COLLEGE BASKETBALL / MEN’S FINAL FOUR NOTES : NORTH CAROLINA

In three NCAA tournaments, 7-foot center Eric Montross is hitting 67% of his shots, which puts him on a pace to be one of the four most accurate shooters in postseason history. During the last two seasons in which he has been a starter, Montross has hit 75.8% of his field goals.

UCLA’s Bill Walton holds the all-time NCAA tournament accuracy mark, 68.6% for 12 games from 1972-74.

Montross has been fairly consistent throughout this year’s NCAA tournament. He scored 17 points against East Carolina in the first round and has 15 points in each game since.

Derrick Phelps, who suffered a bruised tailbone in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, is another who hasn’t missed out on many injuries.

He missed the season opener against Old Dominion with a knee and calf injury. In the Jan. 7 game at North Carolina State, he went out with a concussion. Then there was the hip-pointer against Wake Forest, bruised ribs at Duke and a bruised right elbow against Florida State.

In the Feb. 14 game against Georgia Tech, he had 13 points, seven assists, four steals and one turnover in 30 minutes. The other 10 minutes were spent shaking off a few blows to the head.