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North Carolina
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Kansas (Preseason NIT)
Men's Basketball Stuns No. 2 Kansas, 67-56
November 27, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Nov 27, 2002
By HAL BOCK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK - Don't worry about North Carolina getting carried away by Wednesday night's 67-56 stunner over No. 2 Kansas in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT.
Where do the Tar Heels go from here, freshman sharpshooter Rashad McCants was asked.
"We've got practice tomorrow," McCants said.
That would be preparation for Friday night's championship game against Stanford. The Cardinal (4-0) had an upset of their own in the doubleheader opener, defeating No. 7 Florida 69-65. The Gators (3-1) and Kansas (2-1) will meet in the consolation game.
North Carolina (4-0) is halfway to last year's total of eight victories. Coach Matt Doherty survived that nightmare season and imported a roster of freshmen who seem determined to turn things around.
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We came in here with a game plan and we executed it.
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McCants sent that message, shooting 10 for 15 from the floor and scoring 25 points.
"We feel like this is a team game," he said. "We came in here with a game plan and we executed it. We're young, but we believe in each other."
They've got other people believing, too.
"Freshmen in college basketball aren't like they used to be," Kansas coach Roy Williams said. "Ten or 15 years ago, they were scared to death but they aren't anymore."
Doherty likes his freshmen, too.
"They're a confident group, a very poised group," Doherty said. "We made some adjustments and they believed. I'm not ready to anoint this team a national champion. We're not giving out any rings tonight."
The loss ended a streak of 14 straight victories in the Preseason NIT for Kansas, which was a Final Four team last year. And it was an emotional triumph for Doherty, who spent seven years as an assistant at Kansas under Williams, a Tar Heels alumnus.
The Kansas coach said he saw this coming.
"I've been disappointed in some of the things that have gone on in practice," Williams said. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to have this kind of wake-up call."
Doherty shed his jacket early and dashed up and down the sideline as North Carolina, the youngest team in the country, took it to the Jayhawks.
 Rashad McCants reacts as his team opens a lead against Kansas in the second half. |
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McCants set the tone right at the start, nailing a 3-pointer on his first shot and then driving for a dunk that seemed to shake Kansas.
The more experienced Jayhawks played haphazard, often sloppy basketball, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, and 21 times in the game. North Carolina took advantage of every mistake.
With McCants making six of eight shots and sophomore Jawad Williams nailing five of eight, North Carolina constructed a nine-point halftime lead at 38-29.
It only got worse for Kansas after that.
McCants, and freshmen teammates Raymond Felton and Sean May, built the lead to 50-33 in the early moments of the second half, playing textbook basketball that often left Kansas looking befuddled.
Nick Collison, who had 19 points, tried to get the Jayhawks going, but he was outmanned. When Wayne Simien missed an easy dunk and Kirk Hinrich blew a driving layup, it was clear that Kansas was not going to find a way back.
