UNC survives Louisville test

Roy Williams was fuming. The North Carolina coach ripped off his jacket and flung it into a chair in disgust. He stomped around his players during a firsthalf timeout, screaming for them to play tougher or watch Louisville run away with their Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament matchup.

Brice Johnson heard every word.

“My manhood was definitely challenged,” he said.

Johnson responded by scoring 18 of his 22 points after halftime to help the 19thranked Tar Heels outlast the 14thranked Cardinals 7060 on Thursday in the quarterfinals in Greensboro, N.C.

Marcus Paige added 13 points for the fifthseeded Tar Heels (2310), who took control in the final 7 minutes to take the third tough matchup between the teams this season.

UNC used an 80 run to finally push ahead for good, with Kennedy Meeks coming up with some key plays despite being limited by a recent illness. The Tar Heels then went 6for6 at the line in the final minute to seal it and earn a semifinal date with No. 3 Virginia.

To listen to Williams, though, the reason for UNC’s first win against a higherseeded team in a dozen years was more effort than Xs and Os.

“They manned up and decided to play better in the second half,” Williams said.

Iowa St. 69, Texas 67

In Kansas City, Mo., Monte Morris rose up and hit an 18foot jumper at the buzzer, capping a 120 closing run that lifted No. 13 Iowa State over Texas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Morris finished with 24 points for the secondseeded Cyclones (238), who trailed by 16