THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
KANSAS 84 NORTH CAROLINA 66
ROYDOWN, ONE TO GO
Rock Chalk Dancers Kailee Rowers and Kelly Cure celebrate after Kansas' 84-66 victory against North Carolina on Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The victory advances Kansas to the national title game, where it will face Memphis.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
Jayhawks fly over hurdles set by critics, prove them wrong with stunning victory
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
SAN ANTONIO — For five days the players watched and read all about North Carolina's advantages.
How the Tar Heels could run better than anyone else. How Tyler Hansbrough played harder than any player in history.
Could Kansas handle all that?
"From what I'd seen on ESPN," senior guard Russell Robinson said, "I guess not. They said Tyler would do this, and they would do that."
As it turned out, Carolina didn't do much of anything. Kansas beat the Tar Heels 84-66 at their own game Saturday at the Alamodome, running past them at the beginning and end, and upsetting the tournament's No.1 seed.
"We were the underdog the whole game," junior guard Brandon Rush said. "We just came out and applied pressure to them. We got up and did some big things."
North Carolina didn't have it so easy. Shots missed everything but the backboard on more than one occasion. Loose balls went into the hands of jayhawks. One player even got called for a lane violation.
Kansas showed the nation that North Carolina might not have been the best running team and certainly not the best team in the tournament within the first few minutes.
Rush made three-pointers. Cole Aldrich stole a rebound from Hansbrug then later hit a fade away over the Tar Heels' star. Nothing could go wrong for the Jayhawks.
When the players looked at the scoreboard with 6:45 left in the first half, they were on top 40-12. Kansas had made a 25-2 run.
"We definitely played the best basketball we played in the first half in that first 15 minutes," Rush said.
The Jawhaws entered Saturday night's game against the Tar Heels without a care in the world. Yeah, they wanted to win, but this wasn't like last weekend. Back then, they dealt with playing against Davidson, America's sweetheart, and Stephen Curry, the face likely to be seen the most times on "One Shining Moment." They watched the three other No. 1 seeds advance to the Final Four and knew they needed to make it to complete a historical run.
That's how a team without expectations can play.
And then there was this thing about Self not making it to the Final Four in his first four previous trips to the Elite Eight.
"People have termed our postseasons as failures." Self said. "They just felt like something was off their back, and they just played free and easy."
They got their lead a little too early though.
"It seemed like the clock was taking forever to tick." Robinson said.
Carolina made its run and trailed by 17 at halftime and by just four midway through the second half. Self thought back to his first NCAA tournament game at Tulsa. His team was up 26 on the College of Charleston, which ended up hitting a three-pointer to take the lead with one minute left.
"I still remember watching the tape
later," Self said, "and Al McGuire said it would have been the biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history."
With the Tar Heels down 64-59 near the six-minute mark, Self called a timeout and told his players to just relax. Collins hit a three-pointer on the next possession. Rush took over the rest of the way, scoring eight of his 25 points in the last few minutes.
Tulsa won that game. Self made sure his team wouldn't lose this one.
With Rush leading the way, Kansas closed on a 20-7 run, sealing a spot in the title game. The Jayhawks have been eyeing this night since October. Now they get their opportunity to make Kansas history.
"It's an unbelievable feeling." Aldrich said.
Fans cause chaos downtown
Edited Bv Sasha Roe
Lawrence police officers struggled to control the crowds on Massachusetts Street Saturday, angering some motorists. But a Lawrence Police Department press release thanked fans for being considerate while celebrating.
FULL STORY PAGE 3A
Students disappointed with seats
Students placed in the upper-deck seats at the Final Four were upset with Kansas Athletics' seating arrangement for students. The student section was split between the back of the lower level and the front of the upper level. Many felt that the student fans could have been heard better had they been seated closer to the court.
FULL STORY PAGE 4A
Road trip expenses challenge students
The road to the Final Four was a more literal expression for the Kansas fans who made the 780-mile road trip to San Antonio. Students found ways to afford tickets, lodging and gas despite being on a tight student budget.
FULL STORY PAGE 4A
WEATHER: MONDAY 58/43 TUESDAY 49/34 WEDNESDAY 58/44 INDEX: CLASSIFIEDS 6A CROSSWORD 10B HOROSCOPES 10B OPINION 10A SPORTS 1B SUDOKU 10B
1. (1) $A$ is a square.
(2) $B$ is a rectangle.
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