University of North Carolina Athletics
Depth Poses Problem for Tar Heels
March 20, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 20, 2004
By JOHN MOSSMAN
AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) - Texas promises to send wave after wave of big men into the game, and North Carolina can only hope it stays afloat.
The Longhorns' depth, especially up front, could be a pivotal factor when the two teams meet Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Syracuse and Maryland meet in the other second-round game.
Texas (24-7), the No. 3 seed in the Atlanta Regional, will rotate up to four big men, which presents a problem for North Carolina's 6-foot-9 center, Sean May.
"To me the biggest factor in the game is how we handle the number of people they can throw at Sean," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said Friday, "because Sean really is our only true post player.
"We've got to keep Sean out of foul trouble, and we've got to have other guys step up and give us some help in there. To me that's a huge positive for them, and we hope that's not the most dominating factor in the game."
May doesn't recall ever facing a team quite like Texas.
"I don't think we've played a team that has as many big guys who can pick up fouls and they really don't care," May said. "It's going to be tough on (forward) Jawad (Williams) and me and some of the other guys, but we've got to be mentally ready for it."
As for himself, May said, "I have to be aggressive the whole time and just hope I don't pick up silly fouls."
North Carolina (19-10), the sixth seed, pulled away from stubborn Air Force 63-52 in the first round, while Texas used a second-half burst to beat Princeton 66-49.
Both teams figure to like the pace a lot better than in their previous games against teams with deliberate offenses.
"They run just like us, so I think it's going to be an up-and-down game," May said. "This time of season you don't see a lot of teams run. It's more of the half-court sets and who can grind it out on defense. I do expect a high-paced game."
North Carolina, back in the tournament for the first time since 2001, is athletic and seems to have bought into Williams' ways after three contentious seasons under Matt Doherty.
Texas reached the NCAA quarterfinals the past two years, and guard Brandon Mouton has scored at least 20 points in his past three tournament games, including 23 in the win over Princeton.
Texas coach Rick Barnes has a history with North Carolina.
Barnes coached four years at Clemson before moving to Austin in 1998, and his feisty nature rubbed North Carolina and its fans the wrong way.
He had the audacity - in the Tar Heels' minds - to go nose-to-nose with legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith during the 1995 ACC tournament, and both coaches were called to the ACC commissioner's house the following year after the feud escalated.
"It's been a long time that I've been out of the ACC," said Barnes, who is 1-9 in his career against North Carolina. "But back when I was in the league, I was probably public enemy No. 2 behind Mike Krzyzewski, I would imagine, in terms of their fans."
