NCAA Championship Lives Up To The Hype

What a game. What a finish to a tournament that delivered everything it promised. Last second shots, 20-point comebacks...and it all culminated with North Carolina and Illinois exchanging punches in last night's final.

UNC dominated the first half, but a 15-point lead was nothing all tournament and when Illinois tied the game late in the second half, the comeback appeared complete. But total inside domination by Sean May set the pace for North Carolina. Illinois had no answer for him. James Augustine's five fouls in less than 9 minutes of play made me wonder how much money he received under the table. Meanwhile, May could do no wrong.

Illinois' only chance was to trade two point baskets for three pointers for the entire second half. And with a shooting percentage beyond comprehension for a ten minute span in the second, it almost worked.

In the end, the better team won. Not only did the Tar Heels have a back court that was at least equal to Illinois', they had a front court, led by May, that dwarfed the Illini's. It was the first time this season a team has been able to exploit a weakness against Illinois, and they made it look like everyone should have been able to check off the Illinois games on the schedule as an automatic "W."

Still, it went down to the wire. After a tournament like that, what else would you expect?