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Prelude to a Championship II

SportsLine.com staff
March 28, 2000

National semifinals, Saturday

  • Florida vs. North Carolina, 8:17 p.m. ET
  • National championship game: Monday, 9:18 p.m. ET
No. 5 FLORIDA vs. No. 8 NORTH CAROLINA
Indianapolis, 8:17 p.m. ET
It's Carolina tradition vs. Billy the Kid's run-and-gun. UNC's Bill Guthridge, 64, is nearly twice Donovan's 34 years, but he has his Tar Heels playing with youthful zest at the right time of the season. Carolina is on its first four-game winning streak of the season, which includes a second-round upset of Stanford. As it always is against Florida, dictating tempo will be key. Few teams can run with the Gators (just ask Duke), but just as few can bang inside with the Tar Heels.
The Edge | Matchup Breakdown | Common Opponents
Gators (28-7, 12-4)
Player Pages		 Tar Heels (22-13, 9-7)
Player Pages
The Gators will have to defend the Tar Heels in the half-court, and Udonis Haslem will have to be a key for them to do it. He's not nearly as large as Haywood, but he's far more athletic and should be able to wear the big guy down if he plays behind him. The Gators have a number of guys who can be the hero on offense, and 6-8 Mike Miller, a forward with point guard skills, could prove to be a problematic matchup for the Heels if they go man-to-man. It's becoming clear that, for all the talk of Brendan Haywood and Ed Cota, this team belongs to freshman Joseph Forte. He scored a career-high 28 points in the regional final against Tulsa and has a knack for coming up with the big play. Forte, though, needs Haywood to at least be a scoring presence to give the Heels the inside-out combo that has made them effective lately. A healthy Kris Lang (sprained ankle) would help in that regard, too.