COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : SOUTHEAST REGIONAL : Montross Is the Big Man for Tar Heels

Years from now, Eric Montross and his North Carolina teammates will look back on the part they played in helping Dean Smith become the winningest coach in NCAA tournament history.

For now, Montross wants to celebrate only the latest of Smith’s 48 tournament wins, a 68-63 victory over Miami of Ohio on Thursday.

Montross used his 7-foot frame to score 22 points on a variety of dunks, layups and tip-ins, offsetting 11 three-point baskets by Miami.

“Coming into this game, a lot of people thought we were going to be able to roll over them. But we saw the tapes. We knew what we were facing,” Montross said.

The outcome was in doubt until Miami’s Jamie Mercurio missed a 30-foot shot with four seconds left. North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, fouled immediately, made both free throws to clinch the victory.

Smith has won 48 tournament games, one more than UCLA’s John Wooden, since becoming the Tar Heels’ coach in 1961. North Carolina is making its record 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.

“We’re extremely pleased with his success,” Montross said. “We’re under his tutelage for the long haul. We know he’s a great coach. That’s why we’re all here.

“In a couple of years, we’ll be able to look back and enjoy it with him. But right now, it’s our job to help him achieve all those goals.”

No. 18 North Carolina improved its record to 22-9 and will play Alabama, an 80-75 winner Thursday over Stanford. Miami, winner of the Mid-American Conference, finished at 23-8 in its first NCAA appearance since 1986.

Mercurio led with 24 points, all on a career-high eight three-point shots.

Montross made 11 of 13 shots and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Alabama 80, Stanford 75--Latrell Sprewell found his long-lost jump shot just when the Crimson Tide needed it most.

Sprewell ended a three-game shooting slump by scoring 18 of his 23 points in the second half leading the Crimson Tide over the Cardinal.

He made a jump shot and two three-point baskets to put Alabama ahead to stay, 69-64, with four minutes left. Sprewell made two free throws that gave Alabama a 78-72 lead with 53 seconds left.

Sprewell had scored 31 points in his last three games while shooting 32%.

“I just felt a lot more comfortable today,” he said. “Last weekend I didn’t have that confidence. I guess I was in a slump. A lot of shots I normally hit just weren’t fall for me.

“Today I just tried to put all that behind me and not let it bother me.”

Adam Keefe scored 23 points for Stanford (18-11), but he did not score in the final seven minutes.

James Robinson scored 16 and Cedric Moore had 12 for Alabama, which shot 55% in the second half.

Ohio State 83, Mississippi Valley State 56--The Buckeyes (24-5) scored 20 consecutive points in the first half en route to their most lopsided NCAA tournament victory. “Tonight we said to ourselves, ‘All right, we’re the No. 1 seed, we’ve got to go out and play like it,” said Chris Jent, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Mississippi Valley State (16-14), the Southwestern Athletic Conference co-champion, went nearly seven minutes without a basket in the first half against the Buckeyes’ man-to-man full-court pressure. The Delta Devils scored only 18 points in the first half, with Alphonso Ford, the nation’s second-leading scorer at 27.9 points per game, getting only two. Ford finished with 16 points.

It was Ohio State’s most lopsided NCAA tournament victory in 45 games. The previous biggest was a 95-69 victory over St. Joseph’s in 1961, when the Buckeyes eventually lost to Cincinnati in the tournament final.

Lawrence Funderburke scored 19 points and Mark Baker added 13 for Ohio State.

Mississippi Valley, which made 26% of its shots, had not played since its conference championship game Feb. 29.

Connecticut 86, Nebraska 65--The Huskies survived the one-game suspension of center Rod Sellers as Scott Burrell and Chris Smith combined for 44 points in the victory over the Cornhuskers.

Sellers, Connecticut’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, had to sit out the first game of the tournament for flagrant misconduct in the Huskies’ tournament loss to Duke last year.

Smith scored 24 points and Burrell had 20 for Connecticut (20-9), which never trailed. Burrell also had 11 rebounds.

Derrick Chandler scored 17 points for Nebraska (19-10), which was eliminated in the first round for the third time in its three NCAA appearances.

Connecticut led, 49-34, at halftime. Burrell made a three-point basket with 16 minutes left to start a nine-point run that built the margin to 71-45.