Top-Seed Tar Heels Trample Cougars
AP
Posted: 2008-06-03 15:07:58
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 27) - Roy Williams has never stopped pushing his North Carolina team to play better defense, not even as it piled up lopsided wins and crowd-pleasing offensive displays that few teams can match.
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The Tar Heels gave their Hall of Fame coach what he's been asking for in the East Regional semifinal against Washington State - and it has them a game away from the Final Four again.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and the top-seeded Tar Heels held Washington State to 32-percent shooting in a 68-47 victory Thursday night, sending North Carolina back to the NCAA tournament's round of eight for the second straight season.
Danny Green had 15 points to help the Tar Heels (35-2) set a school record for victories while continuing their dominant tournament run. The No. 1 overall seed has won its first three NCAA games by 20 or more points for the first time in program history as it chases a record 17th trip to the Final Four.
North Carolina will play the Louisville-Tennessee winner Saturday with a clear home-court advantage, playing in an arena located about two hours from its Chapel Hill campus.
On this night - facing a team that had completely shut down its first two tournament foes - everything started with a defensive performance that was the school's best in the tournament since before Williams was born.
"We continued to talk about this throughout the year, the fact that we're tired of hearing that North Carolina can't play defense and that's going to be our weak link," junior Marcus Ginyard said. "But tonight, I think you see that this team has the capability of buckling down and being that great defensive team."
There was no room to argue with the Tar Heels' vocal leader. Fourth-seeded Washington State (26-9) managed just 18 field goals for the game while scoring 20 points below its average. The Cougars also went 2-for-16 from 3-point range as the Tar Heels pulled away.
The 47 points were the fewest allowed by the Tar Heels in an NCAA game since 1946.
"Defensively we thought we were really good," Williams said, "but yet let's be honest: they missed some open shots."
North Carolina improved to 24-1 in NCAA games played in its home state, including 7-0 in Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Now they can focus on erasing the lingering memories from last year's final game: a blown double-digit lead late in the second half of an overtime loss to Georgetown in the regional finals.
"We know what happened. We know that feeling," Hansbrough said. "We don't want to have it again. That's kind of our attitude, and that's the mentality we have."
For the first time in this tournament, the Tar Heels, the nation's second-highest scoring team, didn't crack 100 points. It didn't matter. Nor did it matter that Hansbrough struggled much of the way. Instead, facing a deliberate Washington State team that had held Winthrop and Notre Dame to a combined 81 points in the tournament, the Tar Heels looked determined to prove they could play some tough defense, too.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self poses with students in Boys Town, Neb., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Self, who visited Boys Town before appearing at an Omaha sports banquet in the evening, said he'll have no idea what the roster for the defending NCAA champions will look like until after June's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, center, jokes during a visit to Boys Town, Neb., Wednesday, May 7, 2008, as he stands near Boys Town Executive Director Steve Boes, left. said he'll have no idea what the roster for the defending NCAA champions will look like until after June's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, left, takes questions from students during a visit to Boys Town, Neb., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Self, who was in Omaha for a sports banquet, said he'll have no idea what the roster for the defending NCAA championship team will look like until after June's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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** FILE ** In this Jan. 9, 2008 file photo, LSU's Garrett Temple (14) knocks the ball away from Mississippi State's Ben Hansbrough, right, and Temple eventually ends up with the ball during the first half of a college basketball game in Baton Rouge, La. Hansbrough, who helped Mississippi State advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament last month, is transferring to Notre Dame. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, File)
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Memphis head coach John Calipari smiles as he answers a question at a news conference at the college basketball Final Four in this April 6, 2008 file photo, in San Antonio. Calipari has signed a contract extension through the 2012-13 season that includes an annual raise of $500,000. Calipari will make $2.35 million per year and will receive a $5 million bonus if he stays through the end of the deal, athletic director R.C. Johnson announced Saturday, April 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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** FILE ** This March 27, 2008 file photo shows Texas guard D.J. Augustin (14) smiling during a news conference at the NCAA South Regional basketball tournament in Houston. All-American point guard D.J. Augustin says he is leaving Texas after two seasons to turn pro. He said Wednesday April 23, 2008 that he has long dreamed of playing in the NBA and that he is "ready to start living this dream." (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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** FILE ** In this March 22, 2008 file photo, Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon responds to a question during a news conference at the NCAA men's basketball tournament South Regional in North Little Rock, Ark. Gordon has decided to turn pro but won't hire an agent before the NBA draft. Gordon told The Associated Press he planned to file the paperwork. In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon April 22, 2008, Gordon said he intends to go through with the draft if he remains injury free. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
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** FILE ** In this March 23, 2008 file photo, Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon (44) takes a shot as Memphis guard Antonio Anderson (5) defends in the first half of an NCAA men's basketball second-round South Regional game in North Little Rock, Ark. Gordon has decided to turn pro but won't hire an agent before the NBA draft. Gordon told The Associated Press he planned to file the paperwork. In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon April 22, 2008, Gordon said he intends to go through with the draft if he remains injury free. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
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** FILE ** This March 19, 2006 file photo shows Bucknell basketball coach Pat Flannery pleading with an official during the first half of their NCAA tournament second-round basketball game against Memphis in Dallas. Flannery is retiring after 14 years on the bench at his alma mater. A person at the university told The Associated Press of Flannery's retirement Friday morning, April 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam, File)
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** FILE ** Memphis coach John Calipari talks with Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose (23) in the first half of the NCAA South Regional basketball final in Houston in this March 30, 2008 file photo, in Houston. Rose announced on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 he was jumping to the NBA, the same day Calipari agreed in principle to a contract extension with the school. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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Washington State missed shot after shot - sometimes open, more often not - while the Tar Heels kept pushing forward with their slowed-but-effective transition attack. The Cougars got little from the perimeter, with Kyle Weaver and Taylor Rochestie scoring a combined 12 points on 4-for-21 shooting.
"It was freezing out there," said Weaver, who had 10 points. "We got a lot of good looks offensively, but we were pretty awful."
Derrick Low and Aron Baynes scored 14 points to lead the Cougars.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels kept the pressure on, gradually getting more runouts in transition and increasing the pace to steadily build the lead. North Carolina led 35-21 at halftime on a 3-pointer from Ty Lawson just before the horn, then got a quick six-point burst to push the lead to 47-27 on Alex Stepheson's three-point play with 11:45 left.
"That's something everybody's been talking about: if teams slow it down on us, we're not as effective," said sophomore Wayne Ellington, who had 13 points. "But we've been through that this year. We've been through that in the regular season, with teams trying to stop us from running. And they haven't been very good at it. If a team makes a shot, we're going to get the ball up and attack."
The Tar Heels had too many weapons for Washington State's methodical offense to keep pace, leading by as many as 26 points late.
"We've played some really good teams in our league with some different styles," Washington State coach Tony Bennett said,
"... but North Carolina is very special."
Bennett couldn't complain with his team's early defense on Hansbrough, who faced constant double teams any time he touched the ball near the paint. He went 0-for-4 from the floor and managed only a pair of free throws while committing three turnovers in the first half, but scored eight points in the first 6 1/2 minutes after the break to finally get going.
Green, seemingly the only Tar Heel to struggle with his shot in the first two rounds, provided an immediate lift off the bench, scoring 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.
Cheerleaders perform during training for the beach volleyball events ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 7, 2008. (Carlos Barria, Reuters)
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Chinese cheerleaders perform at the break of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team against the Russian National Team during the USA Basketball International Challenge exhibition game at the Qizhong Arena on August 3, 2008 in Shanghai, China. (MN Chan, Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders dance during the men's preliminary round beach volleyball match between Russia and Italy at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 12, 2008. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (CHINA)
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Cheerleaders perform before the men's 69kg Group A weightlifting competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 12, 2008. REUTERS/Yves Herman (CHINA)
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A man rides a bicycle past tribunes as Chinese cheerleaders wave flags at the rowing venue during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a 2008 Beijing Olympics Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park on August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a 2008 Beijing Olympic Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground on August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground, August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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A cheerleader is thrown up the air while performing during half-time break at the men's pool MB hockey match between Australia and Canada at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (CHINA)
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Cheerleaders perform during break of men's field hockey match between Pakistan and Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games on August 11, 2008. Great Britain won 4-2. AFP PHOTO/ AAMIR QURESHI (Photo credit should read /AFP/Getty Images)
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