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The Daily Tar Heel

Sweet victory

CHARLOTTE — Iowa State entered Sunday’s game believing that if it played the same game that allowed the team to win 11 of it last 14 games, it could press and run North Carolina off the court.

By halftime, the Cyclones’ Will Blalock and Curtis Stinson were taking their time bringing the ball up the court, desperately trying to slow down a game that was running away from them.

UNC routed the Cyclones, 92-65, to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
UNC 92
Iowa State 65

The Tar Heels (29-4) toasted Iowa State with a 19-2 half-spanning run, extending a three-point lead to 20 before cruising to a 27-point win.

By the end of the game, North Carolina had blown past the Cyclones (19-12), keyed by Raymond Felton’s relentless fast break.

“They seemed exhausted,” Felton said. “We just kept running them, kept running them, kept running them. We just have the attitude that no one in the country can run with us. Not being cocky, but it’s just having confidence in the way we play, the way our offense is.”

Felton ran that offense to perfection, scoring 15 points and dishing out eight assists without turning over the ball. The junior’s penetration opened up the game for Sean May and Marvin Williams, who were dominant in the low post. May scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, while Williams posted 20 and 15 off the bench and had a double-double by halftime.

Despite their prolific performances on the offensive end, Williams and May struggled to contain Iowa State’s Jared Homan, who finished with 19 points and 20 rebounds.

“I told him in the game, ‘Man, just keep working and somebody’s going to see the talent that you have,’” May said. “That kid’s a heck of a player, and a tough player, too.”

Homan compiled his statistics in 38 minutes and was one of only six Iowa State players to see significant minutes. The relative depths of the two teams was a significant factor, as North Carolina’s eight-man rotation simply wore down the Cyclones as the game wore on — Iowa State shot a mere 29 percent from the field in the second half.

“When we sub and bring in Marvin and David Noel and Melvin (Scott), there’s a lot of ways our team gets stronger,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “You look at Iowa State, two days ago they played six guys, and the seventh guy played one minute. Six guys played all the minutes for them; 2 guys played 40 minutes for them. We were a little more fresh, and that helped us.”

Scott contributed five points and three assists in 15 minutes, and Noel spelled Jackie Manuel in guarding Iowa State’s leading scorer, Curtis Stinson, for 13 minutes.

The duo’s defense stifled Stinson, as he shot 6-of-17 from the field and turned the ball over four times, though he did finish with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Rashad McCants scored 17 points for UNC in his second start since returning from an intestinal disorder, shooting 6-of-13 from the field.

McCants looked at ease on the court, much unlike teammate Jawad Williams, who struggled throughout. Williams missed all six of his attempts — including several easy layups — and clanked four of his five free throws off the rim.

Though Jawad Williams struggled, Marvin Williams stepped right into his place, as UNC’s depth gave it the edge it would need to make the Sweet 16.

But just making it there won’t be enough for this year’s Tar Heels.

“The way we approach this is in a business-like fashion,” May said. “We know we deserve to be here; we know we deserve to be a number one team. For Carolina to be in the Sweet 16, that’s a great achievement. But when we came and we talked this year, that wasn’t our goal.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.

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