ESPN Men's Basketball

North Carolina coach Roy Williams said through a team spokesman Tuesday that he is not concerned that basketball players made up about 3 percent of the students enrolled in classes in which an internal school review found unauthorized grade changes and little or no instruction by professors.

The players were eligible to be enrolled in those classes, just like any other student, he said through the spokesman, and they did the work. Associate Vice President for University Relations Nancy Davis confirmed to espn.com what The (Raleigh) News & Observer first reported Tuesday: football and basketball players represented 39 percent of the enrollment in the 54 courses in the Department of African and Afro-American studies in which the internal investigation produced evidence of unauthorized grade changes, and little or no instruction by professors.

During the review period (summer 2007 through summer 2011), she said in an email, there were 23 basketball enrollments, and 246 football enrollments in the suspect classes. (Note: one player could have enrolled in more than one class, so that doesn’t necessarily mean 23 basketball players were involved). The UNC internal review stemmed from the two-year-long NCAA investigation into impermissible benefits and academic fraud in the football program.

Wrote Dan Kane of The N&O:

University officials say they found no evidence that the suspect classes were part of a plan between [Julius] Nyang’oro [the department’s chairman, who was listed as the professor of 45 of the suspect classes] and the athletic department to create classes that student-athletes could pass so they could maintain their eligibility. They said student-athletes were treated no differently in the classes than students who were not athletes.

But the high percentages of student-athletes in the classes suggest to some that academic advisers, tutors and others in the athletic department may have guided them to the classes.

“These kids are putting in enormous amounts of time, and in at least some of the sports that are very physically demanding, they are missing a number of classes because of conflicts, and then if they are a marginal student to begin with, you’ve got to send them to Professor Nyang’oro’s class,” said former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr. “I think the academic counselors realized that and the tutors recognized it, and frankly the folks up the food chain for the most part recognized it. But nobody wants to rock the boat, because it’s big money.”

Again: the report UNC released Friday concluded that there wasn’t any evidence that athletes received preferential treatment in these classes, and no one received a grade without doing work. The breakdown in the department appears to have affected both athletes and non-athletes, and that’s a key consideration when it comes to NCAA rules.

UNC System President Tom Ross said in a statement to The N&O that he saw no need to look further into the academic improprieties.

“I believe that this was an isolated situation and that the campus has taken appropriate steps to correct problems and put additional safeguards in place,” Ross said in the statement.

1. Indiana now has an open date with the Kentucky series dead and Kansas wants to fill the Hoosiers schedule with a game. One Kansas official said the Jayhawks would gladly start a home-and-home with Indiana, beginning next season in Lawrence. Indiana would have gone to Kentucky if the series had continued. Kansas and Indiana were in initial discussions of playing a game after the Final Four, but those talks were shelved. Memphis wanted to play Kansas in a home-and-home series and was willing to start on the road but the Jayhawks weren’t interested. Now, Indiana will have to make a decision as to how high profile a game it will put in Kentucky’s place on the schedule.

2. Hubert Davis wasn’t looking to become a head coach. But once he’s on the North Carolina staff he will become a potential contender for the job if he is a success as an assistant. Think about it: What natural North Carolina offspring is out there that would be the heir apparent to Roy Williams? There is no slam dunk and Williams’ current staff came with him from Kansas and wasn’t part of the Dean Smith lineage. It’s not a reach to consider Davis as a possible head coach if he wants to continue this career. He hasn’t started yet but he is part of the Carolina royalty and it is a job that must/will be kept in house.

3. The NBA put out its official early-entry list for the draft and there was one name that jumped out: Florida Atlantic’s Raymond Taylor. When Mike Jarvis signed Taylor he said that he was getting a Shawnta Rogers-like point guard for his team. Rogers was a point at George Washington under Jarvis. Taylor never led FAU to the NCAA tournament and according to the staff considered himself a “pro.” Taylor, and a number of other fringe draft entrants, better hope they get an invite to the Minnesota and New Jersey draft camps later this month before the NBA’s official one in Chicago next month.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams received interest from at least 14 former Tar Heels players about his assistant coaching vacancy.

But in order to get the guy he wanted -- former UNC guard and ESPN college basketball analyst Hubert Davis -- Williams called him.

“Coach Williams asked me to come into his office; he wanted to ask me a favor,’’ Davis told ESPN.com Thursday evening. “I thought he was calling me in to change the dates of my camp [a Christian basketball camp he runs each year at UNC]. … But when I went into the office, he said, ‘I have a really big favor.’ I said, ‘OK, what is it, Coach?’ He said, ‘I want you to be an assistant coach on my staff.’

"I said, ‘What?’ It was a total surprise.”

But a welcome one. It took only a matter of days for Davis -- who spent a dozen years in the NBA, and the previous seven at ESPN -- to be named the successor to Jerod Haase, who left UNC to become head coach at UAB. Davis' contract details have not yet been released by the school, but he joins a veteran staff that came to Chapel Hill with Williams from Kansas nine seasons ago.

“I’ve always wanted to coach,’’ Davis said. “And I think any player at Carolina would want to come back to Carolina. I didn’t think anybody from the staff would ever leave, and I didn’t think if anybody would leave, that the first person Coach Williams would call would be me. And so I never entertained that thought process, but when he asked me, then and there, it was something I wanted to do.”

Davis, who was still trying to get used to being called “Coach” just 25 hours after he was hired, addressed an array of other topics during the telephone interview:

When was the meeting with Coach Williams?

Hubert Davis: Maybe three days ago, four days ago. It really has happened fast. This was the last year on my contract with ESPN, and myself and my agent at that point had not started re-negotiating for another contract. But I had said if ESPN wanted me back, that was the place that I intended to go back and work. I’ve enjoyed the last seven years, but I just didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. This was something I thought I should do, I felt great about it, and it gives me more time at home which I need and love, with my kids being 5, 8 and 10.

When did the coaching bug hit you?

HD: I’ve always wanted to coach, and the reason why is I love basketball, I love teaching basketball, I love kids, I love relationships. That’s what I’ve wanted to do. But it had to fit my family; that’s first. Would I have taken the same job at Kentucky? No. Would I have taken the same job at Texas or Kansas? No. I took this job because I wanted to do this, I felt like … this worked for my family. I live here, my kids don’t have to change schools, everything just worked.

Do you know what your specific duties will be, yet? Will you coach the junior varsity team?

HD: I won’t coach JV this year, but that’s something in the future I’d like to do. I think that would be really neat, and right now, I want to just be a sponge and just soak up everything. I’ve never been a coach before, so I want to learn. I want to learn everything. So my responsibilities will be from A to Z, and I’m excited about that.

In the future, if there’s an opportunity to coach the JV team, I think that’s going to be awesome, as well, in terms of growing and learning how to be a coach. Because I think there’s a huge difference: As an assistant coach, you make suggestions. As a head coach, you get to run practice and make decisions.

Is the ultimate goal for you to be a head coach someday?

HD: There is no ultimate goal. The goal is to be the best assistant coach to Roy Williams that I can be. I’ve never set goals like that. When I came to Carolina, I never said I wanted to be an All-American, or average a certain amount of points. Never in the NBA, did I say, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that.’ At ESPN, I never said, ‘I want to get the 'GameDay' show.’ I never did that. All I always said was, ‘Whatever I’m doing, I just want to prepare every day.’ And that’s what I want to do in coaching. I want to prepare; I want to work hard. And I want to learn. And where ever that takes me, I’m fine. I just want to enjoy the ride.

How will your broadcast experience help you in coaching?

HD: I think it could be great, because I’ve been to so many different practices, so many different shoot-arounds, been around so many different coaches and players. Just seeing how different programs run. A lot of things that I’ve heard from coaches -- coaches that have gone to television, and then have gone back to coaching -- [is that] they feel like they’re a better coach because they felt like they had an opportunity to go to different programs, and see how different coaches relate to players.

So I think the experience of going all around the country, and seeing all these different personalities and what it takes to be successful, I think that will really help me in terms of scouting. Because our job every "GameDay" was to know every Division I team, to know their strengths and their weaknesses. And that’s something I’m going to have to deal with on a daily basis -- but geared toward North Carolina.

How do you think you can help this particular North Carolina team right off the bat?

HD: That’s my goal, is to just help. Yes, I’m ‘Coach Davis,’ I am a coach, but I don’t look at myself as a coach. I look at myself as helping these kids. And that’s something I’m going to tell each one of the players when I have a chance to meet with them: My job is to help them, and my job is to help them become the best basketball player they can become, and my job when they’re ready to leave North Carolina, is to help them be ready to go out in the world. And whatever I say, and everything I do, I promise it’s for your benefit.

The four years that I was there [at UNC] -- I always dreamed of going to Carolina. And my experience far exceeded what I dreamed it would be, not just as a basketball player, but as a student, as well. And I want those guys to have that same experience. I want James Michael McAdoo and Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland, I want those guys wanting in the offseason to come back to Chapel Hill because it's the place that they have loved, and the place where coaches have always wanted to help them. And I want that for every player, for the time I’m there.

When do you officially start, and what’s next?

HD: I’ll start sometime next week; I don’t know the specific date, but it will be soon. And then I’ve got to get acclimated. This is the first time I’ve ever had an office, so I guess I have to go decorate my office and go figure that out. Then probably the next step is take the NCAA Compliance Test, pass that so I can go out and recruit. And then graduation comes up soon, and the kids come back for the first session of summer school, and that will be an opportunity to really get to know them -- so by the time August comes around, I’ll be ready to go.

It's been a whirlwind, but I am excited.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

1. It’s really a shame that Kendall Marshall's last game was against Creighton in the third round and not Kansas in the Elite Eight. We never really saw the full potential of this Carolina team. Had Marshall been able to avoid injury then the Tar Heels would likely be in New Orleans competing for the title. But that’s the beauty as well as the cruelty of sports. Now Marshall is declaring for the NBA draft with John Henson and Harrison Barnes, too. Roy Williams has had three sets of elite teams in his brief time at North Carolina. Two of the three won titles in 2005 and 2009. This one was destined to win one, too. But it will always be remembered for what could have happened, instead of what they did -- finish a game short of the Final Four.

2. A decision on Butler going to the A-10 isn’t final yet, but all indications are that it’s still pointing in that direction. Butler was once in a league with Xavier and Dayton and with Saint Louis nearby it’s a slam dunk for basketball and the overall athletic department. The hurdle for the department would be to ensure that it’s not too much of an added cost for the non-revenue sports. A-10 sources and Colonial Athletic Association sources all said there was no truth to George Mason and VCU moving to the A-10, too. They’ve gone public with that, as well. The A-10 shouldn’t go to 16 anyway at this juncture. All it needs to do for now is replace Temple for Butler. If Charlotte were to leave for the CUSA-MWC merger then the A-10 can deal with that loss later.

3. Pat Kelsey took over the job at Winthrop in a surprising move since Kelsey had resigned from his Xavier assistant position to spend more time with his family last year. I spoke with Kelsey a few times and he legitimately feared that he was not spending enough time at home and that he was going to miss his children’s lives. Kelsey was deeply troubled by the death of his mentor, former coach Skip Prosser. But the year off did wonders for him. The hope is that he has his priorities set and can allow himself at a smaller, less intense school like Winthrop to stay grounded and keep the balance necessary in his life.

After winning the 2005 national title, North Carolina lost its top seven scorers -- but saw the youth-laden 2006 squad exceed expectations and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After winning the 2009 title, the Tar Heels lost their top four players -- and saw the 2010 team fail to even make the NCAA tournament.

Which way will next season's UNC team (which lost in the NCAA regional finals last Sunday) go, after absorbing the early departures of power forward John Henson, wing Harrison Barnes and point guard Kendall Marshall -- plus the graduation of ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller and reserve Justin Watts? Much will depend on cohesion, leadership and injuries, three things that didn’t go the Tar Heels’ way in ’10.

A few other very early questions to ponder:

1. Will James Michael McAdoo return?

The freshman’s father, Ronnie, said Wednesday that his son plans to travel home this weekend to discuss the situation (some mock drafts list him as a top-10 pick), but that right now, he expects the forward to be back in a Tar Heels uniform next season. McAdoo’s (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) return would be key, because with starters Henson and Zeller gone, he’ll have the most experience (and be to the go-to guy) in the post.

Defensive-minded forward Desmond Hubert should also get plenty of minutes, and should be helped by an offseason to put on weight and work on his offensive moves. UNC also adds two big guys in freshmen Joel James and Brice Johnson. And UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi is still looking for a new home; might he end up in Chapel Hill?

2. Will the ballhandlers adjust quickly?

Point guard, UNC coach Roy Williams has often said, is the most difficult position for a freshman to grasp, especially in the Tar Heels’ fast-paced system. But the onus will fall on McDonald’s All-American Marcus Paige -- a 6-foot-1 Iowa product who Williams called “a great floor general” -- to do so.

With limited options, he’s the favorite to start next season. But just as important will be his back-ups. UNC doesn’t just lose Marshall, but Stilman White, the former third-string freshman who had to start two NCAA tournament games after Marshall broke his wrist, and because Dexter Strickland suffered a season-ending knee injury in January. White will leave for a two-year Mormon mission after this semester. Strickland, meanwhile, is still rehabilitating after surgery, but said last week he hopes to be able to play again in about two months.

UNC will also have another ballhandler available in sophomore Luke Davis. After transferring from Gardner-Webb, he sat out last season as per NCAA rules, but has had a year to learn the system.

3. How are the knees?

While Strickland is still recovering, the good news is that shooting guard Leslie McDonald, who redshirted in 2011-12 because of reconstructive knee surgery last summer, was able to practice with the team in the final months of the season, and should be eager to get back to his sharpshooting ways come the fall.

With so many wings on the team -- McDonald, Strickland, Reggie Bullock (who took over as starting shooting guard once Strickland was injured), P.J. Hairston and incoming freshman J.P. Tokoto -- it will be interesting to see how the minutes are divvied out. But the shooting guard and small forward positions should be a strength, because of the experience and depth that returns there.

Jason King talks with Kansas coach Bill Self after the Jayhawks beat North Carolina.

In a highly anticipated matchup between two of the three winningest programs in college basketball, the Kansas Jayhawks beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 80-67 to advance to their 14th Final Four and first since 2008.

This was the fifth all-time meeting between Kansas and North Carolina in the NCAA tournament (Kansas now leads 3-2) and the first since the Jayhawks beat the Tar Heels in the 2008 Final Four. The winner of the previous four showdowns has gone on to win the national title.

Kansas is now 4-0 versus No. 1 seeds in the regional finals, having also beaten Arkansas in 1991, Indiana in 1993 and Arizona in 2003. That matches Duke for the most such wins by any school, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Why Kansas won
The Jayhawks ended the game on 12-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer from Elijah Johnson with 3:07 left that gave Kansas a 71-67 lead it would not relinquish. Kansas forced North Carolina to miss all six of its field goal attempts in the final three minutes, including four shots from beyond the arc.

Kansas proved it could run with the Tar Heels, outscoring North Carolina 18-8 in transition during the game. The Jayhawks were the first team to outscore the Tar Heels in transition over the last three NCAA tournaments.

Tyshawn Taylor shined for the Jayhawks, leading all scorers with 22 points and added five assists and five steals.

He is first player to reach each of those totals in an NCAA tournament game since Georgetown’s Allen Iverson had 32 points, five steals and five assists in 1996.

Why North Carolina lost
Leading by 5 with less than 9 minutes to go, Kansas switched from man-to-man to a triangle-and-two hybrid zone defense. The Tar Heels' offense went cold against the zone, making just two shots on their final 12 half-court possessions.

Overall, North Carolina struggled with its perimeter shooting against the Jayhawks.

The Tar Heels made just 2 of 17 shots (12 percent) from beyond the arc, their second-worst 3-point shooting effort in an NCAA tournament game in school history.

North Carolina also missed Kendall Marshall’s ability to lead the Tar Heels’ fastbreak offense.

Without Marshall at the helm, the Tar Heels did not run as much in the tournament, averaging nearly eight fewer transition plays and 11 fewer points per game in its last two contests compared to its first two.

What’s next
Kansas advances to the Final Four in New Orleans to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in a national semifinal game. This will be just the second meeting of 2-seeds in the NCAA tournament. The only other was the 1995 semifinal, when Arkansas beat North Carolina, 75-68.

The College GameDay crew talks about Kansas' second-half defense and the impact of center Jeff Withey in the Jayhawks' 80-67 win over North Carolina on Sunday.

Rece Davis, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis break down what North Carolina misses without point guard Kendall Marshall.

Two down. Two more to go.

Ohio State and Louisville locked up their trips to the Final Four on Saturday. Now four more teams will look to secure the final two spots this afternoon.

Today’s matchups feature three traditional powerhouse programs that are quite familiar with this stage of the NCAA tournament. The fourth participant, Baylor, is in the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons.

Baylor (3) vs. Kentucky (1), 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS

Things to know: Baylor has the tools, talent and length to make this game interesting.

When the NCAA tournament field was announced, this potential matchup was as intriguing as any in the South Region because Baylor possesses the type of athletes and size to challenge the Wildcats.

Five players with 7-foot wingspans (or greater). A 1-3-1 zone that’s as unique -- with its athletes, talent and size -- as Syracuse’s.

Quincy Acy is more than a beard. The 6-foot-7 senior had 20 points and 15 rebounds in Friday’s win over Xavier in the Sweet 16.

Brady Heslip is 15-for-25 (60 percent) from beyond the arc in the NCAA tournament. And even though he’s been inconsistent in the Big Dance, Perry Jones III (14 points, five rebounds against the Musketeers) is built for this matchup.

The Bears were overlooked and criticized as Missouri and Kansas fought for the Big 12 title, but they're solid on offense (10^th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings) and defense (39^th in defensive efficiency).

But. But. But, they’re playing Kentucky.

Indiana scored 90 points against the Wildcats on Friday. The Hoosiers hit 52 percent of their shot attempts and only committed eight turnovers. Christian Watford (27 points) and Cody Zeller (20 points) led five double-figure scorers. And Kentucky's Anthony Davis played just 25 minutes after early foul trouble.

And still, the Hoosiers couldn’t pull off the upset.

Kentucky scored 102 points and only turned the ball over six times. The Wildcats always seem to have another gear, another level that their opponents can’t match.

Indiana would have advanced past every other remaining team with its effort Friday. But the Wildcats are different.

Baylor, however, could offer Kentucky its greatest matchup challenges since its nonconference game against North Carolina. The Wildcats, however, won that game, too.

Look for Baylor to go at Davis hard in the first half. They have the bodies and they’ll use them and try to lure Davis into early foul trouble. On defense, the Bears will try to use their length to force difficult shots in the lane. Look for Kentucky to challenge Baylor on both ends of the floor and exploit the Bears’ tendency to play timid early in physical games.

The journey: Baylor defeated South Dakota State, Colorado and Xavier to reach the Elite Eight. Kentucky beat Western Kentucky, Iowa State and Indiana to earn the opportunity to compete in the Final Four.

Monitor his progress: Perry Jones’ length, athleticism and talent make NBA scouts salivate. But the bulk of his career has been defined by potential, not production. This has to be the game in which Jones proves himself. He had just nine points combined in his team’s first two NCAA tournament games. The Bears will need him, however, against Kentucky. If he’s really a lottery pick, if he’s really worthy of that multimillion-dollar contract, then one would think that Jones has to showcase his abilities in this matchup.

Numbers to impress your friends: The Bears have reached the Elite Eight twice. But they didn’t beat a single-digit seed either time. In the 2010 NCAA tournament, the Bears beat Sam Houston State (14-seed), Old Dominion (11-seed) and Saint Mary’s (10-seed). This year, they beat South Dakota State (14-seed), Colorado (11-seed) and Xavier (10-seed). Davis has blocked five or more shots in 17 games this season.

Game’s most critical question: Will Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson’s shot selection disrupt Bears' offense?

The matchup: Acy versus Davis. Zeller drew quick fouls against Davis. Acy will attack Davis early, too.

Don’t touch that remote because ... Kentucky is playing. Seriously. The Wildcats have had a special season thus far. With that talent and swagger, they’re always entertaining. But a Baylor upset isn’t a ridiculous notion.

Kansas (2) vs. North Carolina (1), 5:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Things to know: Nine years ago, Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina.

And his stand against his former team in the Elite Eight is actually a secondary storyline in this matchup.

Ohio took North Carolina to overtime Friday in a fascinating Sweet 16 matchup. The Tar Heels didn’t look like the same team without starting point guard Kendall Marshall.

The sophomore suffered a wrist injury that kept him out of that game. And now, we’re all wondering if we’ll see a Willis Reed-like appearance on Sunday.

Marshall told reporters that he wouldn’t have played if the game had been held Saturday. But he did go through practice. Will he play?

Well, Marshall also told reporters that “I could be out there playing” when asked if the Kansas matchup is a possibility.

Instead of chatter about Williams facing Kansas, the main intrigue surrounds Marshall. He’s such a crucial player for the Tar Heels and that was evident as the Tar Heels struggled with Ohio.

The Jayhawks haven’t been flawless, either. They beat both Purdue in the round of 32 and NC State in the Sweet 16 by three points.

But they’re here. And they definitely have the talent to beat the Tar Heels, especially if Marshall can’t go.

Jeff Withey (10 blocks against the Wolfpack) and Thomas Robinson (18 points and 15 rebounds against NC State) have comprised one of the nation’s top frontcourts. Plus, the Jayhawks are fourth on Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency ratings.

But the Tar Heels are still a potent force even without Marshall. Tyler Zeller recorded 20 points and 22 rebounds against Ohio. Zeller, John Henson and Harrison Barnes could carry the Tar Heels to New Orleans. Reggie Bullock played a star role against Ohio with 17 points.

Stilman White, Marshall’s replacement, only scored two points but he played above-average defense.

With or without Marshall, this should be a great game. If he plays, it might be a classic.

Look for Tyshawn Taylor to challenge White early on both ends of the floor. Look for the Tar Heels to minimize White’s role and get the ball to Zeller and Henson early in the shot clock so they can attack and try to draw first-half fouls against Withey and Robinson. This is all assuming Marshall remains sidelined.

The journey: Kansas beat Detroit, Purdue and NC State to reach the Elite Eight. North Carolina defeated Vermont, Creighton and Ohio.

Monitor his progress: White doesn’t have to replace Marshall’s offensive production. He can’t. But his defense will be crucial again, especially with the explosive Taylor running the show for the Jayhawks.

Numbers to impress your friends: Taylor has committed 10 turnovers in the NCAA tournament (three games). Prior to playing 32 minutes against Ohio, White registered double-digit minutes just once during the regular season (11 minutes against Nicholls State Dec. 19).

Game’s most critical question: If Marshall plays, will he be healthy enough to make an impact?

The matchup: Withey versus Zeller. The tournament’s top interior defender (not named Davis) against one of the nation’s top big men.

Don’t touch that remote because ... Zeller has been a beast. Marshall might play. Withey nearly broke an NCAA tournament record for blocked shots against NC State. Robinson is a star. Need any more reasons?

ESPN.com writers Jason King and Robbi Pickeral break down the keys to Sunday's North Carolina-Kansas Midwest Region final.

ST. LOUIS -- One day before they were to meet North Carolina in the Elite Eight, members of the Kansas basketball team got into a heated argument while eating breakfast Saturday at the Hyatt Regency hotel.

In this case, it was a good thing.

The bickering started when point guard Tyshawn Taylor mentioned the words “Final Four.” Before Taylor could finish his thought, teammate Thomas Robinson cut him off in mid-sentence and reminded him not to look too far ahead.

“I just want to get there,” Robinson said. “I just want to take it one step at a time.”

Wise move.

As well as their season has gone, the Jayhawks (30-6) hardly looked like a Final Four-caliber team while squeaking past double-digit seeds Purdue and NC State in the past two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

Satisfying as getting to the Elite Eight may be, Kansas knows its performance will have to dramatically improve if it has any hopes of defeating North Carolina on Sunday in St. Louis. The Tar Heels and Jayhawks are seeded No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the Midwest Region.

“We know we haven’t been playing great lately,” Robinson said. “A lot of people see that as a bad thing, but I see it as a good thing. We’ve been finding a way to win and we still haven’t played close to our abilities.

“The lid will come off [the rim] tomorrow and we’ll play a great game.”

While there certainly aren’t lids hovering over the Edward Jones Dome baskets, something seems to be affecting the Jayhawks' shooting. Kansas went just 37.5 percent from the field in Friday’s 60-57 win over NC State and made just two of its 22 shots from outside the paint.

Bill Self’s squad connected on just 33.9 percent of its attempts in last week’s 63-60 victory against Purdue. Taylor, who has missed 15 of his past 16 shots from 3-point range, was asked if he thought the Jayhawks would be a different team on offense Sunday.

“Honestly, I don’t know how confident I am that it will change,” Taylor said. “But what I am confident in is [our defense]. We’ve been getting stops when we need to. If we continue to do that, whether the ball goes in or not, we can win.”

Forcing midtier teams such as Purdue and NC State into bad shooting nights is one thing, but limiting elite teams such as North Carolina is a whole different beast. The Tar Heels tout as many as seven future first-round draft picks with players such as Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson.

North Carolina’s most irreplaceable part, however, is point guard Kendall Marshall, who is questionable for Sunday’s game with a wrist injury. Marshall didn’t play against No. 13 seed Ohio University on Friday, and the Tar Heels needed overtime to defeat the Bobcats.

Marshall, who had surgery Monday morning, went through a light workout for the first time this week on Saturday. UNC coach Roy Williams said he likely won’t know until just before the game if Marshall can play.

“I’ve got mad respect for his game,” Taylor said. “He’s a great guard. He’s been killing it this year. As a competitor, I want him to play. I want that challenge. If he plays, I think the game would be that much better.”

Marshall ranks second in the nation in assists with 9.7 per game. If he isn’t able to go, North Carolina will likely start seldom-used freshman Stilman White for the second straight game. White averaged just 4 minutes a contest before he was thrust into duty Friday. He played 32 minutes against Ohio and finished with six assists and zero turnovers.

This will be the first time Kansas and North Carolina have played since the 2008 Final Four, when KU jumped out to a 40-12 lead and eventually won 84-66. Two nights later, the Jayhawks defeated Memphis in overtime to claim their first NCAA title since 1988.

“This is going to be one of the funnest games of our careers,” KU center Jeff Withey said. “We’re excited to play against them. We wouldn’t want it any other way than to play North Carolina to get to the Final Four.

“We match up really well with them. It’s going to be a fun game, a physical game, one for the history books.”

Who to watch:

Jeff Withey, Kansas -- The 7-foot center had 10 blocks in Friday’s Sweet 16 victory over NC State. His defense against players such as Tyler Zeller and John Henson will be vital for a KU squad that doesn’t back down in the paint.

Elijah Johnson, Kansas -- The junior guard has been one of KU’s steadiest players the past three weeks. He was the only Jayhawk to make a basket outside of the paint Friday, and his layup off an inbounds pass with less than a minute remaining helped seal KU’s win.

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina -- The Tar Heels’ leading scorer was brutal in North Carolina’s victory over Ohio on Friday. Barnes scored 12 points but made just three of his 16 shots.

Stilman White, North Carolina -- The freshman opened the season as the Tar Heels’ third-string point guard. But injuries to Dexter Strickland and Kendall Marshall forced him to play 32 minutes against Ohio. He had two points and zero turnovers.

ST. LOUIS -- North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall participated in some non-contact shooting, passing and dribbling drills during practice Saturday.

But the sophomore Cousy Award finalist said he would not have played if the Tar Heels' regional final was that day.

As for Sunday, when the top-seeded Tar Heels face No. 2 seed Kansas?

"I don't know," Marshall said in the locker room at the Edward Jones Dome, his right wrist and elbow wrapped in ice. "We'll see tomorrow. We'll see how I feel after shootaround. ...

"As of right now, it's like yesterday: I'm not playing. But if I do continue to feel better, there's no telling -- I could be out there playing."

The health of Marshall -- a left-handed ball handler who fractured his right wrist this past Sunday, had surgery to insert a screw in it Monday and had his hard cast replaced with a stabilizing brace Wednesday -- has been under constant scrutiny since the injury. UNC managed to beat No. 13 seed Ohio without him, in overtime on Friday, but the offense looked out of sync and the Tar Heels committed a season-high 24 turnovers.

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The Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks advanced to the Elite Eight, but both teams took very different paths to get there.

(1) Kentucky 102, (4) Indiana 90
Kentucky avenged one of its two losses with a fast-paced attack that the Indiana Hoosiers were unable to slow down.

In fact, Kentucky's 102 points are the most ever against Indiana in the Men's Basketball Championship.

Kentucky scored 24 points in transition and has now scored 20-plus transition points in each of its three Men's Basketball Championship games. Kentucky’s 70 total transition points are the most of any team in the tournament.

Another factor in becoming the only tournament team this year to score 100 points was that Kentucky made 35 of 37 free throws.

That's the most makes for the Wildcats in a Men's Basketball Championship game. The 94.6 free throw percentage is the highest in tournament history of any team with at least 30 attempts.

Overall it's Kentucky's 12th 100-point game in the Men's Basketball Championship, giving the Wildcats sole possession of second place.

Kentucky advances to the Elite Eight for the third straight season and will face the Baylor Bears Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

(2) Kansas 60, (11) NC State 57
Kansas advanced to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons, but had to fend off a late North Carolina State Wolfpack surge to get there.

What ultimately won the game for Kansas was its domination down low. The Jayhawks controlled the interior by taking 42 shots from inside the paint and outscoring the Wolfpack, 44-22.

Kansas’ presence down low was also a major factor on the defensive side of the ball as Jeff Withey registered 10 blocked shots.

That’s tied with former Jayhawk Cole Aldrich for second-most in Men’s Basketball Championship history. Only Shaquille O'Neal (11) had more blocks than Withey and Aldrich in a single tournament game.

Also of note was Thomas Robinson who dropped an 18-point, 15-rebound performance. That gave Robinson 26 double-doubles, breaking Drew Gooden’s single-season school record of 25, set in 2002.

Kansas now moves on to play the North Carolina Tar Heels for a chance at the Final Four.

ST. LOUIS - His team had just advanced to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, but shortly after Kansas’ 60-57 victory over NC State on Friday, a reporter asked Bill Self if the Jayhawks were living “on borrowed time.”

Inside the KU locker room, Thomas Robinson said he had a sour taste in his mouth. Instead of talking about his 10 blocks (just one shy of Shaq's NCAA tourney record), Jeff Withey answered questions about his teammates’ inability to make outside shots. As fans spilled into the St. Louis streets to celebrate, Elijah Johnson slumped in an Edwards Jones Dome chair and stared at the ground.

“We’ve got to do something,” Johnson said. “The way we’re playing ... we’ve got to fix it.”

Winning isn’t supposed to feel like this -- and at most schools, it doesn’t.

Things, however, are different at Kansas, where, fair or not, seasons aren’t viewed as a success unless the team reaches the Final Four. The Jayhawks have the talent to get there, but they realize they won’t unless their performance takes a dramatic turn in Sunday’s tilt with North Carolina.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” guard Conner Teahan said. “We’re not playing our best basketball.”

Less than a week after shooting just 33.9 percent in a 63-60 victory over Purdue, Kansas made just 37.5 percent of its shots Friday against an 11th-seeded NC State squad that barely made the NCAA tournament.

KU outscored the Wolfpack 44-22 down low, but once they stepped away from the blocks, the Jayhawks couldn’t have hit sand if they fell off a camel. Kansas made just two of its 22 shots outside the paint, a stat that still had Self and his players baffled nearly an hour after the final horn.

“We couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” Self said. “We couldn’t make free throws, all those things. If anything we’ll spin this into a positive. Two shots outside the paint and we still won? That’s unbelievable.”

Kansas missed 13 of its 14 attempts from 3-point range and was just 11-of-20 from the foul stripe. Point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who led KU in scoring during Big 12 play, was particularly brutal with a 2-of-14 performance.

Taylor and Robinson both missed the front end of one-and-one opportunities that would’ve sealed the victory in the game’s final minute.

“The lid just hasn’t come off [the rim] yet,” Self said. “But it’s going to come off. We’re going to start making shots.”

Teahan even joked about the situation.

“Maybe,” Teahan said, “we’ve just been stockpiling all of our shots for Sunday.”

Disappointing as they’ve been on offense, these Jayhawks have hardly resembled the KU teams of the past that played scared and tightened up against inferior teams in the NCAA tournament. No one can question the Jayhawks’ effort or toughness in any of their first three games.

Especially on the defensive end.

NC State connected on just 28.4 percent of its field goal attempts Friday. Kansas may have scored just two baskets in the final 7 minutes, 10 seconds, but it also made a handful of key defensive stops in the game’s waning moments to thwart NC State’s comeback attempt.

Kansas led by as many as 10 points in the second half.

“You can say what you want about our offense,” Robinson said. “But defensively, we’ve been great. When nobody scores, we can’t lose.”

The Jayhawks, however, know they’re in for a much tougher test against North Carolina on Sunday. The Tar Heels, 32-5, needed overtime to defeat No. 13 Ohio on Friday, but they played without All-American guard Kendall Marshall, who missed the game with an injured wrist.

It has yet to be determined if Marshall, who averages 9.7 assists, will play against Kansas. The Jayhawks hope he does.

“We want their best shot,” Teahan said.

Even if Marshall doesn’t play, North Carolina will be the best opponent Kansas has played all season other than Kentucky. Forwards John Henson, Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes and James Michael McAdoo are all projected as NBA lottery picks. Sharpshooter Reggie Bullock, who made five 3s on Friday, is also a potential first-rounder.

Self said the Tar Heels were “the best rebounding team in college basketball.”

As impressed as he is with the Tar Heels, Self is more concerned with making sure his own team is ready.

Even though Kansas wasn’t as efficient as Self would’ve liked on Friday, he said he wasn’t leaving the Edward Jones Dome discouraged. Instead he focused on the bigger picture. Five months ago, analysts predicted this year’s team would be Self’s worst at Kansas. The Jayhawks lost four starters from a 35-win squad and appeared to be destined for a rebuilding year.

Yet here the Jayhawks are -- 30-6, Big 12 champions for the eighth straight season and in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Self said. “If you’d have told us before the season that we’d have a chance on Sunday afternoon to play to go to the Final Four, we would’ve all said, 'Wow!' That’s how I feel. Considering what we lost and how far this team has come ... we’re one game away.”

Now if only those shots would start falling.

“Every team in the country, I don’t care who it is, plays their best ball at least one game every year,” Johnson said. “We haven’t yet, but I think it’s going to happen.

“The best has yet to come.”