Lucas: March 26 Flashback

By Adam Lucas

It didn't come out of nowhere. Our memory mostly tells us that Luke Maye's Final Four-clinching shot against Kentucky was completely unexpected, but sophomore Maye had quietly been asserting himself in some of Carolina's biggest games. He'd posted 16 points and 12 rebounds against Butler in the regional semifinal two nights earlier, and he'd been excellent in the season's first matchup with Kentucky.

Carolina lost that game, 103-100, despite a career-high 11 points from Maye. But Theo Pinson didn't play in that game, and he made a big difference in the rematch, including the game-winning assist to Maye. Also making a difference was the defense of Justin Jackson. Assistant coach Hubert Davis had the scout for Kentucky, and he spent most of the pregame practice sessions reminding his team that Monk had lit them up for 47 points in Las Vegas. Jackson limited Monk to 4-for-10 in Memphis, and Monk made just one basket in the final 25 minutes.

Don't forget that like seemingly every Carolina-Kentucky NCAA Tournament matchup, this one was a virtual home game for the Wildcats, as they dominated the FedEx Forum crowd in Memphis. But the Tar Heels did almost everything right, including inbounding the ball so quickly after Malik Monk's game-tying three-pointer that John Calipari couldn't call his desired timeout, which ultimately led to Maye's winner.

What if Calipari calls that timeout? Thankfully, we never have to know. Especially given the eventual national championship, Maye's jumper instantly went on a very short list of the biggest shots in Tar Heel basketball history; it took a place alongside Joe Quigg's free throws in 1957 and Michael Jordan's game-winner in 1982.

Most of what gets remembered from this game is Maye. But without Joel Berry's toughness in playing through a painful ankle, or Jackson's defense, or Pinson's all-around floor game, or any of the contributions from the

It's fun to remember what this game was like in real time—here's a link to the incredulous Rapid Reactions, when we were still wrapping our minds around the idea of Luke Maye as a star.

The postgame column is one of my favorites, with everything from Pinson's unheralded contributions to Maye's incredible performance to how we experience games like this one.

Also on March 26

1977: One of the most popular teams in Carolina history moved into the national title game with an 84-83 win over UNLV in the national semifinals. Freshman Mike O'Koren had 31 points and Phil Ford contributed ten assists as the banged-up Tar Heels advanced to a meeting with Al McGuire and Marquette in the championship game.

1993: Under Nolan Richardson, Arkansas favored an aggressive, overplaying style of defense. Dean Smith used it against them in the regional semifinals at the Meadowlands. In a one-point game with under a minute to play, George Lynch hit Donald Williams with a backdoor pass for a clinching layup. Lynch finished with a game-high 23 points and ten rebounds to go with his key assist, while Williams scored 22.

2000: Bill Guthridge defeated a young coach named Bill Self's Tulsa team in the regional final, completing perhaps Carolina's most unlikely Final Four run with a 59-55 victory. Regional MVP Joseph Forte sparked a 14-4 second half run that broke open a tie game. Forte scored 28 points in the game for the eighth-seeded Tar Heels.

Players Mentioned

Luke Maye

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