Most Outstanding
Player: Donald Williams, North
Carolina
SI billed this aggregation as the "strongest Final
Four field ever," with three No. 1s and only Kansas a
2 seed. Kentucky had destroyed its first four opponents,
but Michigan beat the Cats in OT after forward Jamal
Mashburn fouled out. North Carolina got the better of
Kansas in a rematch of the 1991 national semi. The final is
best remembered for Michigan star Chris Webber's blunder in
the last seconds, with North Carolina leading 73-71: After
rebounding a missed free throw and dragging his pivot foot
(which was not called), Webber raced upcourt and signaled
for a timeout. But the Wolverines had none left. The
technical and resulting possession gave North Carolina the
title. Williams was an almost robotic shooter in the Final
Four: 25 points in both games, 5-for-7 from beyond the arc
in both games, 7-for-11 shooting in the semifinal and
8-for-12 in the
final.
SI's Pick:
"North Carolina and Kentucky have been doing a
do-si-do at the top of the alltime NCAA victory list over
the past few years. On Monday night look for the Wildcats
to pick up a game in the
standings."
Close Call:
Michigan needed a Jimmy King putback to beat UCLA 86-84 in
overtime in the second
round.
Superstitions:
The last time Roy Williams was in New Orleans, in 1982 as a
North Carolina assistant, he spit in the Mississippi River
and the Tar Heels won the title. So starting at the Midwest
regional in St. Louis, Williams had his players expectorate
before each game. It worked, until the Jayhawks got to the
Crescent
City.
It's a Small World:
Dean Smith's first title (1982) also came at the Superdome
and also involved a blunder by an opposing player,
Georgetown's Fred
Brown.
They Said It:
Webber—"I don't remember. Just called a timeout, and
we didn't have a timeout. And I cost our team the
game."
Swan Song:
Webber turned pro after the season, breaking up the Fab
Five without winning a national or even a Big Ten
title.
Future First-Round
Picks: North Carolina—George Lynch (1993, 12th, L.A. Lakers),
Eric Montross (1994, 9th, Boston); Michigan—Chris Webber
(1993, 1st, Orlando), Juwan Howard (1994, 5th, Washington),
Jalen Rose (1994, 13th, Denver); Kansas—Rex Walters (1993,
16th, New Jersey), Greg Ostertag (1995, 28th, Utah);
Kentucky—Jamal Mashburn (1993, 4th, Dallas), Tony Delk
(1996, 16th, Charlotte), Rodrick Rhodes (1997, 24th,
Houston).
