UNC a victim of its own meltdown

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The record book forever will show that North Carolina lost in overtime to Georgetown in the finals of the 2007 NCAA Tournament's East Regional.

That's not really what happened, though.

True, the Tar Heels did lose 96-84, and the game at the Meadowlands did go into overtime.

But UNC actually lost the game much earlier. With about 5:30 remaining in the game, the Heels were up 75-68 when they seemed to lose their minds and certainly their sense of shot selection.

On three straight possessions, the Heels settled for outside jump shots -- all clangers -- at time when the Hoyas were at a loss to contain Tyler Hansbrough, Brandan Wright and Deon Thompson inside.

From the sidelines, UNC coach Roy Williams frowned, stomped and shook his head furiously. But the damage was done. Georgetown responded to each long miss with a conversion. The lead dwindled to 75-70, then 75-72 and eventually 77-76.

John Thompson's team never could grab the lead until the opening seconds of overtime, but the Hoyas clearly seized momentum during those waning five minutes.

And without question, Georgetown richly deserved the win. Down 11 points in the second half, the Hoyas didn't quit. Instead, they grew stronger on defense and more aggressive with the ball.

But it's also a fact that UNC royally choked at crunch time. Missing 21 straight shots at the end of regulation and through most of the extra five minutes, it was one of the ranking meltdowns in NCAA history.

With nothing left to play for this season, Williams tried to put a positive spin on the collapse. He credited the Hoyas for making difficult shots and said his team generally had "good looks" at the basket on the barrage of misses.

But the near-tears from the coach and the obvious moisture around the eyes of Hansbrough told another story. Carolina on Sunday threw away -- well shot away -- a great chance for a fifth national championship. No one understood that fact better than Williams and his players.

"I would give every cent I have to be back out there with my players celebrating [a regional title win]," Williams said. "But life doesn't always go the way you want. Life is never as sweet as you think it could be."

Looking ahead to Sunday's game on Saturday, Williams said that a loss to Georgetown would hurt no more or worse than last season's second-round NCAA loss to George Mason.

But the expression on Williams' face Sunday looked a good deal more emotional than a year ago in Dayton, Ohio. The 2005-06 team should have been good enough to get past George Mason, but the Heels were never really a great team. Nor did they have the potential for greatness.

The 2006-07 team was entirely different.

Although young and inexperienced in some important positions, this team had enough talent and depth to win it all. The potential for greatness was there from the start. But it was potential that went unfulfilled. There were 31 wins and seven competitive losses, but that's not how Carolina measures greatness.

And as went Carolina in '07, so went the ACC.

For the second straight season, there will not be a league team in the Final Four. When the college basketball world gathers to celebrate its existence in Atlanta, the ACC will have little more to do than watch the games and nurse its many wounds. The last league member standing during this Final Four week will be Clemson -- of all teams -- but in the semifinals of the NIT.

The ACC has changed a lot during the past few years. Duke and Maryland are beginning to look normal. Expansion has changed the chemistry and symmetry of competition.

And the best team in the conference -- Carolina -- has developed a strange habit of being its own worst enemy. That was the case Sunday. The record book will say Georgetown eliminated Carolina. But in truth, Carolina took out Carolina.