Tar Heels, Jayhawks Enter NCAA Title Tilt With Common Roots
Apr 4, 2022, 8:47 AM
17 Mar 1996: Head coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on during a NCAA Tournament game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Texas Tech won the game 92-73. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — There are strong connections between North Carolina and Kansas.
The storied programs heading into Monday night’s NCAA men’s championship game in New Orleans share stories and ties to some of the giants of the sport.
North Carolina as an 8th seed is now tied for the lowest seed ever to reach the National Championship.
What a run for the Heels.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 3, 2022
The connections include late North Carolina Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith being a Kansas alumnus. Smith played for the Jayhawks under Phog Allen, who had learned the game from basketball inventor Dr. James Naismith.
There is also Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, who spent 33 years between the two schools as head coach. Tar Heels first-year coach Hubert Davis says he still remembers the pain of losing to Williams’ Kansas team in the 1991 Final Four as a guard on that North Carolina squad.
