The Morning Dish – Tuesday, April 5th
The Heels Have It: The fifth time proved to be the charm for head coach Roy Williams,
who won the first title of his 17-year career last night after North Carolina knocked off
Illinois 75-70 in St. Louis in the NCAA championship game. Junior forward Sean May led the way for
the Tar Heels with 26 points while freshman forward Marvin Williams provided the game’s most crucial
basket, a tip-in off a Rashad McCants missed layup with 1:26 to play and the game tied at
70.
Illinois, which lost for just the second time all season, fell behind by as many as 15
points in the first half and trailed 40-27 at the break. After the Illini pulled to within
two eight minutes into the second half, the Tar Heels answered with a 13-5 run to build a
65-55 lead with just under nine minutes to play.
For Williams, who guided Kansas to four Final Fours but nary a championship, the time could
not tick off the clock fast enough. The 54-year-old coach’s heart must have been in his
throat as he watched his team let the lead dwindle and ultimately vanish when Dee Brown sank
two free throws with 5:34 to play. But junior guard Raymond Felton responded with an NBA-range
three-pointer, and after senior guard Luther Head drilled a three-pointer to knot the game at 70 at the
2:41 mark, Marvin Williams put the Tar Heels on top for good as the Illini would not find
their mark again. Head, who led Illinois with 21 points, missed two open long-range jumpers,
including a potential game-tying three-pointer with 17 seconds to play. The Illini hit just
12 of their Final Four-record 40 three-point attempts.
May finished 10-of-11 from the field, Felton scored 17 points and dished out seven assists,
and McCants added 14 points for North Carolina, all in the first half. Illinois guards junior Deron
Williams and Brown combined for 29 points in the losing effort, while junior forward James
Augustine, who had the unenviable task of trying to contain May, fouled out and was held
scoreless in only nine minutes of play.
It was the Tar Heels’ first national title since 1993 and fourth overall, surpassing rival
Duke for fourth most in NCAA history.
Felton Wins Cousy: Tar Heel junior Raymond Felton was the recipient of the 2005 Bob Cousy
Award, which honors the nation’s best point guard. Felton finished with 11 of 23 first-place
votes and 74 points to edge out runner-up Chris Paul, who finished with 69 points. Former
St. Joseph’s star Jameer Nelson won the inaugural Cousy Award last season.
Taft Declares: Pittsburgh sophomore center Chris Taft, who averaged 13.3 points and
7.5 rebounds per game, announced that he will enter the NBA Draft. It was not disclosed
whether the potential lottery pick had hired an agent, which would eliminate his option of returning to school.
Galindo Leaving Lawrence: Kansas freshman guard Alex Galindo, who averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game this season, will transfer at the end
of the semester according to head coach Bill Self. Galindo’s departure opens a
scholarship for junior walk-on Christian Moody.
Former Shocker Arrested: Former Wichita State player Jamar Howard was arrested Sunday
morning on suspicion of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana and obstruction
of justice. The 22 year old was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in city court
Wednesday night.
And Then There Were Three: Louisiana – Monroe has narrowed its search for a new head
coach to three candidates. Scott Edgar, an assistant coach at UAB, Orlando Early, an assistant coach at
Alabama, and Andy Kennedy, the associate coach at Cincinnati, will all interview with
the school again this week according to athletic director Bobby Staub.
Tonight’s Menu:
• This one’s for the girls: Michigan State and Baylor play for the NCAA women’s
championship.
