Fans in Lawrence, Kan., had to be flooded with mixed emotions after they watched their coach win a national championship with another team. First, the Jayhawks got bounced by Bucknell in the NCAA tournament’s opening round, and now Roy Williams—after 15 seasons at Kansas and two trips to the national championship game—finally cut down the nets in St. Louis as the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Illini of Illinois 75-70 on Monday night.
But as bitter as the Kansas faithful may be, they cannot help but rejoice that the man who dedicated himself to the Rock and the Chalk has finally immortalized himself. The entire basketball community is rejoicing, or maybe just smiling, for Williams; he has earned his long awaited title. He is a great coach, he always was, and those that thought otherwise are simply dense.
The Illini made Williams and North Carolina earn their title. Despite trailing by double digits multiple times in the second half, Illinois came back, eventually tying the game with 5:30 remaining. After a back-and-forth match for the rest of the game, the Tar Heels were up three with 17 seconds to go. The Illini had three consecutive chances to even the score, but Luther Head, who scored a team-high 21 points for the Illini, missed a three-point attempt and Sean May grabbed the rebound. The Tar Heels did not allow a field goal over the last 2:30, and May led the Tar Heels with a 10-11 shooting performance, scored 26 points, and hauled in 10 caroms for another double-double.
Williams was crying shortly after the clock ticked away, as he searched for his wife, Wanda, and his two full grown children, Scott and Kimberly. Williams said later he went into the crowd searching for his family because, like him, they had sacrificed so much in order to get him his first championship.
Illinois lost the game because they failed to hit shots. They shot a combined 12-40 from beyond three-point range and just 27-70 for the game. Part of the Illini’s shooting woes could be attributed to the Tar Heel defense, and the other half could be jitters. Either way, the Illini picked a bad time to go cold. James Augustine also played just nine minutes due to foul trouble which also hampered Illinois’ chances to handle May down low.
While the feelings of joy were there for Williams, one could not help and feel for Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber. The trio of Dee Brown, Deron Williams, and Head came up just one win short of a record breaking season. Illinois finished the year 37-2.
Williams approached Weber and congratulated him on the season, telling the Illini staff he understood their plight, a sad fact for Williams.
Williams can now enjoy the moment, especially after bringing UNC its first title since 1993 in just his second season as coach at North Carolina. As he celebrated with his family and his players, however, questions arose about next season. Who will be back? The answer for Williams looks bleak.
North Carolina will most likely lose the entire core of their championship squad to the NBA next year. May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Jawad Williams, and Marvin Williams will probably all skip out of Chapel Hill next year, for obvious reasons.
Illinois could face similar problems. Despite having just four seniors, only two of which saw significant playing time, the Illini could lose almost their entire team. Williams, Brown, and Augustine may leave, and Head, Jack Ingram, and Roger Powell are seniors.
But for now, these teams can either rejoice in victory or contemplate defeat. Either way, the two best teams fought for the title and provided a fitting end to another wonderful March.
