USD Men's Basketball 1996-1997

mDJwrnTI [ill~~ 1982 NCAA final

By Bill Brill W

hen they arrived in ew Orleans in 1982 for the Final Four, the fi rst ever played in a dome (more than

ing away every Tar Heel shot. The first three baskets for No. 1 UNC, 31-2, came on goaltending calls. Like his coach, Patrick was practicing intimidation. It took eight minutes before the Tar Heels actually saw the ball go in the basket, and the Hoyas were ahead at intermission, 32-31. Both teams were patient and shot well. Carolina fini shed at 53.2 percent from the floor, Georgetown at 52.9. With 6-9 junior Worthy (who would be the o. 1 pi ck in the NBA Draft) hitting 13 of 17 shots for 28 points, the Tar Heels ralli ed from a 49-43 defi cit to lead 61 -58. But Ewing (23 points, 11 rebounds) scored on a tum-around and "Sleepy" Floyd rolled in a jumper from the lane. Georgetown led 62-61, and Smith called timeout with 32 seconds left. Smith, knowing the Hoyas' zone would deny bi g men Worthy and Perkins the ball, set up a play for Jordan, the rooki e, who wound up with 16 points and a team-leading nine boards. As the team broke the huddle, the coach patted Jordan on the rump and said, "Knock it down, Michael." Mi chael did, from 16 feet away, along the baseline, with 16 seconds left. The rema ining ti cks were among the most dramatic in CAA hi story. Georgetown guard Fred Brown, pres– sured defensively, threw the ball back toward halfcourt- directly into Worthy's hands. Despite two mi ssed free throws, UNC had its victory, 63-62. At midcourt, Thompson embraced Brown in a giant bearhug. It was a defin– ing moment. Then he greeted the con– quering Smith with anoth er hug. As for Dean, when Jordan made his shot, he just sat there, jaw set, in control. He had been through this before. Only thi s outcome was different. At last.

122,000 attended and those in the back rows of the Superdome viewed the play– ers as ants), it was a meeting of the dynasties. The contestants: Houston, beginning a run of three straight Final Fours behind Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler; Loui sville, with four starters returning from the '80 championship team; Georgetown, with freshman Patrick Ewing and the intimidating presence of John Thompson; and the bluebloods from North Carolina, featuring James Worthy, Sam Perkins and freshman Mi chael Jordan. And coach Dean Smith, in his 21st year at UNC with 13 NCAA appear– ances, seven Final Fours and three championship games-with nary an NCAA crown to show for all that suc– cess. "I've handled it well," he said. "I don't feel the emptiness." Those four programs would dominate the decade with 11 Final Fours and four titles, and one of them would be on hand every time except for 1987, when U C and Georgetown were upset in the regional fin als. Georgetown , which whipped Loui sville in a tense defensive struggle, 50-46, stayed in Biloxi, Mi ss., with Thompson, at the height of his disdain for authority as well as the media, bringing bodyguards to protect his lock– er room. He bristled at the idea of being the first black coach to win it all. "I don't want to be the first black noth– ing," he said . UNC stifled freshman Olajuwon (one basket, six rebounds), took a 14-0 lead and won, 68-63. Smith was in the fin als once again. The coaching matchup was a lovefest. Smith had been the '76 Olympics coach; Thompson had been his assistant. The game was a war, with Ewing smash-

Michael Jordan ".

BILL BRILL is a past president ofthe U.S. Basketball Writers Association and a mem– ber ofits Hall of Fame.