2008 Woodie Awards
UNC rolls, Xavier escapes in overtime
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Sports
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina went from running it up to locking it down. Now the Tar Heels are a step away from the Final Four again, hoping they can avoid another collapse like last year.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half Thursday night and the top-seeded Tar Heels, not known for their defense, held Washington State to 32 percent shooting in a 68-47 win in the East Regional semifinals.
North Carolina is back to the NCAA round of eight for the second straight season.
Danny Green had 15 points to help the Tar Heels (35-2) set a school record for victories in a season while continuing their dominant tournament run. The No. 1 overall seed will play the Louisville-Tennessee winner Saturday with a clear home-court advantage, playing in an arena located about two hours from its Chapel Hill campus.
No. 4 Washington State missed shot after shot - sometimes open, more often not - while the Tar Heels kept pushing forward with their slowed-but-effective transition attack. The Cougars (26-9) got little from the perimeter, with Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Taylor Rochestie scoring a combined 26 points on 10-for-37 shooting.
North Carolina led 35-21 at halftime and pushed it to 47-27 on Alex Stepheson's three-point play with 11:45 left.
The Cougars had allowed a combined 81 points in its tournament wins against Winthrop and Notre Dame, but the Tar Heels had just too many weapons for Washington State's methodical offense to keep pace.
Hansbrough had all kinds of trouble early while facing constant double teams any time he touched the ball near the paint. He went 0-for-4 from the floor and managed only a pair of free throws while committing three turnovers in the first half, but scored eight points in the first 6½ minutes after the break to finally get going.
Xavier 79, West Virginia 75 (overtime)
PHOENIX (AP) - B.J. Raymond made two 3-pointers in the last 1:18 of overtime and Xavier advanced to the West Regional final with a 79-75 victory Thursday over West Virginia and coach Bob Huggins. The third-seeded Musketeers (30-6) will seek their first Final Four appearance when they play the winner of the UCLA-Western Kentucky on Saturday.
WVU junior Joe Alexander missed a free throw with less than 30 seconds left that would have given WVU a one-point lead. He finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half Thursday night and the top-seeded Tar Heels, not known for their defense, held Washington State to 32 percent shooting in a 68-47 win in the East Regional semifinals.
North Carolina is back to the NCAA round of eight for the second straight season.
Danny Green had 15 points to help the Tar Heels (35-2) set a school record for victories in a season while continuing their dominant tournament run. The No. 1 overall seed will play the Louisville-Tennessee winner Saturday with a clear home-court advantage, playing in an arena located about two hours from its Chapel Hill campus.
No. 4 Washington State missed shot after shot - sometimes open, more often not - while the Tar Heels kept pushing forward with their slowed-but-effective transition attack. The Cougars (26-9) got little from the perimeter, with Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Taylor Rochestie scoring a combined 26 points on 10-for-37 shooting.
North Carolina led 35-21 at halftime and pushed it to 47-27 on Alex Stepheson's three-point play with 11:45 left.
The Cougars had allowed a combined 81 points in its tournament wins against Winthrop and Notre Dame, but the Tar Heels had just too many weapons for Washington State's methodical offense to keep pace.
Hansbrough had all kinds of trouble early while facing constant double teams any time he touched the ball near the paint. He went 0-for-4 from the floor and managed only a pair of free throws while committing three turnovers in the first half, but scored eight points in the first 6½ minutes after the break to finally get going.
Xavier 79, West Virginia 75 (overtime)
PHOENIX (AP) - B.J. Raymond made two 3-pointers in the last 1:18 of overtime and Xavier advanced to the West Regional final with a 79-75 victory Thursday over West Virginia and coach Bob Huggins. The third-seeded Musketeers (30-6) will seek their first Final Four appearance when they play the winner of the UCLA-Western Kentucky on Saturday.
WVU junior Joe Alexander missed a free throw with less than 30 seconds left that would have given WVU a one-point lead. He finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Be the first to comment on this story