N Carolina outlasts Kentucky in aristocrat battle
JOHN Calipari, the coach at Kentucky, recently recalled watching one of North Carolina’s games late in the regular season. He was impressed – and worried.
“I’m thinking: ‘Please don’t put them in our bracket,’” Calipari said. “Probably someone heard me think that and said: ‘Oh, that’s what he doesn’t want – they’re going in that bracket.’”
On Sunday afternoon, Calipari saw his worst fears materialise before him as North Carolina, leaning on experience and savvy, came away with a 75-73 victory against Kentucky in the South Regional final of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels’ Luke Maye hit a jump shot with three-tenths of a second left for the win.
It was a day for the blue bloods at FedEx Forum. North Carolina (31-7) and Kentucky (32-6), two of the most storied programs in college basketball, arrived having combined for 13 national championships, 36 appearances in the Final Four and 246 victories in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels, the top seed in the regional, came away with No247 and reached their 20th Final Four to continue their season-long redemption tour. A year ago, they lost to Villanova in the national championship game on a lastsecond jump shot.
“That was our ultimate goal last year: to win the championship,” senior forward Isaiah Hicks said before Sunday’s game. “We were four seconds away from that. Just to see your dream taken away right in front of you, that’s all the motivation you need. Of course, nobody likes to lose. But that one, when you’re right there – all of us, we just need that second chance.”
On Sunday, the Tar Heels put themselves one win closer.
By beating second-seeded Kentucky, they set up a Final Four showdown between the Carolinas and the Pacific Northwest. On Saturday in Glendale, Ar izona, North Carolina will face Oregon, and South Carolina wil l play Gonzaga in a matchup of newcomers to the Final Four.
SC reach first Final Four
Seven years ago, South Carolina coach Frank Martin vowed to handle things differently the next time he had a chance to make the Final Four.
He blamed himself for Kansas State’s failure to surpass the Elite Eight in 2010. He had committed a cardinal sin, by his standards, in the days between the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight: he lightened up his intensity in practice.
“I told myself: ‘If I’m ever in the same situation, I’ve got to practise our guys the way that we have t rai ned f or s i x months,’” Martin said. “Not any way differently.”
Martin kept his foot on the pedal this time, and his fiery leadership brought South Carolina basketball to new heights.
The seventh-seeded Gamecocks, who until this month had gone 44 years without an NCAA To u r n a ment wi n , advanced to their first Final Four on Sunday by beating fourth-seeded Florida 77-70 at Madison Square Garden.
South Carolina became this year’s second newcomer to the Final Four, joining Gonzaga, a top seed. They will face each other Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
The Gamecocks versus the Gators was the first matchup between Southeastern Conference schools in the Elite Eight since 1986. Less than a month ago, South Carolina lost by 15 at Florida.
But with a physical style of play, the Gamecocks toppled second seed Duke and third seed Baylor to reach Sunday’s showdown – and then Florida, the fourth seed, to win the East Region.