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News Nuggets, 03.28.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

McCants helps Heels seal the deal over Badgers

SYRACUSE -- No one sacrificed more than Rashad McCants to make sure North Carolina got back to the Final Four. So it was only fitting that he made the plays when the Tar Heels needed him most.

The star guard, no longer the team's leading scorer this year while accepting a more team-oriented role, swished a clutch 3-pointer and had two huge defensive stops down the stretch, leading top-seeded North Carolina past Wisconsin 88-82 Sunday in the final of the Syracuse Regional.

Sean May led the Tar Heels (31-4) with 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Raymond Felton added 17 points -- including four free throws in the final minute to seal it. But it was McCants who did the most to end a marvelous run by the sixth-seeded Badgers (25-9) and send the Tar Heels to the Final Four for the first time since 2000.

They will play Michigan State, which on Sunday beat Kentucky 94-88 in double overtime, next Saturday in St. Louis.

(Louisville and top-ranked Illinois will battle in the other Final Four pairing after earning pulse-pounding victories on Saturday. Both teams overcame big deficits and ultimately won in overtime, the Cards over West Virginia and the Illini over Arizona.)

With North Carolina clinging to a three-point lead, McCants jumped high to swat away a 3 by Clayton Hanson with about 2 minutes left, Hanson's only miss of the second half from beyond the arc. Later, when Kammron Taylor drove to the basket, McCants again was there to stop him.

``I knew they were going to come at me,'' McCants said. ``I took that as an assignment and shut him down.''

Wisconsin closed within three again on an alley-oop dunk by Alando Tucker before McCants made his 3-pointer, coming off a screen by Marvin Williams to give North Carolina an 81-75 lead. He finished with 21 points.

That proved to be enough, and when the final buzzer sounded, McCants and Felton spent several seconds embracing in the lane while teammates quickly donned hats that read ``Syracuse Regional Champions.''

Coach Roy Williams advanced to the Final Four for the fifth time in his career; after four trips with Kansas, he's taking his alma mater in only his second season there.

``It's special, there's no question about it,'' Williams said. ``I loved 15 years at Kansas. I loved those four times there. But I did go to school here, my wife went to school here, my son went to school here and my daughter went to school here. It is special.''

One by one, he sent his players up a ladder to cut down nets on both ends of the court. He did the same when North Carolina clinched its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 1993, choosing to ignore any criticism for celebrating before the NCAA tournament.

No one could blame him this time.

``It's an unbelievable feeling,'' May said. ``It just didn't seem real. The emotions were indescribable. You have to go through it yourself.''

Tucker scored 25 points for the Badgers, who -- despite their reputation for steady and methodical offense -- never once tried to slow the pace. They scored more than 80 points for only the third time this season and the first since Dec. 27.

Scintillating finishes supercharge TV ratings

NEW YORK -- Thrilling overtime victories by Louisville and Illinois in the NCAA tournament gave CBS its highest-rated Saturday regional final games since 1995.

The network's coverage for the two games drew an overnight rating of 8.1 with a 15 share, the best since 1995's 8.3 rating and 20 share. The average also is up 31 percent from last year's 6.2 with a 12 share for the Saturday games.

The overall average overnight ratings for the tournament to date is a 6.4 with 13 share, up 10 percent from last year.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, whether or not they are in use. The share is the percentage of homes with sets in use.

Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest TV markets in the United States, covering nearly 70 percent of the country.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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