Lucas: March 25 Flashback

By Adam Lucas

It is, quite simply, one of the best Carolina NCAA Tournament games in program history. It had all the ingredients: a clash of two powerful programs, as the Tar Heels faced off with Kentucky with big stakes in a regional final. It had a hostile environment, as the top-seeded Wildcats had the vast majority of the fans in Birmingham against the second-seeded Tar Heels. It had great players on the court and big names on the sideline, as Carolina featured Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace being coached by Dean Smith, while Kentucky was led by sweet-shooting Tony Delk (Antoine Walker came off the bench) and Rick Pitino.

There was a little animosity, as Wallace exchanged words with Andre Riddick, an altercation that ended with Riddick's hands around Wallace's throat. And there was a great backstory that helped cement Smith's legend, as the Tar Heels received word before the game that Pitino had already planned a postgame celebration party at a local restaurant. That reservation went unused, as Stackhouse and Donald Williams poured in 18 points apiece—with Stackhouse adding 12 rebounds—and Carolina earned a 74-61 win and a trip to the Final Four.

Under Pitino, Kentucky was known for their three-point prowess. Smith used that outside affinity against them, as the Tar Heels let the Wildcats bomb away from distance. The strategy worked, as the 'Cats hit just seven of 36 three-point attempts and shot 28 percent from the field in the game. Wallace, meanwhile, hit five of his nine shots and Stackhouse slashed to the rim enough to earn 14 free throw attempts—nearly as many as UK took as a team (16).

Wallace and Jeff McInnis ended the game with a pair of dunks as Carolina celebrated in front of the stunned Birmingham crowd.

Also on March 25

1988: In a bizarre bracketing quirk, Carolina met Michigan in the NCAA Tournament for three straight years from 1987-89. The Tar Heels took two of those games, winning in Charlotte in 1987 and then winning this matchup at the Kingdome in Seattle, as the powerful Carolina frontcourt featuring Scott Williams (19 points) and J.R. Reid (18 points) led the Heels to a 78-69 victory. Ranzino Smith hit a couple three-pointers and had three assists off the bench.

2005: If it wasn't for the magnitude of that Kentucky win in Birmingham, this would have been the featured game for March 25. A key dodging of a bullet on the way to a title, Carolina somehow escaped Villanova with a 67-66 win at the Carrier Dome. Both Raymond Felton and Sean May had double-doubles, but it was Melvin Scott who swished key free throws in relief of the foul-plagued Felton. Scott was the subject of the postgame column.

2016: After some struggles earlier in the tournament, Kennedy Meeks began to emerge with a 15-point, nine-rebound performance in Carolina's 101-86 win over Indiana in the regional semifinal in Philadelphia. A reminder of how good this particular Tar Heel team was: Meeks' showing was actually third on the stat sheet to Brice Johnson's 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and Marcus Paige's 21-point, six-assist, zero-turnover game. Paige passed Michael Jordan on Carolina's all-time scoring list in this game, but the postgame column was about Meeks and what he could add to a possible title run.

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