Too bad only one can win
Choosing a sentimental favorite for Monday night’s NCAA basketball championship will be tougher than usual.
On one side is Roy Williams of North Carolina, in his 17th year, his fifth Final Four, and still without the national title that would fill out his sterling resume.
He came close at Kansas a few times, then left suddenly to return to his alma mater, where he is close, once again – only three years into rebuilding a program Dean Smith made great.
Opposing Williams will be Bruce Weber of Illinois, who worked as an assistant for nearly two decades before getting his first head-coaching job. Four years later, even Weber has admitted he doesn’t deserve this trip as much as some of those who came before him, especially his mentor, Gene Keady.
Weber made it, though, taking his team to the cusp of a championship just three weeks after the death of his mother, Dawn.
His team and Illinois fans rallied around him, and now they’re set to face Williams and North Carolina in a meeting of top seeds from the Chicago and Syracuse regionals. It will be the first final since 2001 pitting two No. 1 seeds.
It’s also the first title-game meeting between Nos. 1 and 2 in the final Associated Press poll since UCLA defeated Kentucky in 1975.
“They are a great team and have been the best team in college basketball all year,” Williams said. “But the best thing about college basketball is we get to play them on Monday and not wait for the polls.”
Williams does it with defense
Deron Williams’ defensive effort will be considered one of the best ever in the Final Four.
The junior guard from Illinois harassed Francisco Garcia of Louisville for 40 minutes.
It didn’t seem possible that Williams could top what he did in the Illini’s remarkable comeback win over Arizona in the regional finals – but top it he did.
Garcia, a versatile player who has driven many a defense crazy with his ability to shoot the 3, couldn’t do anything against Williams except miss shots.
Garcia came in averaging 16.0 points on 44 percent shooting, including 37 percent from 3-point range.
He had a season-low four points on 2-for-10 shooting, only the sixth time this season he scored in single digits.
Garcia’s future still in question
It’s long been considered a given that Louisville’s Francisco Garcia will leave school for the NBA.
But Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said the door for the 6-foot-7 junior to return is open, at least a crack, because of the other talent available in the draft.
“I said, ‘Look, Francisco, you’re going to be a first-round draft choice. Here is what you have to figure out in this whole equation: In other years, you’d be a lottery pick,’ ” Pitino said.
Pitino said the next step for Garcia is to take out a loan, visit some NBA teams at his own expense without hiring an agent, and get a feel for where he might be selected in the draft.
“If he’s a 26 pick in the draft, I would recommend coming back,” Pitino said. “If he’s the 18th pick in the draft, I’d recommend going. I told him to leave his options open. He’s going to be a great pro.”
Boeheim, Calhoun elected to Hall
Big East coaching rivals Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim, who both passed the 700-victory mark this season, have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Calhoun, who won the NCAA title last season with Connecticut for the second time, and Boeheim, who led Syracuse to its only championship in 2003, were notified of their election on Thursday.
The official announcement will be Monday at the Final Four.