North Carolina crowned champs

By JASON REID / Los Angeles Times

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 after North Carolina outlasted Illinois, 75-70, winning 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, 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 grabbed 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 seal North Carolina's fourth national championship.

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 deter Williams and the Tar Heels from reaching their top rung of the ladder.

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 of 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 fourth national title, and first since 1993, in only his second season back at Chapel Hill. The North Carolina alum and former Tar Heel assistant coach helped to heal the “Carolina Family,” fractured during Matt Doherty's brief and tumultuous reign, lifting the spirits of at least one school on Tobacco Road.

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 Top 25 poll since No. 1 UCLA defeated No. 2 Kentucky, 92-85, in 1975.

Illinois had been ranked first since Dec. 6, won the Big Ten Conference 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 with 1:27 remaining, had a costly turnover.

“We had a tremendous year,” said Weber, whose mother, Dawn, died during the Big Ten tournament.

“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 in the game, 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.

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

Although pleased to have joined the exclusive club, May was especially excited to have helped Williams 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.

“How through adversity we stuck together, even when the outside world didn't really give us a fair shot.

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.”