University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Look Back at Win Over N.C. State
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
January 17, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Curry stepped up again Saturday, playing the final 8:29 and making several key plays down the stretch. He found Ed Cota for a three-pointer that put Carolina on top 44-43, then moments later he coolly swished a three of his own to give UNC a lead it would not relinquish, 50-48.
Bear in mind, this is the same guy who entered the game 1-of-14 from beyond the arc, but he didn't hesitate to put it up in crunch time.
"I don't hesitate," said Curry. "My coaches told me a long time a go, 'Shoot until you find a rhythm.' Here it's different. You can't just shoot and shoot until you find a rhythm, but if I'm open Coach wants me to take the shot. I was open, so I took it.
"I've been working and working and working, shooting the ball, just trying to find my rhythm the way I know it could be and should be. I feel that I'm almost there and I need to hit those open shots if I want to play."
The final minute featured a flurry of Curry. Defensively, he picked off a pass from Adam Harrington, then seconds later hit the floor to come up with a loose ball. He was also relentless in his pursuit of Harrington, fighting his way through a barrage of screens but being careful not to overplay the jump shot.
"I know a couple times I was coming off three picks, one down bottom and then two with the big man," said Curry. "It was kind of tough. I didn't want to shadow (Harrington) so much that I would get on his back and he'd pull up and maybe hit a three and g et fouled or miss it and I foul him and put him on the line for three shots."
Perhaps most impressively, Curry shrugged off an incredibly vocal crowd and calmly sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final 35 seconds.
"The crowd noise and the waving and the chanting, none of that affected me," said Curry. "I was zoned out on the rim. I knew those free throws were big. Coach Gut showed a lot of confidence in me, just keeping me in the game, knowing that we were going to get fouled. I just felt like I owed him something."
Now Curry hopes to continue to prove that his coaches' faith in him is justified.
"Coach brought me along slowly but surely, but he's showing a lot of confidence in me," said Curry. "I was kind of struggling when I came back (from football). But now I feel like I'm there, mentally and physically. I just need to get a couple more games under my belt to get in the flow of the team."
His backcourt partner agrees that game experience the main thing Curry needs in order to reach his potential.
"I can see it in him, that he's getting comfortable out there, and I think he's going to do a lot of good things for us down the road," said point guard Ed Cota. "We definitely have a lot of confidence in him. That's why he's out there in crunch-time situations. I think that's just going to help him get better.
"I think he's playing a good role right now. He just has to be able to play in the system, learn the plays and get into basketball shape. By tournament time, he should be ready to contribute even more than he is now. But right now, I think he's doing good things for us."
So much for conventional wisdom. Not only didn't Haywood start, he didn't even check into the game until 9:29 before halftime.
"Brendan didn't have good practices on Thursday and Friday, and that was why we changed it," said head coach Bill Guthridge. "Max (Owens) had good practices. Brendan certainly responded the way we hoped."
Guthridge's strategy certainly proved correct. Haywood immediately went to work, hitting a pair of hooks, a soft turnaround and a dunk -- and that's just what he did before halftime.
The second half proved to be more of the same. Haywood's final line: 7-of-9 from the field, 2-of-3 from the line, 16 points, six boards and four blocks (three of which were during Carolina's late 9-2 run which gave the Heels the lead for good).
Incidentally, there was a precedent for bringing Haywood off the bench. The only other time he hadn't started this season was UNC's second game, against Florida International. He responded with the first double-double of his career.
In addition to coming off the bench, Haywood said he was motivated by the crowd in Reynolds, which singled him out throughout the game.
"They're talking all game," said Haywood. "Why don't they just sit down and enjoy the game? But they want to come in and talk about your momma or say this and that. So I was like, 'Hey, we won, so go home and talk to yourself.'"
While some players tune crowds out, Haywood said he turned the chants to his advantage.
"Oh definitely, it pumped me up," said Haywood. "They're coming in, talking about Haywood-this, Haywood-that. All it did was get me to score more buckets. So in the new arena if they want to keep yelling things, 'Haywood, Haywood,' let them keep doing it. It's going to be bad for them."
At intermission, he was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc, part of a 2-for-13 first-half three-point effort by the Wolfpack. That meant that over the past three and a half games, Harrington had played a total of 66 minutes and gone a combined 0-for-15 on three-pointers. He hadn't hit a three since before Christmas, and he seemed to still be hampered by the sprained left ankle he suffered at Clemson on January 5.
Inexplicably, Harrington was a new man when he checked into the game with 11:26 remaining to be played. Over the next 5:28, he scored the Wolfpack's next 13 points, draining three treys and four free throws.
Unfortunately for NC State, Harrington's three with 7:50 remaining would be the Wolfpack's last field goal for the next s even minutes, as Tim Wells hit a runner with 50 seconds to play.
However, Harrington wasn't finished. He drilled a pair of threes in a span of less than seven seconds, bringing NC State to within 58-56 with 17.3 seconds to go. But that's where his magic ran out, as the freshman rushed a potentially game-tying shot and then was forced to foul Ed Cota as he dashed downcourt.
In addition to Harrington's heroics, NC State kept this one close (despite shooting only 32.3 percent from the field) by crashing the offensive glass and capitalizing on Carolina's turnovers. The Wolfpack held a 17-6 advantage on offensive rebounds, helping them outscore UNC 18-12 in second-chance points. Also, they scored 14 points on Carolina's 14 turnovers, while the Heels managed only four points on NC State's 10 turnovers.
Quick Hits
Also, Carolina's win was the first blemish on NC State's home record this season. Th e Wolfpack entered the game 9-0 at home, having beaten Maryland-Eastern Shore, Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, Army, Houston and Winthrop by an average of nearly 30 points per game.
HOME SWEET HOME: Leaving Reynolds for a sparkling new venue will be bittersweet for NC State fans. One student at courtside held a sign which was an homage both to the arena and to NC State head coach Herb Sendek: "Heaven Equals Reynolds, Baby!"
MAKING HIS-TORRY: NC State retired the #81 jersey of wide receiver Torry Holt on Saturday. Holt, the ACC Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American, owns the ACC career receiving yardage record (3,379). He becomes only the fifth NC State player to have his jersey retired, joining Roman Gabriel (#18), Ted Brown (#23), Jim Richter (#51) and Dick Christy (#40).
Before the game, Holt said that he has heard rumors that he would most likely be drafted by the Redskins, Cardi nals or Saints. Although he stressed that he would be thrilled to play anywhere, he said his first choice would be the Redskins, the team he has followed since childhood. However, the Redskins' interest in him may hinge on how well Michael Westbrook recovers from a career-threatening injury.
