"Jim Lampley (a UNC graduate) has been telling me about the rivalry for 20 years or so," says HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. "I was also aware of the subculture of both universities, and even though UNC was the state school, they think of themselves as the dignified force in the rivalry. They think Duke is a bunch of animals even though Duke is supposed to be the Ivy League of the South. That never meshed right with me and it was interesting. Plus, you had all these legends coming out of these two schools, the [Michael] Jordan's, the [Christian] Laettner's and the [Mike] Krzyzewski's and [Dean] Smith's. Unbelievable iconic names have floated through both places and it makes for a great documentary."

HBO Plans Documentary of UNC-Duke originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Davidson head coach Bob McKillop is close to signing a long-term contract with Davidson. Details of the contract aren't yet known, but McKillop did say an announcement would be made soon.

Davidson reached the Elite Eight last year and were a missed three-pointer at the buzzer from downing eventual champion Kansas. On the way to facing Kansas, the Wildcats beat Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin. The 2008 NCAA Tournament will mostly be remembered for what McKillop's Wildcats did.

This news makes me happy because it is nice to see a coach from a small school stick around once his program gets some notice. Many times, a coach uses an opportunity like that to land a much higher profile (and paying) job. It is hard to blame them since most people who jump at those chances.

McKillop Close to Extention at Davidson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ty Lawson Will Be Back at UNC ... Which Means He Has to Face Some Punishment originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, Roy Williams wearing a KU sticker during the title game and the defection of four players from a team that would've been favored next season.

Today, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to North Carolina next season. While Ellington and Green aren't total surprises, there was a point that it felt both would actually leave. Lawson returning is a huge surprise since (a) he didn't seem like he really wanted to come back, (b) the arrest in Chapel Hill would mean consequences from Williams and (c) his stock actually seemed to rise into easy first round status.

This is a huge get for Williams and Tar Heel fans. The only two non-returning players (that mattered) from a 36-3 Final Four team are Quentin Thomas (graduation) and Alex Stepheson (transfer) -- both reserves.

The starting lineup will probably stay the exact same: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. The bench will consist of Green (one of the best sixth men in the nation), Bobby Frasor (injured last year, a smart, steady player with a defensive presence), freshman Ed Davis (who will fill the defensive/rebounder role that Stepheson left), William Graves (long range shooter), freshman Tyler Zeller (a 7-foot guy who loves to run) and freshman Larry Drew (solid PG that won't be relied on too much).

This is probably the best collection of talent in Chapel Hill since 1993-1994 when the defending champion Heels (Eric Montross, Donald Williams, Derrick Phelps, Brian Reese) added Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McInnis. But, as Heels fans remember, that team grossly underwhelmed during the season and were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round (BC's Bill Curley, anyone?).

Still, there is so much to be excited about in Chapel Hill and nervous about in the rest of the ACC. Below is the comments from the Tar Heel trio about returning to school:

Wayne Ellington: "After going through this process and gaining valuable information then discussing my future with my family as well as Coach Williams, it was an easy decision for me to come back to the University of North Carolina because of my love for the University and my teammates. I am looking forward to working toward our goal of winning a national championship."

Danny Green: "I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2008 NBA Draft. The process of `testing the waters' has given me valuable information and a great experience of what the NBA process is like. This was an easy decision for me because I'm going to enjoy my senior season with great teammates and our great coaching staff for one more year."

Ty Lawson: "I have withdrawn from the 2008 Draft. The process of `testing the waters' has given me valuable information about my draft status, and I have decided it would be better to return to school. I love school, my teammates and coaching staff. I look forward to playing next season and trying to win a national championship."

Roy Williams: "After a long and exhaustive process of gathering information and sharing it with these youngsters, I stepped back and asked them to make their own decisions. I'm very pleased with their decisions because I get to coach them for another year. I'm also pleased that they went through the process and gained valuable information. It was reassuring that the feedback they got from the NBA teams is the same type of feedback our coaching staff has been giving them.

"It was a lengthy process, but one that is fair for these youngsters. Everyone should have the right to be evaluated in terms of possibly reaching his dreams. I feel strongly that all of these young men will eventually be NBA players. The timing was just not exactly right at this point. They had my 100 percent support throughout the process, regardless of which decision they might have made."

Today May Have Been Roy Williams' Best Haul in a Long Time originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"They are all going back to school," one source said. "None of them were 100 percent sure they would be taken in the first round."

Report: Lawson, Green and Ellington Are All Returning to North Carolina originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Chapel Hill police officer arrested Lawson, 20, at 2:33 a.m. on North Columbia St., in the heart of town. The officer stopped Lawson in a 2005 four-door Chevrolet with Maryland plates after hearing loud music coming from the car, said police Capt. Chris Blue.

The officer suspected that Lawson had been drinking, conducted a field sobriety test and found probable cause to charge him, Blue said.

Understand that this isn't a true DUI because it isn't stated that Lawson was drunk. However, he is under the legal drinking age and the law falls under the same statute. Lawson will appear in court on July 8th.

This is really bad timing for Lawson. He is currently "testing the draft waters" by working out for NBA teams. He played pretty well in his only game during the NBA's Pre-Draft camp ... but sat the next two days with a hip pointer. Lawson did state that he'd stay in the draft if he was a top twenty pick, which seems to be higher than experts have him projected -- and that was before this incident.

This arrested really puts the pressure on Lawson as it may hurt his draft status a bit. Now, it isn't the end of the world that a 20-year old drank some alcohol (again, the report didn't say he was drunk) and was playing his stereo loud. However, NBA teams really want their point guards to be good decision makers ... and Lawson sure didn't show that.

Tar Heels' Ty Lawson Arrested For Driving After Drinking originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It would seem as if the only drama going on at the NBA's pre-draft camp is the status of the three North Carolina Tar Heels that declared for the draft.

Heels fans have been vocal about wanting these guys back and how they aren't ready for The League. It seems that UNC guard Ty Lawson is kind of coming to this conclusion, as well:

North Carolina guard Ty Lawson said Wednesday if he's not confident he'll go 20th or better in the NBA draft, he'll pull out of the process and return to North Carolina for his junior season.

He said his challenge this week at the NBA pre-draft camp is convincing teams his left ankle is healed and showing he'll take -- and make -- jump shots when the opportunity is there.

This goes against Lawson's statement that he doesn't like the "test the waters" phrase since it implies that he's not seriously ready to go to the NBA. However, it is the first nugget of information that Carolina fans have been wanting to hear.

The other is this: guard Wayne Ellington really struggled in his first pre-draft game on Wednesday. He hit just one of his five shots from behind the arc (remember, the NBA arc) and committed six turnovers.

Add this in with the fact that forward Danny Green may not even get drafted (he also struggled in his first camp game) and Tar Heel fans may get what they want: a loaded team ready for a NCAA Tournament championship run.

This is a team that will lose just two players (third string point guard Quentin Thomas and backup power forward Alex Stepheson) from a Final Four squad that was ranked #1 for much of the season. They will bring in a nice recruiting class of 7-footer Tyler Zeller, bruising power forward Ed Davis, point guards Larry Drew and JC Watts. Davis and Drew will fill the rolls that Stepheson and Thomas left behind.

They will also get senior point guard Bobby Frasor back. Frasor missed much of the season after tearing up his knee in December and will add leadership and a defensive presence.

Oh, and reigning National Player Of The Year winner Tyler Hansbrough will be back, too.

Add Lawson, Ellington and Green to that team (along with glue guy Marcus Ginyard, forward Deon Thompson, gunner William Graves) and it would be loaded.

Ty Lawson Will Come Back to UNC ... If He's Not Guaranteed to Be a Top 20 Pick originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 May 2008 13:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you are a North Carolina fan, you are hoping that the three Heels who declared for the NBA Draft (Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green) all come back to school and create one of the most loaded college teams we've seen in a while.

The fact that they are "testing the waters" -- meaning they didn't hire an agent to preserve their college eligibility -- feeds into that hope.

However, don't tell that to those guys:

"But that's not the truth," he said Tuesday. "Everybody is in the draft to stay in the draft unless [they get hurt]. Comments like that are misleading to NBA teams, to say we're just testing the waters."

{ ... }

"Guys don't enter the draft unless they want to be in the draft," Ellington said. "I'm trying to raise my stock a bit and solidify a first-round position."

All three are playing in the NBA's pre-draft camp and all three still are leaning on staying in the draft (the deadline to pull your name out in June 16th). Ty Lawson is the one more likely to be a first round pick ... while Green and Ellington both feel that they'd stay in the draft if a team guaranteed them a contract.

First round picks are guaranteed a contract. Second round picks aren't, unless a team promises you they will.

Could any or all these guys be back in Carolina blue next year? It truly is up in there air. Green seems most likely to return as he isn't even guaranteed to be drafted. Lawson and Ellington don't seem that interested in forming a championship caliber team in Chapel Hill.

"We had a nice run, went to the Final Four and a lot of teams don't do that," he said. "But the way it ended did leave a bad taste in our mouth [a double-figure national-semifinal loss to eventual champion Kansas]. If everyone did come back, we could make another run. But it was a good experience."

"It was a tough way to go out, but at the same time, ... you go to college to fulfill one of your dreams [the NBA]," Ellington said.

UNC Players Who are 'Testing the Waters' Don't Like People Saying That originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 28 May 2008 12:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When UNC's Danny Green declared for the NBA Draft last month, the first question out of people's mouths was "what the heck is he thinking?"

Well, here is what he was thinking (hat tip: ACC Now):

" I mean, if I'm going to be projected to go in the second round, then it's probably going to be in my best interests to go back to school,'' Green told the website. "That's what Coach [Williams] is saying. Coach doesn't want me to go unless I'm guaranteed a contract.

"I mean, I called [Williams] and talked to him about it, but when it came down to it, it was the 'Big Three.' So they had their own meeting, and he thought I wasn't thinking about doing it. But I called him and told him about doing it, but he didn't think it was for my best interests... He gave me his advice, but I wanted to do it anyway. I wanted to see how good I could do. My family's not the richest in the world - not the poorest - but whatever I can do to help my family and whatever's best for my situation, I'm going to do. I thought it was best to try and see what I could do this year."

UNC's Danny Green Explains Why He Declared for the NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 28 May 2008 03:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It has been six weeks since Kansas spanked North Carolina in the Final Four, but Tar Heels' coach Roy Williams isn't done talking about it. He's taken a lot of heat over not using time outs to stop the bleeding of an early collapse, not (apparantly) having his team prepared and wearing a KU sticker two nights later to the title game.

Well, Ol' Roy has something to say to you:

"Only two games in my entire career have I looked back on and wondered what might have happened had I done something different. But was we did in preparation for that game was exactly like Louisville. Washington State, Arkansas and everybody on down the line. And I've talked to my players and they felt it was the same preparation so ..."

"No, you know people ask me about that a lot but, my god, we had a timeout at 16, 12, 8, and 4. If we didn't have timeouts, yeah, I'd probably take them but, my gosh, timeouts are so dadgum long I can't think of stuff to talk about for that long anyway. ..."

Ol' Roy Discusses Kansas Debacle originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 22 May 2008 02:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The North Carolina Tar Heels are having quite the off-season. Sure, Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough is coming back ... but no one knows what he's coming back too. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green have all declared for the NBA Draft (they all have the option of coming back to school by the June 16th deadline).

Now comes word that forward Alex Stepheson is leaving school and will transfer somewhere closer to home.

"My family is dealing with some health challenges at this time and as a result I have made the decision to transfer to be closer to home," Stepheson said in a statement released by the school.

"I am extremely, extremely disappointed but I feel so great about Alex that I understand his decision to transfer," UNC Roy Williams said in the release. "... He is a wonderful kid. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching him and know that he would have contributed so much more in the next two years. Nevertheless, I have tremendous respect for Alex and know that he will always be part of our Carolina Basketball family. I'll miss him, but he will always be important to me."

Home, for Stepheson, is the Los Angeles area. Stepheson was UNC's top reserve big man last season and brought much needed toughness on the floor. He turned into one of the team's premiere shotblockers and rebounders.

The fact that Stepheson is transferring is par for the course of UNC's elite 2006 recruiting class. Brandan Wright turned pro after his freshman season; Lawson and Ellington have declared for the draft; and now Stepheson is transferring. The only players left from that class are Deon Thompson and Will Graves.

Tar Heels Lose Yet Another Player: Big Man Alex Stepheson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 17 May 2008 01:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Haley Gentry, public affairs manager at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, said, "Upon exiting the plane, apparently he became dizzy and required medical attention." Gentry said a report of the incident did not say Huggins fainted.

West Virginia's Bob Huggins Hospitalized After Bumping His Head originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 09 May 2008 03:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of the buzzing stories around the internets are some photos of UNC players Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor jumping off a balcony and into a pool. The pictures were taken at a SAE frat house and show both Psycho T and Frasor (close friends) at a party, jumping off a building into a large, inflatable pool.

Right now, they are getting a lot of heat (and some love) over the stunt on message boards and blogs.

Yes, these kinds of things go on at colleges. Anyone who's been in college has seen or participated in some stupid stuff ... especially once the spring semester ends and everyone is looking forward to a summer off. These guys are student-athletes and they have the same academic pressures as the rest of the student body.

However, these two are in college because of their physical gifts. Seeing Frasor up there was puzzling. He missed most of the past season after tearing up his knee. If Ty Lawson stays in the NBA Draft, Frasor inherits this team and will be counted on heavily. Seems like jumping off a balcony and into a pool isn't the best way to rehab that injury.

As for Hansbrough, I'm sure it just adds to his "Psycho T" legend. However, it is dumb for the defending Player of the Year to spend the offseason leaping off stuff like that. Whether he will be successful in the NBA or not, some team will draft him and, in turn, pay him lots and lots of money. It's really scary that he would risk all of that for his "I am a golden god" moment.

Hansbrough, Frasor Face Backlash Over Jumping Off Balcony at Frat Party originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 May 2008 03:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obama spent the night in Chapel Hill following a rally late Monday at the Smith Center, then scrimmaged with the team on Tuesday morning after touring the Coach Bill Guthridge Locker Room with coach Roy Williams and his wife, Wanda.

Obama played team members that included Tyler Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard, Marc Campbell, Surry Wood and Deon Thompson. He kept up with the run-and-gun pace for at least five minutes before benching himself.

When he got back in the game, Williams, who was watching from a chair on the sidelines, called out: "You've got the future president of the United States wide open."

Asked if the event had violated any NCAA rules, Erik Christianson, director of public and media relations for the NCAA, said in an e-mail: "This was a unique situation and not an NCAA issue. It certainly was a great opportunity for the student-athletes to interact with a presidential candidate."

Under NCAA rules, coaches are not allowed to watch pick-up games during the off-season. UNC spokesman Steve Kirschner said Williams knew that he wasn't supposed to be there under the letter of NCAA rules, but that these were "extraordinary circumstances," and with the number of secret service personnel on site, the coach wanted to be on hand to make sure that everything went OK."

Obama Scrimmages With UNC Tar Heels; But Did it Violate NCAA Rules? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"Danny and his father contacted me in the last 24 hours and indicated they wished to test the waters and enter Danny in the draft,'' UNC coach Roy Williams said in a prepared statement. "We have done the necessary paperwork to do that."

The announcement came as a surprise - Wednesday night, Williams told the News & Observer that Green had not been part of the coach's process of contacting teams to determine where the players might be drafted.

A surprise, indeed. There aren't really any draft sites that think he's a first round draft pick -- if they have him getting drafted at all. He, like Ty Lawon and Wayne Ellington (who are also entering the NBA draft), will not hire an agent in order to preserve his amatuer status and possibly return to school.

Meanwhile, the reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough has already said he's returning to school.

Now, as I said yesterday, it makes sense for a rising senior to go ahead and put his name in the draft. You get one chance to enter the draft and then pull your name back out (provided you keep your eligibility) so you may as well take advantage of the opportunity. Green, like Hansbrough, just finished his junior season and seems to be working this rule.

So the magic date for Tar Heels fans is June 16th. That's the deadline for these underclassmen who don't hire an agent to take their name out of the draft and return to school. If Lawson, Ellington and Green all come back ... UNC is the odds on favorite to win the NCAA title. If they all leave, this could be devastating. Not only would three of their top four scorers bolt ... but it could force Hansbrough to re-evaluate his decision about not entering the draft himself.

I really think that Psycho T has chatted up with the other three and knows that there is a good chance they'll all be back in Carolina blue. If he knew they were all leaning on being in the NBA next year, he would've had his name declared as well.

Uh, What? North Carolina's Danny Green is Declaring for the NBA Draft originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"I love playing at North Carolina and still have big dreams to realize here, including graduating," Hansbrough said in a prepared statement. "Of course I look forward to playing in the NBA some day but not next year. I love my collegiate experience and want to finish my four years here, then move on to my next dream of playing in the NBA. I am very relieved that this decision is behind us and I can concentrate on my academic work and improving my game for next season."

To be honest, I really thought he'd declare for the draft and not hire an agent (enabling him to return to school). He's a junior, so he could've used his one time testing-the-waters pass this spring just to gauge how NBA-ready he is.

The last Wooden Award winner to return to school the next season was Ralph Sampson in 1982. Sampson won the award again in 1983.

Now, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will be testing the waters by declaring for the draft and not hiring an agent. DraftExpress.com has Lawson as the #30 pick (the final pick of the first round). Ellington is the 40th pick which means a lack of a guaranteed contract.

"I'm not dying to leave here, but playing in the NBA is another dream I have," Ellington said in a prepared statement. "During the next couple of months I hope to work out for NBA teams and get a more specific evaluation of where I would be positioned in this year's draft. After I receive the information from the NBA teams, I will decide to either stay in the draft or come back for my junior year. Next week is exam time at UNC and that's also important to me. I will continue to remain in good academic standing regardless of the decision that awaits me."

"I will work out for NBA teams to get a more precise evaluation of my draft status,'' he said in a prepared statement. After I do that and get more information from the teams, I will make a decision to either stay in the draft or come back to North Carolina for my junior year. I am in good standing academically and plan on doing a great job in my final exams."

Hansbrough Returning to North Carolina; Lawson and Ellington Aren't (Yet) originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of the best NBA draft sites, Draft Express, has a rundown of who is still on the fence about declaring for this June's draft. There is one week left for underclassmen to declare so speculation is running rampant.

The site believes that North Carolina's National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough is going to go pro:

Sources close to the situation tell us that Hansbrough will likely enter his name in the draft without an agent and try to help his stock with a strong showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp. He's currently projected to be drafted in the 20's, although it's not quite clear how much another year of college basketball will help him in the short or long-term.

To be honest, this is the smart move for Hansbrough ... and, really, any junior. You get to put your name into the draft and (if you don't have an agent) come back to school once so you may as well do it as a junior. I mean, he'll already be in the draft after his senior season!

This means he can go to the pre-draft camps and work with NBA coaches and other potential draft picks to see where he stands. If he isn't ready, he can get instruction on how to polish his game. Since he's not hiring an agent, he can then take his name out of the draft, head back to Chapel Hill and work on his flaws. If he is ready, he'll probably go somewhere in the late first round.

Also, the article says that UNC guard Ty Lawson will most likely return to school.

Rumor Alert: Tyler Hansbrough to Enter NBA Draft; Lawson Coming Back originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Charlotte spokesman said Tuesday that Spears wanted to be closer to his home in Salisbury (NC) because of an undisclosed family medical issue.

Spears was the Eagles' third leading scorer last season ... averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds and starting 17 games.

Spears has two years of eligibility left and may be allowed to play next year. Typically, transfers must sit out one season before suiting up for their new school. However, the NCAA can waive that it if is deemed a hardship situation ... which his family situation certainly could be considered.

BC also will see fellow sophomore Daye Kaba transferring as well for undisclosed reasons.

BC's Shamari Spears Transferring to Charlotte originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As a North Carolina Tar Heels fan ... I just have to ask ... what the heck was that?

What was that Tasmanian Devil of a team wearing royal blue and red? I don't care who you root for, but sitting there and watching your team get run all over in the Final Four is quite an experience. To go from believing for five months that your team had a darn good shot to win the tournament ... to seeing them get whipped to a 40-12 deficit was jaw dropping.

It was a perfect storm of Kansas' intensity and North Carolina's lack of it.

The entire week has been around Roy Williams and the fact that he's not the coach in Lawrence, KS anymore. Maybe it should've been about the new guy in town.

It was evident that Bill Self had his team prepared, focused and hungry for this game. His big-to-big high post game was nearly flawless and was the stiff punch that knocked the Heels back. The defensive pressure was breathtaking! As Jim Nantz and Billy Packer marveled, the Jayhawks were everywhere, getting every loose ball and had their hands smacking down passes and shots. UNC couldn't handle their speed or their transition game.

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels came out lead-footed and ... dare I say it ... scared. As this blitzkrieg was happening, Roy Williams' best move was waving his hands in "hurry up and push it" fashion. One of the biggest criticisms of Ol' Roy (even at Kansas) was his inability to use time-outs to try to slow down opponents at times like this. That reared its ugly head again.

"It's a great thrill to be able to play for the national championship, and they deserve it," Williams said. ". . .We came out a little more casual than we would like to. And they hit us right between the eyes."

Carolina Nightmare: Kansas' New Coach Spanked the Old One originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of the underlying stories this week at the Final Four will be Roy Williams facing off against his old team, Kansas.

Since Williams left five years ago, many Jayhawk fans have labeled him a traitor. In 2000, Williams was offered the UNC job but elected to stay ... even saying that he wanted to be at KU forever. Forever ended three years later.

"Hopefully, it will die down,'' Williams said Monday as he fielded several questions about his link to Lawrence, Kan., during a news conference. "There were things said and done that hurt at first, but time has a way of healing things. I gave 15 years of my heart, body and soul [to Kansas]. It's my second favorite school. Six years ago it was my favorite school."

North Carolina and Kansas have a weird history when it comes to coaching. Dean Smith played at Kansas and was on their 1952 National Championship team. Smith, of course, went on the North Carolina to coach for 36 years ... piling up 879 victories.

Kansas' only other title was in 1988, when Larry Brown ... who played at North Carolina ... was their head coach. He left and Roy Williams, an assistant under Smith at UNC, took over.

Williams brought with him Matt Doherty, who played at UNC on the 1982 National Championship squad. In 2000, Doherty would become the head coach at Carolina.

Williams replaced Doherty in 2003 ... bringing with him Jerod Haase and C.B. McGrath to be assistants. Both played for Williams at Kansas.

New Kansas coach, Bill Self, knows a lot about what Ol' Roy will be going through. When Williams left for North Carolina, Self took his vacant spot, leaving Illinois.

"Fans will make a big deal out of it,'' Self said Monday. "People were upset about his leaving, but it was a backhanded compliment. I would think everybody would be proud of the time he spent here. He gave this place 15 years of excellence. Five years is long enough to let a few things go."

Roy Williams Discusses Kansas' Hate originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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