CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tyler Hansbrough had been the acknowledged leader of North Carolina, which has its eyes on the ultimate prize: a national championship.
more stories like thisThe 6-foot-9-inch junior forward had done what was necessary, when it was necessary, in carrying coach Roy Williams's Tar Heels to a school-record 35 wins entering last night’s NCAA East Regional final against Louisville. He picked up the scoring load when point guard Ty Lawson went down with an ankle injury midway through the season.
And when Louisville fought back from a 12-point first-half deficit last night, Hansbrough simply carried the team on his back down the stretch, scoring 28 points and pulling down 13 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels to an 83-73 win at Charlotte Bobcats Arena over the third-seeded Cardinals.
The victory propelled the Tar Heels (36-2) into the Final Four for a 17th time, getting a date with the winner of today's Midwest Regional game between Davidson and Kansas in a Final Four semifinal Saturday in San Antonio.
Playing in front of their home-state fans, the Tar Heels reached the national semifinals for the first time since 2005, when they won the championship. North Carolina is perfect in tournament play in Charlotte, moving to 9-0.
Carolina had a tougher game last night than it had in tournament wins over Mount Saint Mary's, Arkansas, and Washington.
Louisville (27-9) came into the game with the attitude that it could match the Tar Heels in rebounding, speed, and defensive tenacity.
It didn't look that way as the Tar Heels built a 44-32 halftime lead, but the Cardinals came up with a second-half surge and wiped out the Tar Heels' lead, tying the score at 59 with 10:21 left in the game. Then it was time for Hansbrough to take over.
He scored 6 straight points to give the Tar Heels a 65-59 lead and scored 18 points in the second half, getting many baskets on will as much as skill.
"The shots he made were unbelievable," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino. "I've seen some of the great players, Michael [Jordan], Magic [Johnson], and Charles Barkley, and they might have more talent, but I’ve never seen a player who plays every possession as hard as he does. He was under duress, he had little time to get his shots off, and he came up big. I don't like to lose, but you have to give credit to a great basketball player."
The Cardinals had no excuses.
"It was tough when you dig yourself a hole like that," said Louisville center David Padgett, who scored 6 points. "It was tough, but they were the better basketball team."
And the better team was delighted in making it to the Final Four once again.
"We're going to San Antonio," said Williams. "We're ecstatic."
Hansbrough said the memory of last year’s second-half meltdown in the East Regional final against Georgetown was part of North Carolina's mind-set.
"It was in the back of our heads," he said. "When [Louisville] went on that run, we stayed poised and we handled it better and we eventually had a run."
Hansbrough, who is making his first trip to the Final Four, said winning the East is merely one more stop. "My feelings are that this is great," he said. "But we want to accomplish more."
Hansbrough, voted the Most Outstanding Player of the regional, was the main act, but not the only star. The Tar Heels had four other players in double figures (Wayne Ellington 13, Danny Green 11, Lawson 11, and Deon Thompson 10), who took turns doing spectacular things at just the right time."
"It feels good right now," said forward Marcus Ginyard, who had 6 points and seven rebounds. "It feels good right now. We won a tournament in a tournament, but it's not our last step. We have more work to do."
The Tar Heels celebrated, then got on a bus and headed back to Chapel Hill, where they will await their next opponent.
And then they will prepare for their next stop - and the next challenge at the Final Four.
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