University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: April 2 Flashback
April 2, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Looking back at key Tar Heel moments from this day in NCAA Tournament history.
By Adam Lucas
What a different time it was.
When Carolina faced Michigan State on this date in 2005, the Tar Heel sports world was very different. Roy Williams was a head coach who had never won a national championship. Carolina was a program that had not even played in the national championship game in twelve years. Michigan State had a more recent championship (2000) and a more recent Final Four (2001).
But this particular Tar Heel team wasn't very interested in history. The Spartans did a solid job defensively against Sean May--who had been on a March-long tear--in the first half, limiting him to just 2-for-8 from the field. A partisan Big Ten-friendly crowd (nearby Illinois had the largest share of the fans on hand, and they all rooted for their conference brethren) roared as Michigan State took a 38-33 halftime lead.
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Carolina was only as close as five points because of the play of senior Jawad Williams, who along with Melvin Scott and Jackie Manuel were trying to cap a storybook career arc that would take them from an 8-20 season as freshmen to national champions as seniors. Jawad Williams (recall that this was the Carolina team that forced Woody Durham to refer to the various Williams participants by their first name to avoid confusion) scored 12 first half points during a period in which, for the first time, the 2005 Tar Heels looked a little tight.Â
The senior kept the Tar Heels in the game long enough for Roy Williams to deliver a pointed halftime message, and then for the offense to explode in the second half. May shot 7-for-10 in the final twenty minutes, Carolina made 11 of its first 15 shots in the half overall, and May finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to join Jawad with 20. Raymond Felton had his usual all-around stellar game, scoring 16 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists.
The win meant Carolina would play in the national title game for just the second time in 23 years; we've gotten so spoiled that they've now participated in that same game three times in the last 11 tournaments.Â
The postgame column reads as if it's from another era, with some wonder at having made it this far and a reminder of how much Burgess McSwain meant to the senior class.
Also on April 2
2016: In the only other game played on April 2 in program history, Carolina dominated in the paint on the way to an 83-66 win over Syracuse in the Final Four in Houston. The Tar Heels had a 50-30 edge in points in the paint. Kennedy Meeks shot 7-for-9 to finish with 15 points and eight rebounds and Brice Johnson added 16 points and nine rebounds. That was enough to offset a below-average performance from the perimeter, as the Tar Heels missed the first dozen three-point attempts and let the Orange close to within seven in the second half before blowing it open. It was Theo Pinson who broke the three-point drought. Joel Berry had ten assists and one turnover.
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What a different time it was.
When Carolina faced Michigan State on this date in 2005, the Tar Heel sports world was very different. Roy Williams was a head coach who had never won a national championship. Carolina was a program that had not even played in the national championship game in twelve years. Michigan State had a more recent championship (2000) and a more recent Final Four (2001).
But this particular Tar Heel team wasn't very interested in history. The Spartans did a solid job defensively against Sean May--who had been on a March-long tear--in the first half, limiting him to just 2-for-8 from the field. A partisan Big Ten-friendly crowd (nearby Illinois had the largest share of the fans on hand, and they all rooted for their conference brethren) roared as Michigan State took a 38-33 halftime lead.
Â
Carolina was only as close as five points because of the play of senior Jawad Williams, who along with Melvin Scott and Jackie Manuel were trying to cap a storybook career arc that would take them from an 8-20 season as freshmen to national champions as seniors. Jawad Williams (recall that this was the Carolina team that forced Woody Durham to refer to the various Williams participants by their first name to avoid confusion) scored 12 first half points during a period in which, for the first time, the 2005 Tar Heels looked a little tight.Â
The senior kept the Tar Heels in the game long enough for Roy Williams to deliver a pointed halftime message, and then for the offense to explode in the second half. May shot 7-for-10 in the final twenty minutes, Carolina made 11 of its first 15 shots in the half overall, and May finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to join Jawad with 20. Raymond Felton had his usual all-around stellar game, scoring 16 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists.
The win meant Carolina would play in the national title game for just the second time in 23 years; we've gotten so spoiled that they've now participated in that same game three times in the last 11 tournaments.Â
The postgame column reads as if it's from another era, with some wonder at having made it this far and a reminder of how much Burgess McSwain meant to the senior class.
Also on April 2
2016: In the only other game played on April 2 in program history, Carolina dominated in the paint on the way to an 83-66 win over Syracuse in the Final Four in Houston. The Tar Heels had a 50-30 edge in points in the paint. Kennedy Meeks shot 7-for-9 to finish with 15 points and eight rebounds and Brice Johnson added 16 points and nine rebounds. That was enough to offset a below-average performance from the perimeter, as the Tar Heels missed the first dozen three-point attempts and let the Orange close to within seven in the second half before blowing it open. It was Theo Pinson who broke the three-point drought. Joel Berry had ten assists and one turnover.
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