University of North Carolina Athletics
Regional May Have Been Highlight for 1993 Team
February 19, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2003
By SID Emeritus Rick Brewer
A backdoor layup and a defensive shutdown.
The first was one of the biggest plays and the other one of the top performances in North Carolina's run to the 1993 NCAA championship.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of that remarkable season.
Many have trouble believing it has been a decade since that Final Four sweep in New Orleans. To others it seems like ancient history.
Time has a way of confusing people in one way or another.
Most fans mention two games when they think of that season. One is a remarkable second half rally from a 21-point deficit to beat Florida State at the Smith Center and the other is the NCAA title game with Michigan.
But, there were also a 70-66 road win over 10th-ranked Seton Hall, an 86-76 comeback at sixth-ranked Florida State and a 78-68 victory over ninth-rated Kansas in the national semi-finals.
This was a dominant Carolina team, finishing 34-4 overall and 14-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels average winning margin was 18.8 in league victories.
Although the games against the Seminoles and those in the Final Four will always be among the most unforgettable in school history, two others should be just as memorable.
Carolina's East Regional victories over Arkansas and Cincinnati featured some of the biggest clutch plays of the entire season. In a three-day period, the Tar Heels had to defeat teams ranked 12th and seventh in the country just to reach New Orleans.
Coach Dean Smith's team faced a major problem even before play began that weekend. Derrick Phelps had suffered a badly bruised tailbone in the ACC Tournament. Then the following Monday he was involved in a collision at practice and developed a sore back.
Phelps was Carolina's star point guard and perhaps the nation's best defensive player.
That meant the Tar Heels would be facing what Razorback Coach Nolan Richardson called his "40 minutes of Hell" defense with its principal ballhandler not at full strength.
The game got off to an ominous start as Arkansas built a 25-14 lead. Carolina then went on one of its patented runs to tie the game in just three minutes. George Lynch simply took over. He had a steal and breakaway dunk and his three-point play inside the paint made it 28-28.
"That's Lynch," said Richardson. "I remember him from 1990. I was hoping he had graduated."
The first half ended in a 45-45 tie.
With the score 69-69 at the 5:19 mark, a Brian Reese layup gave his team the lead for good.
Arkansas did pull to within 75-74 with 1:06 left. But, a backdoor layup gave the Tar Heels a three-point margin. Carolina held the Razorbacks scoreless the rest of the way in an 80-74 victory.
"Coach Smith designed that play," said Donald Williams.
Lynch hit Williams cutting in from the right side for an uncontested layup.
"It was a well-executed backdoor play," said Richardson. "They spread the floor and, of course, that opened up our defense. They made a pump fake and Corey Beck is probably one of the most aggressive defensive players. So he was overplaying and we didn't get offside help. They're very good at setting plays like that."
Lynch finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds and Williams scored 22.
Phelps was magnificent. The battered guard played 35 minutes and had seven assists, seven rebounds and five points. He committed just one turnover against one of the most harassing defenses in college basketball. The entire Tar Heel team had just 12 turnovers and only four in the decisive second half.
The win set up the East Finals against Cincinnati. The tone of that game was set the following day at the off-day press conference.
Bearcat forward Erik Martin said it "wasn't a big deal" to play Carolina.
"It doesn't mean much to me," he added. "They're just another team. They've had a lot of great players, but Jordan can't play for them tomorrow."
Even more outspoken was scoring leader Nick Van Exel in talking about Smith.
"He probably should have won more championships," said Van Exel. "I don't consider him a great coach. I consider him a good coach with great players."
Van Exel came out the next day and tried to back up his brashness.
Cincinnati built a 15-point lead, 29-14, in the game's first 13 minutes with Van Exel scoring 17 points in that stretch. He had 21 at the 3:38 TV timeout and the Bearcats still led, 33-22.
During that break in the action Smith switched to some special defenses and told Phelps to stick strictly to Van Exel. Phelps still wasn't 100 percent. In addition to his tailbone and back injuries, Phelps had developed a big foot blister during the Arkansas game.
"We knew Van Exel could score and he convinced me with six long three-pointers," said Smith. "We had to shut him down."
Phelps did just that. Van Exel did not score the rest of the half. Lynch and Eric Montross provided most of the offensive punch as the lead was cut to 37-36 at intermission.
Smith didn't want to take a chance on Van Exel hitting another hot streak in the second half.
"At the first timeout of the second half I told the team to go back to our regular pressure," said Smith. "But, I pulled Derrick aside and told him not to leave Van Exel."
That plan worked. Van Exel's last first half field goal came with 4:50 remaining. He had just two points the last 29:50 of the game and finished with 23. He was one-for 10 after halftime.
Carolina's size and inside power began to wear the Bearcats down but, the Tar Heels couldn't take the lead until 7:58 remained. Cincinnati tied the game, 66-66, with 35.4 seconds left. A dunk by Reese off an inbounds play didn't fall in the final 0.8 seconds and the game went into overtime.
Cincinnati got the first two points of the extra period, but never scored again. Reese hit Lynch for a layup to tie the game.
Montross then made a key play when he tipped a missed UNC shot out to Williams. The Tar Heels made a tired opponent chase the ball for almost the next 45 seconds.
"I caught a pass with the clock winding down," said Williams. "I heard Coach Smith yell 'Knock it down, Donald."
That's what he did and the Tar Heels finished with a 75-68 win and a trip to the Final Four.
Lynch, the Regional MVP, scored 21 and grabbed 14 rebounds. Montross who helped dominate the interior finished with 15 and Williams had 20.
Fans rightly still talk about the games in the Final Four and the regular-season comebacks. But looking back, in this 10th anniversary season, those East Regional games may have been the most exciting of that remarkable year.
