Los Angeles Times

Tar Heels edge Wildcats in a classic finish

- ben.bolch@latimes.com

ing for a three-pointer over the flailing arms of two North Carolina defenders to tie the score at 73-73 with nine seconds left. The shot came three months after Monk had made another three-pointer in the final seconds to lift the Wildcats over the Tar Heels in Las Vegas.

As Kentucky players leaped in celebratio­n on the bench and Wildcats fans who had spent most of the game howling at officials roared in delight, the Tar Heels pondered overtime.

“I was kind of like, oh my gosh, he did not just make that shot,” Britt said of Monk’s three-pointer, which capped a wild Wildcats rally from seven points down with 54 seconds left. The comeback included two threepoint­ers by Monk (12 points) and one by teammate De’Aaron Fox (13).

The Tar Heels (31-7) had a timeout left as they prepared to inbound the ball but knew Coach Roy Williams had no intention of using it because he likes his team to attack if there’s more than six seconds left.

“I was just screaming, ‘Go, go, go!’ ” Williams said.

“I probably should have called time out,” Kentucky Coach John Calipari said. “It entered my mind, but they got [the ball] in so quick, I couldn’t get to anybody to do it.”

Pinson took the inbounds pass and zipped up the right side of the court before cutting back toward the middle after he crossed midcourt, momentaril­y ignoring Maye, who was raising his arm and calling for the ball.

Maye was the most unlikely player on the court to emerge as the hero. The sophomore entered the regional having averaged 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in only 13.8 minutes per game this season, his first on scholarshi­p after being a preferred walk-on as a freshman.

He flashed his potential with 16 points and 12 rebounds in North Carolina’s victory over Butler in the regional semifinal and was in the game at the end Sunday because he had made five of his first eight shots.

“I don’t think Luke has put together two games like this all season,” North Carolina forward Justin Jack- son said of the teammate who finished with a careerhigh 17 points and was selected most outstandin­g player of the regional.

Maye also made two free throws as part of North Carolina’s 12-0 run that wiped out the 64-59 deficit it faced with five minutes left. The Tar Heels switched to a zone defense that thwarted Kentucky’s dribble penetratio­n and were emboldened by having completed a similar comeback against Arkansas in the second round last week.

“We’ve got the same situation,” Williams said he told his team. “You have shown that you can do this.”

Maye had played only 10 minutes in that game against the Razorbacks, scoring seven points. After sinking the jumper that provided the go-ahead points against the Wildcats (32-6), Maye pumped his fist and hoisted teammate Joel Berry into the air.

The subsequent fullcourt inbounds pass from Kentucky’s Derek Willis sailed out of bounds and the celebratin­g commenced for the Tar Heels. North Carolina fans bellowed “Luuuuuuke!” as Maye climbed a ladder underneath one basket, took two snips and held a strand of net aloft.

A few minutes earlier, as Maye conducted an interview in front of cameras, Pinson walked up from behind, patted his teammate on the back and interjecte­d, “I passed him the ball.” Good things happened from there, the kid whose father once played quarterbac­k for North Carolina’s football team having come of age in front of a nation.

“I came from a small town in North Carolina and always wanted to be in this opportunit­y,” Maye said, “and now that I’ve had it, it’s an awesome feeling.”

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