbed at least 10 rebounds, an incredible stretch that led to him being selected second-team All-America.
“There’s not a lot of guys built like him, and he knows how to use his body,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. “If the big man isn’t scoring, he’s not going to get the ball.”