Sports

Williams’ Tar Heels look to shock No. 1 seed Kansas

GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 17: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts in the second half against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the final of the Men’s ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2013 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — North Carolina coach Roy Williams needed mere milliseconds to recall his first career victory, over almighty Alaska-Anchorage more than 24 years ago, following his 700th win Friday night.

“Yes, UAA,” Williams said. “I got so tired of hearing that chant: ‘UAA, UAA!’ ”

No. 701 would be even more memorable.

With a win over Villanova, the eighth-seeded Tar Heels (25-10) advanced to the third round in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight season, where Roy Williams will meet his former team, top-seeded Kansas (30-5), today at the Sprint Center.

“There’s going to be so much juice in the building,” Kansas senior Elijah Johnson said. “Roy is coming back. There’s going to be a lot of fans pumped up. We’ll be pumped up.”

After spending 15 seasons in Lawrence, having made four Final Fours and two title games, Williams left the Jayhawks to return to his alma mater in 2003. The teams have met twice in the tournament since Williams departed, with Kansas taking both battles, including last year’s regional final.

But never has Williams faced his “second-favorite team” so close to his former home.

“I realize some people were upset when I left and hopefully time is going to cure a lot of those problems,” said Williams, who has won two national championships with the Tar Heels. “When we’re out walking in the morning, people have been yelling, saying nice things. I only had one yell something that wasn’t quite as nice, but that’s part of it.

“I gave my heart, body, and soul for 15 years, and I loved it. It was family and always will be. It’s not immoral to love two institutions.”

Many fans would disagree, but Jayhawk Nation is just thankful to be playing after nearly becoming the first No. 1 seed in history to lose to a No. 16 seed. Trailing at halftime, Kansas fought back for a 64-57 win over Western Kentucky, acknowledging afterwards that it had looked past what it perceived to be an inferior opponent.

That’s a problem playing Carolina immediately eliminates.

“[Coach Bill Self] got on us a little bit,” Kansas center Jeff Withey said. “We can’t come out like that or else we’re going to get beat by 20. We know that North Carolina is very capable of beating us and we’ve got to come ready to play.”

For Kansas, the 7-footer will be the key, coming off a 17-point, seven-block performance and going up against a Tar Heels frontcourt which was manhandled by Villanova’s JayVaughn Pinkston and Mouphtaou, getting out-rebounded by 12 as a team.

For North Carolina, Williams’ midseason switch to four perimeter players will be tested against Kansas’ athletic wings, which helped the team earn the best field-goal percentage defense in the country. Self said the Jayhawks can’t let sophomore P.J. Hairston, who has hit at least five 3-pointers in three of his past four games, get going or Kansas could be gone.

“We haven’t played against someone who can stretch it like Hairston,” said Self. “It’s ridiculous how many he can make, how he makes it and the streaks that he can get on.”

Ten years have passed since Williams left, but it somehow seems fresher. Self just thinks it’s all overblown. Fortunately, he doesn’t expect to ever receive this much attention should he ever face Illinois in a tournament game.

“I can go back to Champagne and they wouldn’t even know I was in town for a month if I was there,” Self said.