Senior know-how kicking in for Carolina
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- The minute the brackets were announced on Selection Sunday, Bill Guthridge and
Ed Cota changed their demeanor.
The pressure they felt was no longer coming from outside the program, but from within -- to live up to their own expectations.
|  | | Bill Guthridge is proving there's still some fire left in his coaching belly. |
Guthridge had tried to push his players throughout the season, but to no
avail. Cota felt the burden of the Tar Heels' un-Carolina-like 18-13 regular-season
record.
Now, North Carolina, the team with Final Four talent, is actually one game away from reaching the goal the Tar Heels were expected to attain after winning the Maui Invitational in November.
"We came into this tournament with no pressure," said Cota, who pushed the
eighth-seeded Tar Heels ahead of No. 4 Tennessee 74-69 in Friday's South Region semifinal, thanks to a stellar final two minutes. North Carolina will face No. 7 seed Tulsa in the regional final Sunday.
"I felt like I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders because of the type of
year we had. The blame would be on me," added Cota, a senior. "Guys weren't focusing early on what we had to do."
Cota never quit, and neither did Guthridge.
The Tar Heels didn't respond to their coach during the regular season, especially to his demands for tougher defense. But something clicked in the week before the Heels' first-round game against Missouri. Practices and huddles were more intense. Even
shootarounds were a grind.
The players were looser and more relaxed off the court, while a serious side
returned on the floor.
"Coach Gut has been getting on us," Tar Heels forward Jason Capel said.
"People said we would lose the first game and we didn't. They said we would
lose the second game and we didn't. The pressure is on the other team. It's
strange because we're Carolina. But who cares? We're playing well, and we've
got one more game to get."
Getting that game could be made easier with Cota at the point. He got by Tennessee point guard
Tony Harris every time he wanted late in the game. He'll have an edge in experience over Tulsa guards Greg Harrington and Tony Heard in Sunday's final.
"I feel as though I can take us there, but Ed has to finish it for us," Tar
Heels freshman Joseph Forte said.
Cota has been in this position before, and he's making all the right passes,
using his instincts to get Carolina in position to win. He's a senior who's
not ready to see his college career end.
"I love when it gets to that point," Cota said. "I've played basketball all
my life and I'm very confident in those situations. That's my comfort zone.
I feel I have my man beat one-on-one and get my teammates involved."
The new, intense Guthridge spoke glowingly of the Tar Heels after the
game, but was quick to point out that beating Tulsa would be a chore. He's
likely to get in his players' ears Saturday, Sunday morning and during the pregame
huddle.
The Tar Heels have fed off his emotion during the NCAA Tournament.
Do it again, and they'll get to where they were supposed to be all along.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. |
