CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Washington State hoped for a slow, plodding, defensive game against North Carolina in its N.C.A.A. tournament East Region semifinal. The Cougars got what they wanted. Their plan was to limit Tar Heels power forward Tyler Hansbrough, a national player of the year candidate. Done.But for all their efforts, the Cougars were hammered anyway, 68-47, Thursday night at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.That is how daunting top-seeded North Carolina is right now. Hansbrough,
held to 2 points in the first half, finished with a game-high 18 as the
Tar Heels set a university record with their 35th victory of the
season. Danny Green came off the bench to score 15, including 12 in the
first half, which ended with North Carolina leading, 35-21. Aron Baynes
and Derrick Low had 14 points to lead the fourth-seeded Cougars.“They
played really good defense,” Green said. “They slowed the ball down. I
think we started getting going a little bit, getting out and pressuring
them defensively, got some stops running them. I think we started to
get in a little rhythm and get some easy baskets for ourselves.” North
Carolina (35-2), which has won 14 games in a row, will play Saturday
against third-seeded Louisville. Saturday’s winner will advance to the
Final Four next weekend in San Antonio. Still, this was not the game North Carolina wanted to play. After
scoring more than 100 points in their first two tournament games, the
Tar Heels faced a Washington State team that had allowed an average of
40.5 points in its two tournament victories. “Defensively, we
played them really good, although we missed some shots as well,” North
Carolina Coach Roy Williams said, adding, “We were struggling putting
the ball in the basket, but I felt we were O.K.” But it was not
easy for the Tar Heels. Washington State slowed their offense and
Hansbrough in the first half. Yet North Carolina still took a 14-point
lead at the intermission, relying on the rest of its potent lineup to
carry the scoring load. SOURCE OF THIS STORY