Tar Heels come back, take over to win, 74-64

By Ben Walker - Associated Press National Writer     Mar 24, 2007

? Brandan Wright and top-seeded North Carolina almost waited too long to make their move.

Down by 16 points early in the second half, the Tar Heels suddenly shifted into another gear and pulled off their biggest rally of the season, startling Southern California 74-64 Friday night in the East Regional semifinals.

“It was a fantastic comeback to say the least,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “I have a great deal of confidence in my team. … I knew we wouldn’t give up.”

Despite off games by Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, the Tar Heels (31-6) saved themselves and set up a regional final Sunday for college basketball fans to savor: North Carolina vs. Georgetown, a rematch of the 1982 championship game that Michael Jordan won in the closing seconds.

Fifth-seeded USC (25-12) was putting on a dunking exhibition and led 49-33 with 17:42 left before it all fell apart. Trojans coach Tim Floyd threw his program onto the court after a call in the final minute, and was whistled for a technical foul.

By then, Wright and his teammates had already done plenty to frustrate Floyd’s team. The Tar Heels won their seventh in a row and it was notable – previously, their biggest comeback was 12 points against Winthrop.

Wright scored two straight baskets on offensive rebounds to get the Tar Heels within 57-49, then the freshman was a key part of a 13-0 run that put them ahead for the first time since the opening minute.

North Carolina reached the round of eight for the second time under Williams, who won the 2005 title with the Tar Heels.

Earlier at the Meadowlands, coach John Thompson III and Georgetown beat Vanderbilt 66-65 on a last-second shot. Thompson was a boy sitting behind the Hoyas’ bench and his dad – coach John Thompson – in that epic 1982 game.

This time, another Carolina freshman was the key to victory. Wright finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. He somehow offset Hansbrough’s 1-for-6 shooting for five points and Lawson’s four points.

Freshman Taj Gibson had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans.

Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Gibson took turns throwing down dunks in the first half as the Trojans more than matched North Carolina’s up-tempo style.

The Trojans scored the last eight points of the first half for a 42-33 lead, then scored the first seven after the break, capped by Lodrick Stewart’s three.

At that point, the Tar Heels trailed by 16 points and were in serious trouble. That is, until they started playing the kind of basketball that has consistently made them among the biggest winners in the sport.

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