Those who delighted in The Great Fall might as well avert their eyes this weekend when the South Regional moves to Austin. For those eager to usher in the decline of North Carolina, be forewarned: They’re back.
The four-team South field, which will squeeze one team into the Final Four in Indianapolis, is a bracket-makers nightmare, with top seeds falling like leaves and upstarts rising like a helium balloon. Many thought the Tar Heels should not be included in the 64-team NCAA Tournament. Some anticipated a first-round knockout for the second consecutive year. The vast majority expected elimination to come at the hands of No. 1 seed Stanford.
Few believed this would happen: North Carolina is still alive and well, and — Tar Heels-haters start cringing — actually have a good chance to barge into their sixth Final Four in the last 10 years. Up next is a game against Tennessee, and if the Heels get by the Volunteers, all that stands in the way of another Final Four appearance is a meeting with either Miami or Tulsa, programs that cannot approach the staying power and gaudy success of the team from Chapel Hill, N.C.
Reports of North Carolina’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. “It definitely is big for us,” point guard Ed Cota said, “because we had a rough season. We were up and down this year.”
They are undeniably up at the moment. In a wholly-successful weekend in Birmingham, North Carolina (20-13) defeated Missouri 84-70 in a game in which the renowned Tar Heels size did considerable damage to the undersized Tigers. That was not an especially surprising outcome, but what followed on Sunday most assuredly was: An impressive 60-53 victory over Stanford, the South’s top seed and a team that had been ranked No. 3 in the nation.
Suddenly, the left-for-dead Tar Heels had their 20th victory, a feat they’ve achieved an incredible 30 consecutive years.
“Coach talked all year long that we were just a step away,” seven-foot center Brendan Haywood said. “No one believed him, except for the coaching staff and us.”
It was easy at first to dismiss what was said by Bill Guthridge, for so many years Dean Smith’s right-hand man before Smith retired and handed the team over to his loyal assistant three years ago. A nice man, Guthridge is not a commanding personality, and even though the Tar Heels made it to the Final Four in 1998, his tenure as head coach has not been viewed as a smashing success. Last year, the Heels were bounced out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round by Weber State and this season, the Heels were only 18-13 entering the tournament, including a disheartening loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament, leading to speculation that they would not be included in the NCAA Tournament for a record 26th consecutive year.
Out of the despair of that loss to Wake Forest came a renewed sense of worth. “We sat in that locker room in dead silence,” said sophomore forward Jason Capel. “No one came out and pointed fingers, no one screamed at anyone. It’s been a rebirth ever since.”
As Stanford coach Mike Montgomery reminded everyone before his club was eliminated, North Carolina is North Carolina. It was not a vintage year, but there still was the roster full of high school All America players, plus a veteran point guard in Cota and a true big man in Haywood. In the key moment against Stanford, it was a freshman sensation, Joseph Forte, who nailed back-to-back 3-pointers. Of course, Forte was a coveted recruit who likely is the next great Carolina player, having already set a freshman scoring record.
“We match up well with any team,” Forte said. “No team can say they’re bigger than us or they have a better point guard than us. We’re well-rounded. We can’t be an underdog to anybody.”
Let the remainder of the South field be warned. North Carolina is back.
