BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For the first 35 minutes of only the second NCAA Tournament game of his career, North Carolina's

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Joseph Forte looked the part of a wide-eyed 18-year-old freshman. He often seemed frazzled under the college game's largest microscope, shied away from the ball and short-armed most of his shots. Forte made only two of his first 10 field goal attempts.

And who could blame Forte for having tournament jitters? Sure, he had averaged 16 points a game during the regular season in the rugged ACC and was the conference's Freshman of the Year. But the NCAA Tournament's stage can wilt any big-time player, let alone a freshman.

To put it mildly, Forte's game was stuck in neutral until the 5:44 mark of the second half. But the NCAA Tournament has a way of setting the stage for heroics. It could be in the dramatic fashion of a buzzer-beater, a key free throw or spectacular assist down the stretch. Or it could be spurred on by a simple reminder from a coach.

The latter was the case for Forte, whose late spark lifted No. 8 seed North Carolina past top-seeded Stanford 60-53 to advance the Heels to the Sweet 16.

At the time, North Carolina trailed the Cardinal by two points. Forte headed to the bench during a timeout. Disappointed with his play, he slumped on the bench. He tried to shy away from eye contact with his coach, as he did from the ball on offense, but Bill Guthridge was there with some choice words for his All-Star freshman.

"Coach (Guthridge) told me I was playing like was scared out there," said Forte, who was the first freshman to lead UNC in scoring since some guy named Jordan. "He told me that I wasn't shooting or playing with any confidence. I had kind of missed some early shots and I did kind of get down on myself and he saw that.

"He told me if I wasn't going to shoot the ball with confidence and follow through on my shots, don't shoot at all if I'm going to shoot scared."

Said Guthridge: "He was short-arming his shot. I thought that if he was going to shoot and not knock it in he shouldn't shoot the ball."

In the two-minute stretch after the timeout and "pep talk", Forte scored eight of his team-high 17 points as the Tar Heels regained the lead they would never relinquish. Forte's first basket came on a driving layup that tied the game at 47. His next two would be the most critical of all.

After the Carolina defense stifled Stanford on the ensuing trip down the floor, Forte made a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock expired to give the Tar Heels a slim cushion. The very next trip, Forte came off a Kris Lang screen and nailed another 3-pointer. Thanks to Forte's 8-0 run, Carolina's lead was six and the Cardinal were stun.

"He showed confidence in his shot down the stretch and hit two huge baskets for us," Lang said. "Those two shots were huge. I thought the one hit with the (shot) clock expiring was big. But he did the same thing next time down."

North Carolina's Jeff Capel and Kris Lang feel the joy of upsetting a No. 1 seed. (AP)

During that two-minute stretch in the second half, Forte started to knock down shots and in the process knocked out the South's top-seed. He made his final four field goals, including a dunk with four seconds left, and scored 11 of his 17 points with less than six minutes remaining.

"He has been key for us the whole year," senior point guard Ed Cota said. "With Joe, it was just a matter of adjusting. Being a freshman, it's difficult to come in your first season and do the things he has. He's very athletic. He can defend and can score. He's just an all-around good player. The things he does as a freshman, it's just amazing."

North Carolina, which was on the bubble to make the field of 64, is headed to next week's Sweet 16 in Austin, Texas. After an 18-13 season, the odds weren't favorable of Carolina surviving its first-round matchup with lower-seeded Missouri. But here the Heels were, celebrating a victory at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center that few gave them a shot at attaining. And there was Forte, in the middle of his teammates jumping triumphantly.

From enduring the criticism of "only" 18 wins during the regular season to reaching the Sweet 16, it's been a long season for the Heels. It was even a longer 35 minutes for Forte.

"Definitely not," Forte said of the experience. "I don't feel like a freshman anymore."