What are the odds?
- That Carolina, which spent January and February on the NCAA tournament bubble, would upset the defending national champions and top seed in their region in a de facto road game 90 miles from the opponent’s campus?
- That Carolina would lead the game by 25 points after making 9 of its 19 attempted 3-pointers with 10 minutes left in the second half — and need every one of those 25 to win?
- That Brady “catch and release” Manek, on his way to another career game with 26 points, would be ejected for a Flagrant 2 elbow that critics claim should have been a Flagrant 1 without banishment for “no intention”?
- That Baylor would outscore the Tar Heels 38-13 to force overtime without both Manek and Caleb Love, who fouled out late in regulation?
- That Carolina freshman Dontrez Styles — who averaged 5 minutes in 26 games and was shooting 20 percent on 13 attempts — would hit a 3-pointer from the left corner with the shot clock running out to open overtime and give UNC the lead it never lost?
- That UNC point guard RJ Davis would score a career-high 30 points, from hitting his first three of five 3-pointers to start the game to the decisive old fashion 3-point play with 1:18 left in overtime?
- That Carolina, which nearly squandered the largest lead in NCAA tournament history, held the hot-scoring Bears to 1-for-11 shooting in overtime with Davis and Armando Bacot nursing four fouls plus Leaky Black, Justin McKoy and Styles playing all five minutes?
- That Carolina would notch its 14th victory in the last 17 games, giving first-year Hubert Davis five straight wins over head coaches who have been to the Final Four and/or cut down the nets on Monday night?
This amazing metamorphosis of a team now moves on to Philadelphia, where UNC plays UCLA for the third time in NCAA tourney history (losing to Lew Alcindor’s Bruins in the 1968 national championship game and beating them in the 1989 second round with a team captained by current assistant coach Jeff Lebo).
Philly is also where the 2016 Tar Heels edged Indiana and Notre Dame to reach Roy Williams’ eighth Final Four. Should they do it again, they will also be able to celebrate Dean Smith’s first national championship 40 years ago in New Orleans, where Jordan’s jumper beat Georgetown in the Superdome.
A point or two on the officials either letting the game out of hand or (hopefully not) trying to aid Baylor’s rally in its home state. The Bears’ strategy was clearly to press Carolina everywhere and then try to foul to lengthen the game and get more possessions. Yet, during the dreadful stretch, the refs blew the whistle for 10 consecutive fouls on the Heels, who also were repeatedly trapped in the corners and committed 10 of their 21 turnovers that Baylor converted into points to help get the game into overtime.
On the Manek Flagrant 2, here is what the rulebook says:
Rule 4-18-7. The following shall be considered not only excessive, but extreme swinging: a. When arm(s) and elbow(s) are swung about while using the shoulders as pivots, and the speed of the extended arm(s) and elbow(s) exceeds that of the rest of the body as it rotates on the hips or on the pivot foot; or b. When the speed and vigor with which the arm(s) and elbow(s) are swung is such that injury could result if another player were contacted.
That isn’t close to what Manek did. Yes, he elbowed aggressive Baylor freshman Jeremy Sochan, a 6-9, 230-pound power forward who hit the deck harder than he needed to after he, himself, had been called for a Flagrant 1 in the first half for leg-whipping Bacot during a scramble in the paint.
From a pure basketball standpoint, Carolina played exceptionally well together most of the weekend, assisting on 82 percent of its baskets in the two wins compared to a seasonal average of 62 percent.
In becoming the tougher team Hubert Davis has been calling for, the Tar Heels saw the collective light bulb come on two weeks ago at Duke and, until their near-fatal meltdown, were living up to their reputation as the hottest team coming into the tournament.
In defeating a No. 1 seed for the ninth time, it was their first ouster of a defending national champion. It also extended UNC’s record to 45-0 of never losing an NCAA tournament game it led by double figures at the half.
For most of this one, Carolina’s defense was outstanding, winning its 17th straight game while holding an opponent under 40 percent shooting. Baylor scored 25 points off UNC turnovers but still shot a frigid 28-of-81 from the field and 9-for-37 from the arc.
Besides making a huge layup on a pass from Bacot in overtime when the team was struggling to score, Black guarded Baylor’s top scorers Matthew Mayer and Kendall Brown most of the game, holding them to 16 points on 5 of 15 shooting.
You do not reach the Sweet 16 of the Big Dance unless you play hard, play smart and play together (and have fun). In taking two in Texas, Carolina is checking all of those boxes.
Photo via Todd Melet
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