University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Sweep West Regional
March 14, 2003 | General
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March 12-19, 1981
SALT LAKE CITY-Faced with the task of beating 14th-ranked Utah on its homecourt, North Carolina got great play from its frontcourt to topple the Utes and then raced by Kansas State to sweep the NCAA West Regional.
Teams could still play NCAA Tournament games on their homecourts, leaving the Tar Heels with a major test at Utah's Special Events Center. But, Al Wood, James Worthy and Sam Perkins scored 15 points each to spark a 61-56 victory.
Then in the West title game Wood had 21, Perkins scored 16 and Worthy added 15 in an 82-68 win over the Wildcats.
Carolina and Utah were tied 27-27 in the opening moments of the second half of the semi-final game. The Tar Heels' three frontcourt stars then scored 20 of UNC's next 24 points as the Tar Heels opened up a working margin. After the 15-minute mark, Utah never got within five points until the final 26 seconds.
Tom Chambers, the Utes' star center, scored just 11 points as he was slowed with foul problems trying to contain Perkins inside.
The Tar Heels outscored Kansas State, 12-2 over the last 3:40 of the first half to take a 42-29 lead in the West Finals. The Wildcats were never able to recover from that.
Wood was 10 of 17 from the field and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds against Kansas State. Perkins added 11 rebounds as the Tar Heels held a 40-30 edge on the boards.
"I thought we may have played our best game of the year," said Carolina Coach Dean Smith after beating the Wildcats. "We played together so well. Al had a tremendous regional. James has played his basketball ever in the last part of the season and Sam has been a great addition inside."
The win sent the Tar Heels on to the Final Four in Philadelphia and a semi-final date with Virginia.
Rick Brewer is in his fourth decade with the University of North Carolina athletic department and brings a unique historical perspective to TarHeelBlue.com. A native of North Carolina, Brewer served as UNC's Sports Information Director from 1975 until his retirement from full-time work in 2000. Email Rick Brewer at rbrewer@uncaa.unc.edu.
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