USD Football 1993

once again.

By Dave Dorr North Carolina. N othing could be finer than to be in Carolina when the Tar Heels win it al l. And nothing more adequately defined the Dean Smith system than this team of his that concluded the 1993 sea- son by defeating Michigan 77-71 at New Orleans in the national championsh ip game. The Heels' 34 wi ns were a school record. Through the years, Carolina bas- ketball has been nothing if not an extension of the precepts and parts of Smith's basic beliefs that place the team above all else. The Heels would never have been able to hold off Michigan without the presence of 7-0 Eric Montross, who was on the floor for 31 min- utes in the title game. He was the foundation of a team that brought Smith his second NCAA champi-

SCOTTSHARPE Dean Smith's team is a near-carbon copy of last season's NCAA champions, but there is a wealth of hungry and talented squads nipping at Carolina's heels.

onship, 11 years after he won his first. As is his way, Smith deflects attention from himsel f, but the fact is he's back on top because this team embell ished Carolina basketball perhaps better than any he has taken to 23 NCAA tourn aments. Beyond this, Smith's coaching was meritori- ous. He says "you have to be lucky and good," a subtle hint about the timeout called by Mich igan's Chris Webber that the team didn't have, thus gift-wrappi ng the Caro lina win for Smith. The strange doings should not detract from an extraordinary Carolina run that could resume this season without missing a beat. The parts are all there, including a trio of seven-footers: Montross, Kevin Salvadori, and 7-1 Serge Zwikker, plus 6-5 Brian Reese, 6-3 Derrick Phelps, 6-3 Donald Williams and 6-4 Dante Calabria. Smith's