null
|
|
Wednesday, March 14
For Tar Heels, No. 2 will have to do
Associated Press
ATLANTA – From No. 1 to a No. 2 seed.
In the space of just three weeks, North Carolina saw its season
take a striking turn for the worse, costing the Tar Heels a top
seed in the NCAA Tournament.
When the 65-team field was announced Sunday, the Tar
Heels (25-6) were still sulking from a 26-point loss to Duke in the
final of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
|
“ |
New season, fresh start. Let's get ready to go. ” |
|
|
— Brendan Haywood |
Their mood didn't get any better when the selection committee
made them a second seed in the South Regional behind Michigan State,
which lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.
The Tar Heels don't understand why everyone seems to be
questioning their credentials heading into the NCAA Tournament.
They will open Friday against 15th-seeded Princeton, an always-dangerous opponent.
"Why is there cause for concern?" center Brendan Haywood asked
with disdain. "We lost a game, but it's just one game. We're not
going to run and panic and hide because we lost a basketball
game."
Actually, North Carolina lost four of its last eight,
beginning that stretch with the most shocking defeat of all.
On Feb. 18, while ranked No. 1 in the country, the Tar Heels
were beaten 75-65 on the road against Clemson, the worst team in
the ACC. That defeat was still weighing on the minds of the
selection committee when they bumped North Carolina to a second
seed.
Since then, there have been three more double-digit defeats. The
Tar Heels were blown out at Virginia 86-66, then lost to Duke at
home, 95-81, on the final Sunday of the regular season.
North Carolina rebounded to win the first two games of the ACC
tournament and was in position to claim the top seed in the South
Region – along with the added bonus of playing the first two games
at Greensboro, N.C. – by beating Duke in the final.
It wasn't even close. The Blue Devils took control with a 19-1
run in the first half, led by 20 at halftime and coasted to a 79-53
victory – the second-largest title game margin in the 48-year
history of the tournament.
"Had our losses been spread out, there probably wouldn't be any
talk about this," star guard Joseph Forte said. "Our record is
great and we had a great season. We lost games at the end, that's
all. It's not that there's anything wrong. Teams we've been playing
have adjusted and come with different schemes the second time
around against us."
North Carolina does have some serious concerns going into the
tournament, especially with a running, gunning team like
third-seeded Florida lurking as a possible opponent in the region
semifinals.
As Duke showed, the Tar Heels and their half-court offense have
trouble coping with a quick, athletic team that does a lot of
trapping at the defensive end. North Carolina had 20 turnovers
Sunday and, compounding the problem, point guard Ronald Curry is
bothered by a sore left wrist.
"Have we played as well recently? Probably not," first-year
coach Matt Doherty said. "But that's a function of the teams we've
played. We can't worry about that now. A lot of people lose to
Duke. A lot of people lose at Virginia. The game that probably
jumps out at you is the loss to Clemson."
The Tar Heels can take solace in last season, when they entered
the NCAAs with a rather ordinary 18-13 record. They put together
four straight victories to reach the Final Four, where they lost to
Florida in the semifinals.
What remains to be seen is how they'll react in the tournament
with the fiery Doherty on the bench rather than his gentle
predecessor, Bill Guthridge, who was a stylistic extension of the
coach who came before him, Dean Smith.
"New season, fresh start," Haywood said. "Let's get ready to
go. Last year, no one even expected us to be in the tournament and
we went to the Final Four. So what happens in the regular season
doesn't matter." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|  |
|
|
Dick, Digger and Chris break down the South Regional.