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HOUSTON — When Malachi Richardson sank a 3-pointer to pull his team within seven midway through the second half, it wasn't just everyone wearing orange whose minds flashed back to Syracuse's unlikely Elite Eight comeback against Virginia last weekend.
North Carolina point guard Joel Berry also couldn't help but recall how the Orange erased a 13-point deficit in the final nine minutes against the Cavaliers.
"We had that in the back of our minds. I know I did," Berry said. "I was like, 'We can't let that happen to us.'"
It's a testament to North Carolina's superior talent and resolve that the 10th-seeded Orange got no closer. This wasn't a Gonzaga team with wobbly guards or a Virginia team uncomfortable against full-court pressure. This was an opponent hailed as the nation's best team before the season began and now finally playing like it.
Fueled by their blistering transition attack and their dominance around the rim, North Carolina defeated Syracuse 83-66 on Saturday night to advance to the national title game. The Tar Heels opened an 11-point halftime lead, extended it to as many as 17 just seven minutes into the second half and then responded with poise when Syracuse cut into the lead with a last-gasp 10-0 run.
Marcus Paige answered Richardson's 3-pointer with one of his own, the first one North Carolina hit the entire game after an 0-for-12 start from behind the arc. Brice Johnson delivered a powerful two-handed dunk via a deft post move on the Tar Heels' next possession and then Theo Pinson hit another big 3-pointer to extend the lead to 12.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called for full-court pressure to try to rally the Orange in the final minutes, but it wasn't a momentum changer like it was against either Virginia or Gonzaga.*
"I don't think we can press this team," Boeheim said. "We were going to, because that was the only way to get back in it. But it's kind of like, you know, if I'm on top of the Empire State Building, I don't have to jump to know it's going to hurt. I don't need to press North Carolina to know it's going to hurt. They're veteran guys. They're good against pressure."
North Carolina's victory propels the Tar Heels to within one victory of their third national championship under Roy Williams and their sixth since the inception of the NCAA tournament. Standing in their way is 34-win Big East champion Villanova, the only team whose performance has rivaled North Carolina's thus far in the tournament.
If Monday's title game is in doubt deep into the second half, it will be something North Carolina has not experienced since the ACC tournament. All five of the Tar Heels' NCAA tournament victories have come by at least 14 points and they've trailed for only a total of 50 seconds in the second halves of any of those games.
That dominance is a testament to how North Carolina has raised its level of play since the postseason began. Not only are the Tar Heels gashing opponents in the paint, in transition and on the offensive glass as they did en route to winning the ACC title during the regular season, now they're also defending with urgency as well.
"We're still doing the same scoring we've been doing, but we're getting a lot of stops with it," Johnson said. "We've grown a great deal on the defensive end. We've really turned up the defensive intensity."
North Carolina held Syracuse to 40.9 percent shooting and surrendered few easy baskets around the rim. Trevor Cooney scored 22 points in his final game for the Orange and Richardson added 17, but Michael Gbinije needed 18 shots to score 12 points and no other Syracuse player hit double figures.
Anytime Syracuse turned the ball over or served up a long rebound, North Carolina used it as a chance to get out in transition and score before the Orange's two-three zone was set. The Tar Heels shot 53.8 percent because they were lethal on the fast break, effective getting the ball into the middle of the zone and dominant on the offensive glass.
Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson both led North Carolina with 16 points apiece. Kennedy Meeks, Joel James and Isaiah Hicks delivered when Johnson was on the bench in foul trouble late in the first half and Paige sank all three of his 3-pointers in the final nine minutes.
The surest sign Syracuse was in trouble came via the halftime box score. North Carolina missed all 10 of its attempts from behind the arc, played without its All-American for the final nine minutes and still led by 11 points.
Even for a Syracuse team with a propensity for remarkable comebacks, that was too much to overcome.
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North Carolina point guard Joel Berry also couldn't help but recall how the Orange erased a 13-point deficit in the final nine minutes against the Cavaliers.
"We had that in the back of our minds. I know I did," Berry said. "I was like, 'We can't let that happen to us.'"
It's a testament to North Carolina's superior talent and resolve that the 10th-seeded Orange got no closer. This wasn't a Gonzaga team with wobbly guards or a Virginia team uncomfortable against full-court pressure. This was an opponent hailed as the nation's best team before the season began and now finally playing like it.
Fueled by their blistering transition attack and their dominance around the rim, North Carolina defeated Syracuse 83-66 on Saturday night to advance to the national title game. The Tar Heels opened an 11-point halftime lead, extended it to as many as 17 just seven minutes into the second half and then responded with poise when Syracuse cut into the lead with a last-gasp 10-0 run.
Marcus Paige answered Richardson's 3-pointer with one of his own, the first one North Carolina hit the entire game after an 0-for-12 start from behind the arc. Brice Johnson delivered a powerful two-handed dunk via a deft post move on the Tar Heels' next possession and then Theo Pinson hit another big 3-pointer to extend the lead to 12.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called for full-court pressure to try to rally the Orange in the final minutes, but it wasn't a momentum changer like it was against either Virginia or Gonzaga.*
"I don't think we can press this team," Boeheim said. "We were going to, because that was the only way to get back in it. But it's kind of like, you know, if I'm on top of the Empire State Building, I don't have to jump to know it's going to hurt. I don't need to press North Carolina to know it's going to hurt. They're veteran guys. They're good against pressure."
North Carolina's victory propels the Tar Heels to within one victory of their third national championship under Roy Williams and their sixth since the inception of the NCAA tournament. Standing in their way is 34-win Big East champion Villanova, the only team whose performance has rivaled North Carolina's thus far in the tournament.
If Monday's title game is in doubt deep into the second half, it will be something North Carolina has not experienced since the ACC tournament. All five of the Tar Heels' NCAA tournament victories have come by at least 14 points and they've trailed for only a total of 50 seconds in the second halves of any of those games.
That dominance is a testament to how North Carolina has raised its level of play since the postseason began. Not only are the Tar Heels gashing opponents in the paint, in transition and on the offensive glass as they did en route to winning the ACC title during the regular season, now they're also defending with urgency as well.
"We're still doing the same scoring we've been doing, but we're getting a lot of stops with it," Johnson said. "We've grown a great deal on the defensive end. We've really turned up the defensive intensity."
North Carolina held Syracuse to 40.9 percent shooting and surrendered few easy baskets around the rim. Trevor Cooney scored 22 points in his final game for the Orange and Richardson added 17, but Michael Gbinije needed 18 shots to score 12 points and no other Syracuse player hit double figures.
Anytime Syracuse turned the ball over or served up a long rebound, North Carolina used it as a chance to get out in transition and score before the Orange's two-three zone was set. The Tar Heels shot 53.8 percent because they were lethal on the fast break, effective getting the ball into the middle of the zone and dominant on the offensive glass.
Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson both led North Carolina with 16 points apiece. Kennedy Meeks, Joel James and Isaiah Hicks delivered when Johnson was on the bench in foul trouble late in the first half and Paige sank all three of his 3-pointers in the final nine minutes.
The surest sign Syracuse was in trouble came via the halftime box score. North Carolina missed all 10 of its attempts from behind the arc, played without its All-American for the final nine minutes and still led by 11 points.
Even for a Syracuse team with a propensity for remarkable comebacks, that was too much to overcome.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!Follow @JeffEisenberg