COLLEGE BASKETBALL / MEN’S FINAL FOUR REPORT

In what must have been Alex Dillard’s worst fast-break nightmare, the 6-1 (if that) Arkansas guard found himself one-on-one with North Carolina center Rasheed Wallace, who is considerably taller at 6-10.

Wallace got the outlet pass near the top of the North Carolina key, actually dribbled around Dillard and then put in a beautiful finger roll to give the Tar Heels a 13-10 lead.

Second-scariest sight of the North Carolina-Arkansas game: 7-2, 248-pound Tar Heel center Serge Zwikker barreling headfirst toward the press row tables.

It happened with less than two minutes left in the half. Even more remarkable: Longtime Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Sid Hartman, the Zwikker victim, lived to tell about it.

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Zwikker also had the distinction of making the pass that later resulted in the longest shot of Saturday’s Final Four semifinals.

With only a few seconds remaining in the half, Zwikker threw a desperation pass that bounced against the Tar Heel backboard and into the hands of Arkansas forward Davor Rimac. Rimac quickly threw the ball to 6-9 center Dwight Stewart. Stewart took a step or two, released the shot from 55 feet, heard the halftime buzzer go off and then watched as the ball swished through the net to move the Razorbacks within four points, 38-34.

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With everything decided except the UCLA margin of victory, Oklahoma State’s Sutton did the appropriate thing and gave Cowboy senior center Bryant Reeves the exit he deserved.

Reeves was pulled from the lineup with 30 seconds remaining and the Cowboys behind by 13 points. Oklahoma State fans stood and cheered as Reeves walked slowly to the bench.

Four seasons ago, when Reeves was a freshman, Sutton said the 7-footer could barely make it up and down the court in pickup games. Against UCLA, Reeves finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in 39-plus minutes. But he scored only seven points in the second half.

“I think (UCLA) did a good job with that,” Reeves said. “Right now, I’m very tired so I thought they did a great job.”