Saturday, March 25, 2000
North Carolina 74, Tennessee 69
The Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — Even in a down year, North Carolina still found a way to make the final eight.
Ed Cota spurred a late second-half comeback, then he and freshmen Joseph Forte and Julius Peppers hit six straight free throws in the final 34.9 seconds, giving the Tar Heels a 74-69 victory over Tennessee and another upset.
Eighth-seeded North Carolina (21-13), fresh off beating top-seeded Stanford in the South Regional, overcame a 51-42 deficit by holding the fourth-seeded Volunteers (26-7) without a field goal for nearly the last seven minutes.
The Tar Heels are headed to the regional final for the sixth time in 10 years. They'll play seventh-seeded Tulsa (32-4), which has never gotten this far. The contrast could be a factor as North Carolina has made the Final Four every time it has made the final eight since 1991, winning it all in '93.
“Ed Cota, as he's done so many times for years, made big plays,” Tar Heels coach Bill Guthridge said. “I wish we could relax and enjoy it, but we have to get ready for Tulsa.”
North Carolina, which hasn't played Tulsa since 1982, is the last remaining team from the ACC. Neighbor and rival Duke lost 87-78 to Florida on Friday night.
Tennessee wasn't able to join SEC foe Florida in the final eight, but the Vols still had the best season in school history.
“Basketball is 40 minutes and we played 36,” Tennessee coach Jerry Green said.
C.J. Black, who led the Vols with 17 points, said: “We didn't play good in the last four minutes. We kept forcing things while they started clicking.”
The Tar Heels' winning rally kicked into top gear when Forte drilled a 3-pointer and Jason Capel hit a layup to get North Carolina within 64-62. Cota made a running jumper in the lane, then hit another floater over Ron Slay to make it 66-64 with 2:00 left.
“I hadn't shot the ball that much in the second half,” said Forte, who scored 13 of his team-high 22 points by halftime. “I really wasn't getting many open looks. I ran off a good screen and just knocked it down.”
Forte, whose 15th point broke Sam Perkins' school record for points by a freshman, held the ball too long on North Carolina's next possession and forced up a jumper with the shot clock winding down. It was blocked, but went straight to Peppers, who appeared to have redirected it into the hoop before the buzzer. TV replays showed he got it off in time, but it was waved off.
Any controversy was avoided after Slay missed a wild layup and threw down Forte as they went for the rebound. Guthridge screamed for an intentional foul, but didn't get it. Forte hit both free throws with 34.9 left.
Peppers, who is missing spring football practice thanks to the Tar Heels' NCAA run, was fouled after rebounding a 3-point miss by Tony Harris and the 57-percent free throw shooter drilled both with 26.7 seconds to play to make it 70-64.
Tennessee's scoring drought, which left them without a field goal since 7:15, ended with 13.6 seconds left when Harris made his first basket of the night, a 3-pointer.
But Cota hit two free throws with 11.5 seconds left.
C.J. Black scored off a rebound for the Volunteers' final points, then the Tar Heels answered with a long inbounds pass to Max Owens that led to a two-handed dunk and a wild celebration by the Carolina fans in the Erwin Center.
Cota had 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists, ending his streak of having 10 assists in three straight NCAA games. Brendan Haywood also had 11 points before fouling out with 8:03 left.
Black led the Volunteers with 17 points. Vincent Yarbrough had 13 and Slay added 12. Isiah Victor had 11.
Tennessee, which set a school record for victories, was trying to reach the final eight for the first time. This was the Volunteers' first appearance in the regional semifinals since 1981, back when it was a 48-team tournament.
Their bid to prove that the Tennessee men can be as dominant as the Tennessee women got off to a slow start as North Carolina led by seven early. Then, the Vols' speed and athleticism carried them to a 22-7 run and a nine-point lead.
Capel kept the Tar Heels close by scoring the last five points of the first half, putting North Carolina within 39-36.
A slow start in the second half nearly doomed the Tar Heels, especially after Haywood fouled out. Guthridge made a risky move by leaving in the 7-footer after he picked up his fourth foul at 9:30.
“When Brendan fouled out, I told everyone we had to step it up,” Cota said. “We didn't want this to be Brendan's last game.”
North Carolina came into the tournament having lost three of four and eight of 15. Now, they've already carved a spot in the school's glorious history and could become a sentimental favorite.
Guthridge already is doing something predecessor Dean Smith never did. Smith's only No. 8 seed, in 1990, lost in the regional semifinal.
With the 21st victory, North Carolina avoided its fewest wins since going 18-9 in 1969-70.
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