SportsLine.com Report
April 1, 2000

Gators stop Heels short of title game

INDIANAPOLIS -- A season's worth of frustration was set aside in the NCAA Tournament, but Carolina could not pen the fairy tale ending it was hoping for, as the Tar Heels fell to Florida in Saturday's semifinal in the RCA Dome, 71-59.

It was the 15th Final Four for the Heels and the fourth consecutive trip in which they failed to advance to the national final. Carolina's last trip to the title game was in 1993, when it took home the crown.

This Final Four was nearly one of the most forgettable in school history as things looked like they were out of hand early on as Florida rained down with all lengths of jump shots, building an 18-3 lead before the game was 10 minutes old.

But with Brendan Haywood scoring 16 of his 20 points in the first half, the Tar Heels reeled in the Gators, and trailed by just three points at halftime, 37-34.

The Tar Heels would outscore Florida 16-9 to start the second half, taking a four-point advantage on a quick hook shot by Kris Lang.

Coach Billy Donovan and his team remained unbowed, however, and merely wore down the Tar Heels the same way they did Carolina's ACC cohort Duke last weekend.

The Gators received a big break on their next trip down court when UNC point guard Ed Cota picked up his fourth personal foul -- and second in less than a minute -- with 13:22 to play.

"When Ed Cota picked up his fourth foul that was a break for us," Miller said. "He had to play a little more passively and that helped out our press."

And as the Tar Heels wore down -- visibly showing the effects of the high-paced game -- the Gators went feeding.

It was the same press that was so effective against Carolina early in the game. Basically, the Tar Heels took a while to become adjusted to it, and when they did, Donovan called it off ... and then when they began to wear down, he put it back on, and it played a big part in the victory.

The Tar Heels could not put the ball in the basket and UF outscored them 25-9 down the stretch. Florida also turned the tables for good by putting the clamps on Haywood, who they held without a second-half field goal until 2:46 remained.

North Carolina got 20 points from Haywood and 15 from Forte, who was harassed all night by Florida defenders. Lack of depth ultimately cost the Heels, as the Gators' reserves outscored their UNC counterparts, 37-2. UNC's only bucket from a reserve came on a Julius Peppers' dunk.

For a team that was consistently inconsistent throughout the season, the NCAA Tournament run was remarkable, indeed. The Tar Heels' first four-game winning streak of the season came at just the right time ... and set them up for some even higher expectations next season, when Cota is the only starter they are due to lose.

Starting Lineup

• PG Ed Cota (6-2, 200, Sr.), 10.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 8.2 apg
  Cota has been in charge of the Carolina offense since arriving in Chapel Hill four years ago and will finish his career as Carolina's all-time assists leader and third in NCAA history. He has 31 points, 29 assists, 15 turnovers and 22 rebounds in the tournament. Problem is, he's played 40 minutes three times and 39 in the other game. Florida will look to wear him down, which Tulsa was able to do (he had seven turnovers).
• SG Joseph Forte (6-4, 185, Fr.), 16.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 apg
  Simply put, Forte has the ability to do things the rest of the Tar Heels can't. He's the only Carolina player with the ability to create his own shot, evident by his team-leading scoring average -- which is getting more pronounced. Forte, the ACC freshman of the year, has increased his scoring in each tournament game, going for 13, 17, 22 and 28. What's more, he's had 26 rebounds in the four games.
• C Brendan Haywood (7-0, 265, Jr.), 13.6 ppg, 7.4, rpg, 1.1 apg
  Haywood might be the most misunderstood of the Carolina players. The 7-footer has shown the ability to take over games, but other times he seems uninspired, disinterested in the game and gets outworked. His 28-point, 15-rebound performance in the first round against undersized Missouri raised expectations ridiculously, but the last three games have been solid: 31 points, 21 rebounds, 7 blocks. He'll need to be large against the smallish Gators.
• SF Jason Capel (6-8, 224, So.), 12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.5 apg: Capel has been as consistent as any of the Tar Heels in his first season playing his natural position. After off-season back surgery, Capel moved better as a sophomore. He has not shot well in the tournament (11-for-33), but has 26 rebounds, 12 assists. He isn't especially good in man-to-man defense, but with the zone the Heels play, he's fine.
• PF Kris Lang (6-11, 243, So.), 8.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.3 apg: He has been fighting injuries all season (shin splints, knee tendinitis, mystery virus in the preseason), and then he suffered a sprained ankle in the South Regional final against Tulsa. he played only 18 minutes in the game, but aggressive therapy should have him ready for Florida.

Keys to Success

The Tar Heels have shown a tenacity and toughness in the NCAA Tournament that eluded them in the regular-season. That has a way of overcoming other shortcomings, or just as important, making errors feel like just a part of the game.

What's more, they declined to turn the ball over against Stanford (eight) in the second-round upset victory, and they dealt well with Tulsa's pressure until they got worn down a bit in the final minutes. An average of 13 turnovers in the tournament has been significant. That's a long way from the regular-season finale at Duke, when Carolina had 16 first-half turnovers and was never really in the game from there.

The Coach

Bill Guthridge said he is settling into his job as the Carolina coach and the replacement for the legendary Dean Smith. With some speculation that he would retire after the season, Guthridge announced before the ACC Tournament that he would be returning for another year.

"I've gotten more comfortable in the job," said Guthridge, who led Carolina to the Final Four in his first season. "After 30 years as an assistant here and five years as an assistant at Kansas State, I was pretty comfortable. I've enjoyed (being a head coach) and each day I've gotten more comfortable in being a head coach."

That has been proven in the incredible NCAA Tournament run. He's now 8-2 in his three years in the tournament.

The Bench

The Tar Heels really go only seven players deep.

Football player Julius Peppers has been terrific during the tournament, contributing tough, quality minutes each game. In fact, when Lang sprained his ankle early against Tulsa, Peppers went a season-high 30 minutes in the regional final, with 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and no turnovers.

With Brian Bersticker out for nearly all of the year and Kris Lang hurt off-and-on, the Tar Heels might not even be in the NCAA Tournament if it wasn't for the defensive-end-turned-forward.

Max Owens started nearly every game before Christmas, but the shooting guard has vanished since then.

Other than those two, Carolina has little depth that Guthridge relies upon.

Offense

Carolina's first option is to pound the ball inside to Haywood, but many teams have double- and triple-teamed the 7-footer, making that difficult.

After that, the next option is letting Forte create. The freshman has the ability to improvise off the dribble, drive to the basket or shoot from the perimeter. For the most part, the Carolina offense has been efficient.

During the regular season, the Tar Heels shot 50.3 percent from the floor and averaged 77.6 points per game. Haywood flirted with the NCAA record for shooting percentage during the season (74.6 percent by Steve Johnson of Oregon State in 1980-81) and finished the regular season shooting 72.7 percent from the floor.

Defense

Carolina was seventh in the ACC in scoring defense (71.7 ppg) and near the bottom of the league in turnover margin, but have been much more effective in the NCAA Tournament, not allowing any of their opponents to break in to the 70s.

While Guthridge backed off the pressure defense, UNC has shown pressure in short spurts and usually out of a timeout.