The Scales Tip Williams' Way

By Jason Reid

April 5, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS —

No timetable was set for Coach Roy Williams’ rebuilding project at North Carolina, because trying to restore a tradition-rich program can be difficult.

Of course, everyone’s pace differs.

Williams preferred to complete the job quickly, putting the finishing touches on a rapid turnaround Monday night when North Carolina outlasted Illinois, 75-70, to give him his first national championship in front of 47,262 at the Edward Jones Dome.

He shed the label of being a coach who couldn’t win the “Big One,” claiming the prize that had previously eluded him by defeating the nation’s No. 1 team on the game’s biggest stage.

All-American center Sean May, selected the most outstanding player of the Final Four, scored a game-high 26 points and had a team-leading 10 rebounds. He became part of only the third father-son championship tandem in NCAA history.

All-American point guard Raymond Felton had 17 points, seven assists and only two turnovers, and made three free throws in the final 25 seconds to secure North Carolina’s fourth national championship.

Freshman Marvin Williams’ tip-in with 1:26 to play put the Tar Heels ahead for good, 72-70.

And even what amounted to a home-court advantage for the Illini, whose fans descended on St. Louis in huge orange-clad waves, wasn’t enough to prevent Williams and the Tar Heels from reaching the top rung.

From 8-20 three seasons ago, North Carolina is atop college basketball again, and everyone knows who led them there.

“I’m really not that much better a coach now than I was about three hours ago, but I surely, surely thank these youngsters sitting beside me,” said Williams, a four-time national coach of the year. “It’s a great moment for our staff, not just for me. It’s a great moment for our families. It’s a great moment for these youngsters, who have these moments and these thrills and these memories for the rest of their lives. ... They took me for a heck of a ride.”

After twice losing in championship games while guiding Kansas, Williams delivered North Carolina’s first national title since 1993, in only his second season back at Chapel Hill. The North Carolina alum and former Tar Heel assistant helped to heal the “Carolina Family,” fractured during Matt Doherty’s brief and tumultuous tenure.

The players Doherty recruited, however, provided the difference for North Carolina (33-4) against Illinois (37-2) in the first championship matchup of teams ranked first and second in the Associated Press poll since No. 1 UCLA defeated No. 2 Kentucky, 92-85, in 1975.

Illinois had been ranked No. 1 since Dec. 6, won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and matched the NCAA record for victories in a season. Coach Bruce Weber, the national coach of the year, described it as a “fairy tale.”

And it appeared the season might end on a happy note for Illinois, which fought back from a 13-point halftime deficit to tie the score, 70-70, with 2:40 remaining. The Illini, however, missed their last five shots and, trailing 72-70 after Marvin Williams’ tip-in, had a costly turnover. They also struggled often from long range, attempting a championship-record 40 three-pointers but making only 12.

“We had a tremendous year,” said Weber, whose mother, Dawn, died last month. “It was just a special journey. I didn’t think we fought very hard in the first half, and they played with a lot more urgency.”

With 31 seconds to play, Felton stole Luther Head’s cross-court pass intended for Deron Williams, was fouled by Williams and made a free throw to extend the lead to three points.

“I just did what Coach Williams has been telling me to do all season: Deny the pass,” Felton said. “Basically, they threw the ball into my hands.”

May, whose father Scott was the 1976 NCAA player of the year for undefeated Indiana, had the second-best shooting performance in a championship game, making 10 of 11 shots. Bill Walton missed only one of 22 shots in UCLA’s 87-66 victory over Memphis State in the 1973 title game.

The Mays join Marques and Kris Johnson and Henry and Mike Bibby as the only father-son national-title winners.

Although pleased to have joined the exclusive club, May was especially excited to have helped his coach break through.

“For me, it’s very gratifying,” said May, who rushed to hug Williams at the final buzzer while confetti fell and the Tar Heels celebrated. “For many years down the line, [Williams will] always talk about this 2005 team, how special we were, and the things we did.

“When you talk about some of the great coaches out there who have won championships, you have to say Coach Williams, because he’s now done it all.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

NO. 1 VS. NO. 2

Championship games between the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams in Associated Press’ college basketball poll:

*--* Year Result 2005 2 N. Carolina 75, 1 Illinois 70 1975 1 UCLA 92, 2 Kentucky 85 1965 2 UCLA 91, 1 Michigan 80 1962 2 Cincinnati 71, 1 Ohio St. 59 1961 2 Cincinnati 70, 1 Ohio St. 65, OT 1957 1 N. Carolina 54, 2 Kansas 53, 3OT 1949 1 Kentucky 46, 2 Oklahoma St. 36

*--*

Champions by State

NCAA men’s basketball champions by state:

* 15 California -- Stanford, 1942; San Francisco, 1955-56; California, 1959; UCLA, 1964-65, 1967-73, 1975, 1995.

* 9 Kentucky -- Kentucky, 1948-49, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998; Louisville, 1980, 1986.

* 9 North Carolina -- North Carolina, 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005; N.C. State, 1974, 1983; Duke, 1991-92, 2001.

* 5 Indiana -- Indiana, 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987.

* 3 Michigan -- Michigan State, 1979, 2000; Michigan, 1989.

* 3 Ohio -- Ohio State, 1960; Cincinnati, 1961-62.

* 2 Connecticut -- Connecticut, 1999, 2004.

* 2 New York -- CCNY, 1950; Syracuse, 2003.

* 2 Kansas -- Kansas, 1952, 1988.