57 Since '57-March 12, 1957 -- NCAA Opening Round: No.1 North Carolina 90-Yale 74

The "subway Southerners" from Chapel Hill go home to New York City to take on the Elis as they begin their journey in the NCAA tournament.

Carolina Rallies To Defeat Yale In Cage Playoffs

Tar Heels Top Bulldogs 90-74

NEW YORK, March 12 (AP) --- North Carolina's Tar Heels down for nearly three quarters of the game, showed the stuff that made them the nation's No. 1 team this year by whipping Yale, 90-74 in a first round game of the NCAA tournament tonight. It was the 28th consecutive victory for North Carolina, the only unbeaten major college team this season.

Yale's red-headed Johnny Lee rivalled North Carolina's All-American Lennie Rosenbluth as the outstanding player to appear in tonight's three games at Madison Square Garden. It was Lee's sharp shooting that was the big factor in keeping Yale in front through most of the first half and getting the Elis back in contention after North Carolina had begun to move in the second half.

Syracuse and Canisius were the other winners in a triple header that drew the season's largest college basketball crowd, 16,589 into the Garden.

Syracuse rallied to beat Connecticut 82-76, and then Canisius outplayed lethargic West Virginia, the Southern Conference champion, 64-56.

Rosenbluth had the edge over Lee in their duel although he was benched for a while after committing his fourth personal foul. The tall Tar Heel scored 11 field goals and seven fouls for 29 points. In addition he did a superb rebounding job under both boards. Lee made 25 points before fouling out in the last minute.

North Carolina's "subway Southerners," whose entire starting lineup hails from the New York area, never lost their poise when they were threatened by an upset. They had to work hard to tie the score at 40-40 just at the end of the first half.

After Carolina did go ahead at the start of the second half, the scrappy Elis rallied to regain the lead three times. Bob Cunningham finally sent Carolina ahead for keeps in the ninth minute of the second half. Yale's aggressive defense proved costly in the long run as four of the five started fouled out in the closing minutes.

A three-point play by Lee halfway through the final half marked Yale's final threat. Carolina, bearing down harder, spurted into a 10 point lead, then increased its margin further after Rosenbluth returned to the game.

North Carolina now plays  Canisius in the Eastern Regional tournament at Philadelphia Friday, while Syracuse meets Lafayette, which drew a first round bye.

How It Happened

YALE           G  F     P   T

Lee, f.........8  9-9   5   25

Downs, f.......5  3-6   5   13

Baird, f.......0  0-0   3   0

Rodman, f......1  0-0   0   2

Robinson, f....7  6-9   5   20

Bab, c.........0  0-0   1   0

Sargent, g.....2  2-2   5   6

Thompson, g....3  0-0   3   6

Molumphu, g....1  0-1   1   2

   Totals      27 20-27 28  74

NORTH CAROLINA G  F     P   T

Rosenbluth, f..11 7-12  4   29

Brennan, f.....6  8-12  3   20

Young, f.......0  0-0   3   0

Quigg, c.......5  3-4   2   13

Cunningham, g..4  4-4   3   12

Kearns, g......5  6-9   3   16

   Totals      31 28-41 18  90

Yale..............40   31---74

North Carolina....40   50---90

[From Wilmington Morning Star, March 13, 1957]

McGuire Using Same Formula

By SHELDON SAKOWITZ

NEW YORK (AP) --- Coach Frank McGuire of North Carolina hopes his formula for success works as well in the NCAA basketball tournament as it did for him and his undefeated Tar Heels during the regular season.

The smiling Irishman from New York City plans to play each game in the NCAA "one at at time" after his team turned back Yale 90-74 in an Eastern regional first round game last night.

McGuire's victory formula worked to perfection during the regular campaign as the Tar Heels, voted the nation's No. 1 team in the final Associated Press poll, posted 27 consecutive triumphs. All-American Lennie Rosenbluth and company capped the season by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and the NCAA tournament berth that goes with it.

Last night McGuire's "transplanted" New Yorkers extended their winning streak to 28, but the soft-spoken coach hopes that the Tar Heels "are looser in Philadelphia against Canisius Friday that they were against Yale."

McGuire said that the boys, most of whom come from the New York City area, were trying too hard before their friends and relatives. "Playing in New York is worse for us than playing in a strange city," said McGuire.

"The team was jittery and tight in the first half. We played poorly in the first 20 minutes, but of it had to do with Yale's pressing tactics."

North Carolina was behind most of the first half, but gained a 40-all deadlock at intermission. The game was tied six times in the second half before the Tar Heels pulled away for good with 11 minutes to go.

McGuire, watching Canisius outclass West Virginia and All-American Hot Rod Hundley, was impressed by the Golden Griffins from Buffalo. "They're a smart ball club," he said. "They like to hold the ball until the other team makes a mistake."

Rosenbluth, who was bottled up by NYU's box zone defense earlier in the season at the Garden, experienced a bit of trouble with the Elis' collapsing zone. Harried by two defenders most of the time, the 6-5 agile forward still managed to collect 29 points and 17 rebounds.

Johnny Lee kept Yale in contention with 25 points and Eddie Robinson added 20. Four of the starting Bulldogs fouled out.

"Before the game we knew nothing about Yale," Rosenbluth said. "No one ever saw them play. A few of us had seen Lee play in high school."

Lee, a 6-3 redhead with a variety of shots, played high school ball in Brooklyn. McGuire seemingly had the lithe junior all wrapped up for North Carolina, only to have Lee enroll at Yale.

Rosenbluth admitted  that he often is hindered when two men guard him. "It's not so much the front man that bothers me," he explained, "but it's the player who comes up behind me on my blind side to knock the ball away that gives me trouble."

Of Canisius, Rosenbluth said: "They really run on a fast break, and I like the way they hustle. They'll be tough for us to beat."

The Yale-North Carolina game was touch and go during the first half. The game was tied three times in the first six minutes, but three minutes later Rosenbluth's tap-in put the Heels in front 15-14 for the last time in the half.

[From The Wilmington News, March 13, 1957]

42 Years Ago-March 11, 1972 -- ACC Tournament Final: No.2 North Carolina 73-No. 14 Maryland 64

North Carolina dispatches the Maryland Terrapins to capture the 1972 ACC Tournament crown a year after losing a heart-breaker in the conference final against South Carolina. Despite going on to win the 1971 National Invitational Tournament, redemption for that loss is not complete. The Tar Heels are set to face the Gamecocks five days later in an NCAA Tournament first round match-up.

UNC Captures ACC Championship
Tar Heels Rip Maryland, 73-64

By AL THOMAS

GREENSBORO --- North Carolina spent a long time thinking about this year's Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament.

Ever since last year, when Carolina dropped a one point, last second decision to South Carolina, the Tar Heels have talked about little other than coming back and redeeming themselves.

The single-mindedness of their thoughts payed off.

With Robert McAdoo, Dennis Wuycik, and George Karl combining to help form a sometime awesome attack, second ranked Carolina whipped the Maryland Terrapins, 73-64, here Saturday night in the finals of the ACC tournament.

They had spent 365 gruelling days preparing for it, and Saturday night they were finally the champs.

The victory sends Carolina into the Eastern Regional at Morgantown, West Virginia, beginning next Thursday. South Carolina, last year's nemesis, will be the opening round opponent.

The win over Maryland was not easy, however, despite Carolina's streaking to a formidable 41-24 lead late in the first half. Maryland never quit, never gave up hope, and with five minutes to go and the score standing at 64-58, was very much in the ball game.

Carolina quickly went into its four-corner offense at that point, but with three minutes left could claim only a very tenuous five point spread at 65-60.

The Terps started fouling then, though, and the Tar Heels were not about to let the victory slip through their grasp.

A free throw by Karl and two others by McAdoo, voted the tournament's most valuable player, put Carolina ahead by eight at 68-6- with two minutes to to.

Time was running out on the Terps, but their shooting went cold and their defense was not enough to break the Carolina stall without fouling.

After McMillen hit a 15-foot jumper to move Maryland back within six at 68-62 with one minute remaining, Wuycik and Stever Previs followed with layups during the next 30 seconds to assure the Tar Heels of the championship.

Maryland played a good second half of basketball, committing only two turnovers compared to 12 in the first, however, against a team that was fired up, inspired, and hungry.

Carolina's defense, particularly during the first part of the initial half, reflected just how eager the Tar Heels were.

During the first two minutes and 50 seconds, that tough pressure defense accounted for five Maryland turnovers, two of which resulted in Carolina snowbirds, two blocked shots, and two Maryland charging fouls in the backcourt.

The Tar Heels were not particularly sharp from the floor during that span, however, and could only manage a 6-0 lead despite Maryland's mistakes. Tom McMillen finally broke the ice for the Terps by hitting a 10-foot jumper with 17:10 showing on the clock.

Behind a field goal by Karl and a 15 foot jump shot by Wuycik, the Tar Heels strengthened their lead to 10-2 before Maryland scored again.

A free throw by McMillen and another one by Darrell Brown, coupled with a field goad by Howard White, pushed the Terps to within four at 10-6 with 14 minutes left in the half. Little did the Terps know that they would never get any closer.

Carolina's pressing defense and fast breaking offense continued to slowly push the Tar Heels further ahead, with the score reaching 41-24 before Maryland began a brief rally that cut the lead to 41-29 by halftime.

Although Maryland surged at the start of the second half by outscoring Carolina 8-2, the Terps could not stop Carolina's drive for the championship.

[From The Sunday Star-News, Wilmington, N.C.]


Dean Smith: 'I was pleased with the way we stopped them'

GREENSBORO --- The Atlantic Coast Conference Champion will face South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Eastern Regional on Thursday night.

North Carolina Coach Dean Smith said he and the Tar Heels feel like thy have another game to go in the ACC.

Obviously elated after his team defeated Maryland 73-64, Smith was reminding writers Saturday night of the fact that the Gamecocks defeated UNC in the tournament last year and that the Tar Heels had played only 2 games in the 1973 tournament.

South Carolina withdrew after the conclusion of the tournament last season and the Tar Heels enjoyed a coveted bye in the opening round.

"Obviously we are pleased," Smith said. "We played extremely well in the first half and Maryland had a big rally in the second half. You have to credit Maryland with a comeback, but I for one was proud of the way we stopped them."

Smith said the championship was a tribute to six North Carolina seniors, junior Robert McAdoo and sophomore Bobby Jones. McAdoo was voted the Everett Case award as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Smith singled out Steve Previs, the Tar Heels' defensive ace for special praise. Maryland obviously took a gamble giving Previs the opening shot. The senior guard connected for 11 points...a key factor in the victory.

Smith noted the the Tar Heels helped the Maryland comeback early in the second half with several turnovers.

"I sincerely hoped that Virginia or Maryland win the National Invitational Tournament," he said. "You'll notice that I did not single out which one I wanted to win." he laughed.

Smith said the Tar Heels did not let down in the second half when Maryland trimmed a halftime deficit of 12 points to just four.

"I didn't think Jim O'Brien would miss," Smith said. O'Brien, who in a reserve role sparked the Maryland comeback with a number of long shots from the corner. "I saw him (O'Brien) hit ten straight in the Pan Am tryouts," Smith continued. "Tom McMillen is a big problem inside, but don't forget Len Elmore. He is a great rebounder."

Smith noted that this was the first time the regular season champions have won the tournament since 1969.

"I was wondering if anybody would ever do it. This league has become so balanced it is difficult to do."

Smith said the first round bye was an asset.

"Usually a close game early in the tournament helps a team. In 1968 we had to go into overtime in the first round and won on to have a great regional."

Smith said the Tar Heels, who will be facing the Gamecocks Thursday night naturally had rather play Temple.

"They might say they want to play South Carolina, but they don't mean it. If they have any sense they would rather play Temple--and I think they have sense."

South Carolina's two point victory over Temple was announced at halftime.

Smith compares the Gamecocks to Maryland. "We'll be playing much the same team. Kevin Joyce and Bob Carver give them a better backcourt combination than last year. I have heard that some of the coaches in South Carolina have said that this team is better than last year. I believe it," he said.

"We're a little bit better than last year, too."

It was a subdued Lefty Dreisell in the post game conference. "I don't know what to say.  We were beaten by a good ball club. They came to play, they intimidated us at the beginning and we were a little scared and got too far behind, but it takes a lot of guts to come from behind like we did. With a few breaks at the end we could have won the game. North Carolina didn't run us off the court."

Dreisell said he was real proud of his team and admitted that Maryland would probably go to the NIT.

"Our players ought to get down on their knees and thank the good Lord for all the good things that have happened to us."

Dreisell said he made a few adjustments at the half and he thought his team could still win.

[From The Sunday Star-News, Wilmington, N.C.]


Just a little fun note: There are several changes that I took the liberty to make in these particular articles. In addition to improving much bad grammar and correcting poorly punctuated sentences, the headlines for these particular articles were obviously switched on the front page of the sports section. I hope you have enjoyed this edited presentation of this classic game.

57 Since '57-March 9, 1957 -- ACC Tournament Final: No.1 North Carolina 95-South Carolina 75

North Carolina's All-American goes off for 38 on the Gamecocks to give the Heels their first ACC Tournament Championship.

Tar Heels Stomp South Carolina To Win ACC Championship

Len Rosenbluth Scores 38 to Spark 95-75 Victory

By LARRY CHEEK
Special To The Daily Tar Heel

RALEIGH — North Carolina's tall, terrific Tar Heels made a shambles of the Atlantic
Coast Conference Tournament finals here last night as they roared to a 95-75 victory over the snowed under South Carolina Gamecocks.

12,100 delighted fans sat in Reynolds Coliseum and watched Coach Frank McGuire's classy club dispose of their 27th consecutive victim by the most one-sided margin in the history of the tournament finals.

The win gave Carolina their first ACC title since the formation of the conference. But
just as prized was the automatic bid to an NCAA playoff spot. The Tar Heels will meet the Ivy League champions, Yale, Tuesday night in New York City in the middle game of a tripleheader.

Last night's triumph, achieved with almost ridiculous ease, was strictly an anti-climax after the Tar Heels' two-point verdict over Big Four rival Wake Forest in the semi-final round. UNC breezed by Clemson in the opening round, while South Carolina, the Cinderella team of the tournament, conquered Duke and Maryland to move into the finals against the mighty Carolinians.

Sabre thin Lennie Rosenbluth, never more an All-American, won his personal scoring duel with Gamecock ace Grady Wallace. The UNC captain poured in 19 points in each half for a total of 38, 10 better than Wallace's 28. The 38 points ran Rosey's three day total to 106, a new tourney record. Wallace posted an even 100. Vic Molodet of State set the old record of 79 in 1956.

McGuire lifted Rosenbluth from the line-up with 36 seconds remaining, and the packed house gave Rosey a standing ovation. While photographers crowded around, Governor Luther Hodges left his seat in the stands and came to the Tar Heel bench to shake the great UNC All-American's hand. One of the greatest players in conference history had played his final game in Reynolds Coliseum.

The game was strictly no contest from beginning to end. The Tar Heels hit four quick baskets  to jump off to an 8-0 lead, but couldn't stretch their margin and led 23-19 at the 8:36 mark.

Then the roof fell in on the shell shocked Gamecocks. In the next seven minutes, South Carolina failed to score a single point while the red hot Tar Heels were pouring in a total of 23. This hot streak carried the Chapel Hillians into a tremendous 46-19 lead, and no one in the magnificent coliseum had any doubts who the best team in the conference was.

The Tar Heels led at halftime, 50-23, and stretched that 27 point spread to 32, 87-55 at the 3:58 mark. Coach Frank McGuire made his first substitution with 4:26 left in the game when he sent Danny Lotz in to replace Joe Quigg. Then at the 2:36 mark McGuire cleaned his bench.

Pete Brennan took runnerup scoring honors for the Tar Heels with 22 points. Joe Quigg had 18 and Tommy Kearns had 16.

Brennan, Quigg, and Rosenbluth swept the boards clean to give Carolina 61-45 edge in the department. Brennan picked off 19, Quigg 15, and Rosenbluth 13.

The Tar Heels showed a marked improvement in scoring efficiency over the Wake Forest game. As a team they hit 38 of 79 for 48.1 per cent. South Carolina had 36 percent.

Rosenbluth pumped in 15 of  25 shots from the floor and 8 of 11 from the foul line for his 38 points. South Carolina shotgun Wallace made only 11 of 28 in amassing his 28 point total.

The Tar Heels displayed some of their best offensive and defensive basketball of the season in sweeping the conference title. They used a zone defense that the Gamecocks could do little to crack, and time and again took advantage of USC lapses to tally on easy shots.

North Carolina    G     F     P   T
Rosenbluth f      15    8-11  2   38
Brennan f         10    2-4   4   22
Holland f         0     0-0   0   0
Young f           0     0-1   1   0
Quigg c           7     4-5   3   18
Lotz c            0     0-0   1   0
Kearns g          6     4-5   3   16
Cunningham g      0     1-2   3   1
Rosemond g        0     0-0   1   0
Searcy g          0     0-0   0   0
   Totals         28    19-28 16  95

South Carolina    G     F     P   T
Wallace f         11    6-11  4   28
Hoffman f         5     1-1   4   11
Goodroe f         0     0-0   3   0
Lentz c           6     1-2   2   13
Pericola g        4     3-5   3   11
McCoy g           5     2-3   2   12
   Totals         31    13-22 18  75

North Carolina           50   45--95
South Carolina           23   52--75


Happy Tar Heel Cagers Look To New York City

By BUZZ MERRITT

RALEIGH -- It was reminiscent of another Saturday night four months earlier, but this one had more of a future.

Both of the nets came down in N.C. State's red and green trim Coliseum and the crowds surged onto the court the same way and the handshakes were the same, but New York was on everybody's mind.

Winning the Dixie Classic crown for the first time had made it eleven in a row for this North Carolina team of firsts.

Winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament for the first time made it 27 in a row. And Yale was 28th in everybody's mind.

It's Yale that UNC meets in the Garden Tuesday night in the first round of the NCAA eliminations. The next step is Philadelphia for the Eastern Regionals, then the national finals at Kansas City, Mo. And a lot of folks here are betting that the Tar Heels will make it.

Frank McGuire, following the philosophy that has worked all year, was looking only to New York.

"I don't know anything about Philly now," he answered to a question. "We're concerned about Yale right now. Yes, we've scouted them and know their ball club."

"Winning this one by a big margin tonight lifts us. Before the game I told 'em that any ball club that can beat Wake Forest four times in one season can beat anybody."

Is he afraid of a Tar Heel let down after the pressure of the regular season win streak and tourney play? "It could happen you know. After winning here all else is secondary. This is the big thing."

The man of the hour, tournament and season, was of course Rosenbluth, whose 106 points, including 38 in the finale, set a new tournament scoring record and boosted his season total to 755 and a 27.9 average.

"We were ready and knew what we wanted, and really came outa there like tigers," Rosie figured. "The whole season was wrapped up in this game."

The question that was foremost in a lot of minds after the game was what sort of adrenaline did McGuire give Rosenbluth to his late season scoring and rebounding spurt? Rosie, hitting about 25 a game all season, exploded for 30 and 23 in two games against Wake Forest, 45 against Clemson, 40 against Duke, and 38 tonight, and average of 35.2 for the five pressure games.

I really don't know," the Irishman said, "but before the Wake Forest game (regular season) he looked like a new man and has played like one. His spurt has been the thing for us. He's by far the best I've ever coached."

South Carolina's Frank Johnson, a soundly beaten coach, had little to say. He complimented the Tar Heels on their play and of course wished them best of luck in the NCAA.

He summed up the troubles of college basketball on 26 other nights this season. "We tried to stop Rosenbluth and get some rebounds. We wanted them to shoot outside and they did and were tremendous. You stop Rosenbluth and you can't stop them, and we couldn't stop Rosenbluth."

[Both articles from The Daily Tar Heel, March 10, 1957]

57 Since '57-March 8, 1957 -- ACC Tournament Semi-Final: No.1 North Carolina 61-Wake Forest 59

The All-American, who had the hot hand in the first round, had ice in his veins for the semifinals as he wills his undefeated team into the championship game.

Rosenbluth Clinches Win Over Deacs In Final Seconds. 61-59: Win Is 26th

Tar Heels, Gamecocks Meet In Finals Tonight

By LARRY CHEEK
Special To The Daily Tar Heel 

RALEIGH—All-America Lennie Rosenbluth sank a hook shot with 46 seconds left here last night and added a clinching free throw to give North Carolina's hard pressed Tar Heels a nerve shattering 61-59 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The come from behind win moved the top seeded Tar Heels into the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament finals against South Carolina tonight.

Carolina did it the hard way in racking up their fourth win of the year over Wake Forest. With only 55 seconds left in the pressure packed scrap, the Deacons led by one point, 59-58. With their hopes of qualifying for the NCAA playoffs faintly glimmering, the UNC cagers call on their high scoring captain in an effort to pull the game out.

Rosenbluth, calm as ice water with the end of UNC's -25 game game unbeaten streak apparently in sight, took a pass, drove in to- ward the foul line and connected on a sweeping hook shot to put the Tar Hels up by one. 60-59. Fouled on the play, he dropped in the charity toss to give the Tar Heels their final margin.

Carolina led all the way until Jim Gilley sank an important pair of free throws to put the Deacons ahead. After Wake had tallied the opening basket Rosenbluth hit two
in a row to make the score 4-2.

Carolina steadily increased their margin until they held an 11-point lead, 30-19 at the 4:19 mark. Wake Forest staged a spirited rally at this point and pulled within 4 points, 33-29, at intermission.

Wake closed to within 2 points at the beginning of the second half, but the Tar Heels managed to build their margin back up to 51-44 with 7:45 left. But the Deacons slowly began to narrow the margin with Jack Williams doing the damage.

With 1:57 to go, Carolina led by three, 58-55, but a field goal by Olin cut it to one. The Bob Cunningham was called for charging, and Gilley sank what could have been the game winning free throws.

But it was not to be as Lennie Rosenbluth hit what was perhaps the most important shot of his life. After Rosey scored, Wake guard Ernie Wiggins missed a game tying shot, and Joe Quigg got the rebound. Carolina froze the ball the rest of the way, and it was all over.

Although Carolina won the ball game, Wake Forest walked off with shooting percentage honors. The Deacons hit 21 of 40 shots for 52.5 per cent as compared to Carolina's 38.8.

Joe Quigg, Pete Brennan and Bob Cunningham did a terrific job on the backboards as UNC pulled down 45 rebounds compared to only 21 for Wake Forest.

Rosenbluth hit 23 points to take scoring honors for UNC, while Williams had 24 for the Deacons.


McGuire Still Nervous After Close Win Over Deacons

By BUZZ MERRITT
Special To The Daily Tar Heel

It was the second time in two nights that Lennie Rosenbluth had been the object of a backslapping, gladhanding attack.

The first time he had been hot-handed enough for an ACC tournament scoring record.

This time he exchanged the heat for ice water.

Minutes after he had hooked in a bucket and added a free toss to win UNC's way into the tourney finals, he sat in a happy dressing room and explained:

"Nah, you don't think about it. They're one ahead with 55 seconds left, then you get ahead by one. You can't think about the free throw."

Coach Frank McGuire had called time out between Lennie's bucket and the free toss. What'd they talk about?

"Coach just said to make it and we'd be two ahead and all they could do in the regulation game is tie it up," he simplified. McGuire was as shaken as it possible for the dapper Irishman. "You know, I couldn't even write my name on the way down here. A kid asked for an autograph and I couldn't write my name."

"We played about the same as in the other games with them. To beat a club like theirs, with Murdock, Gilley, Wiggins and the rest, four times in a season you have to have to go some. I don't even like to play them, one, but four times, whew!"

"We played poorly after we built up that early lead and let them catch up. But when you can lead them 11 points, then go behind with 55 seconds left and still win, you're a good ball club."

Somebody asked about defense, a man-to-man which was airtight in the opening minutes. McGuire called to Bob Cunningham.

"Tell 'em what I said about defense before the season, Bob."

Pupil Bob said, "You said if our defense improved we wouldn't lose a ball game."

Across the way Deacon Bones McKinney turned the text to boxing and preached a sermon on the evils inherent in meeting the champ.

"Remember the Louis-Walcott fights. You've got to knock out the Champion in order to win a decision. You can't win a decision from a Champion," the disappointed Bones almost whispered.

"I'll be glad to answer your questions but I don't have anything to say," the usually vocal Bones said.

"I will say that I'll be pulling for Carolina all the way. Frank is a fine coach and deserves anything he might get, including all the coach of the year awards."


[Both articles from The Daily Tar Heel, March 9, 1957]

57 Since '57-March 7, 1957 -- ACC Tournament First Round: No.1 North Carolina 81-Clemson 61

The 1957 team's run to the ACC title begins in record-setting fashion as their All-American eclipses the single game scoring record.

Rosey Sets Tourney Record As Tar Heels Rout Clemson, 81-61; Enter ACC Semi-Finals

Rosenbluth Connects For 45; Cagers Meet Deacons Tonight

By LARRY CHEEK
Special To The Daily Tar Heel

RALEIGH --- All-American Lennie Rosenbluth staged a one-man assault on the record books here last night as top-seeded North Carolina waltzed into the Atlantic Coast Conference semi-finals with an 81-61 win over the outclassed Clemson Tigers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Frank McGuire, coach of the undefeated Tar 
Heels of North Carolina was tonight named 
Coach of the Year by the United Press.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rosenbluth, recently named to both the UP and AP All-American squads, tied his own personal record and broke the tourney mark with a total of 45 points, 27 of them in the first half. Buzz Wilkinson of Virginia held the old record of 44.

The win. achieved with almost effortless precision, moved the nationally top ranked Tar Heels into tonight's semifinals against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The Tar Heels leaped off to a early lead and held a 10-2 advantage at the 17:24 mark. Playing relaxed, almost nonchalant basketball, they held the margin with little difficulty, and led, 47-30 at the half.

In the second half, Carolina concentrated mainly on getting the ball to Rosenbluth and although the UNC ace cooled off slightly from his torrid first half pace, he managed to pour in 18 points, enough to break the record.

With so much emphasis place on getting the ball to their star, the Tar Heels allowed the Tiger to creep within 10 points, 57-47, at the 10:33 mark. Then UNC center Joe Quigg  dumped in a pair of field goals and it was a breeze from there on out.

Rosenbluth made 19 of 31 from the floor and 7 of 12 from the line in amassing his total. The record of 44 was set in 1954 by Wilkinson.

The Tar Heels as a team hit 31 of 71 from the floor for 43.7 percent. Their hapless rivals could do no better than 22 of 74 for 29.7 percent.

Clemson employed a zone defense, collapsing on Rosenbluth in an effort to halt the UNC offense, but it went to no avail. Carolina will meet Wake Forest at 7:30 tonight. That game will be followed by a clash between South Carolina and Maryland for the other Saturday night finals birth.

The Box

UNC            G    F     P   T
Quigg f        3    4-4   2   10
Brennan f      3    6-6   3   12
Lotz f         1    0-2   1   2
Young f        0    0-1   2   0
Searcy f       0    0-0   0   0
Rosenbluth c   19   7-12  1   45
Kearns g       2    1-3   0   5
Cunningham g   1    1-2   4   3
Rosemond g     1    0-1   0   2
Holland g      1    0-1   1   2
   Totals     31    19-32 14  81

CLEMSON        G    F     P   T
Yockel f       5    6-8   3   16
Hoffman f      2    1-2   3   5
Seay c         3    3-4   5   9
Moncrief c     0    0-1   3   0
Brinkley g     7    2-4   2   16
Cameron g      5    4-4   2   14
Yeary g        0    1-2   1   1
   Totals      22   17-25 19  61

UNC          47    34     --  81
CLEMSON      30     31    --  61

37 Years Ago Today-March 5, 1977 -- ACC Final: No. 4 North Carolina 75-Virginia 69

Will it be déjà vu? Upstart Virginia came from the sixth seed in 1976 to sweep the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament from the No. 4 Tar Heels in Landover, Maryland, and claim their first league crown. In 1977 at the Greensboro Coliseum, the Wahoos are trying to do it again from the seventh seed against the two-time regular season champion, the sixth-ranked Tar Heels.

North Carolina Captures ACC Championship By Edging Virginia

By LUTHER GAILLARD
Assistant Sports Editor

GREENSBORO, N. C. -- Last year Virginia won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship following a three-day plow job in the tournament and it was  hailed as the "Cinderella Story" of college basketball.

This year the story bore similar earmarks. It has to be called the "Cinderella Story Revisited -- Almost."

While Virginia was stumbling through December, January, and most of February, teams like Wake Forest, Clemson, and North Carolina were enjoying banner seasons.

But the Cavaliers, who came into this tournament in much the same position a year ago, dropped Wake Forest on Thursday, chilled Clemson on Friday and came within an inch of pasting North Carolina Saturday.

But the fourth-ranked and top seeded Tar Heels gained a slight advantage in the final minutes, shifted into the four corners and budged defending champion Virginia, 75-69, before a full house of 15,735 and a regional television audience.

"This was the most unusual game," UNC's Dean Smith said after all the nets had been chopped down and most all the people had gone home. "There was a lot of emotion on both teams. They came in with five tournament wins (three last year) and all five were different teams all ranked above them."

The Cavaliers zipped through N. C. State, Maryland, and North Carolina at the Capitol Centre in Landover, Md., and this year stumbled only in the final minutes against the Tar Heels. All six teams Virginia faced in the tournament were ranked.

"North Carolina did exactly what they had to do tonight," Virginia's Terry Holland said. "They forced the tempo and we were so exhausted that we couldn't go. There is no question that the kids gave everything they had but were about four minutes short of winning this one."

The Tar Heels showed up with Walter Davis in uniform but the Olympian from Pineville was forced to the bench with the injury to the index finger on his shooting hand, the injury he received in the win over N.C. State. It was only Saturday morning that officials discovered the finger was broken.

Davis, with the finger taped to his middle finger, made his entrance with 15:48 left and Virginia holding a 46-43 lead.

"I didn't think we would be able to play Walter because he was hardly able to catch the ball but he pleaded with me and I'm a sentimentalist so I let him in," Smith said.

It was during that time that Davis gave the Tar Heels a lift and they went from three down to three up. But Virginia shook off all the emotional effects that the Tar Heels gained by Davis' presence and ran up a 62-55 lead with 7:39 to go on the strength of six straight points.

"We had our chances," Holland said. "We had control of the game then but we had to try to ease off a little and you can't do that against a team like North Carolina. They just controlled the tempo on us."

Defense, if anything, tied up the championship for the Tar Heels. They pressed Virginia out of its shoes in the second half and forced enough turnovers to take a 65-64 lead with 4:19 to go on a bucket by Tom Zaliagiris cutting down the lane.

It was during that period that North Carolina was forcing three straight turnovers and operating with only two starters on the floor. Phil Ford, the leading scorer with 26 points, fouled out with 5:45 to go.

Mike O'Koren, who had 21 points and eight rebounds, came through with a key three-pointer with 6:19 to go. Marc Iavaroni was charged with a blocking foul on O'Koren's drive in the lane with 6:19 to go and it cut Virginia's lead from 64-58 to 64-61.

We wound up with all those players on the bench but we went on to win some way, somehow," Smith said. "It was a real gutty performance by our guys. They wanted it bad."

The Tar Heels will represent the ACC in the NCAA playoffs beginning Saturday with a date opposite an at-large entry at Raleigh.

"We will go to the playoffs and do the best we can," Smith added. "This has been a great team and they deserved whatever comes their way."

It appeared that North Carolina was on the verge of making a move midway through the first half, pulling into a 17-12 lead on a three point play by Ford and a 17 footer by Kuester.

But the sizzling Cavaliers weren't ready to lay down and let the Tar Heels take over. David Koesters and Langloh dropped in two from the perimeter to pull the unranked Wahoos within a point and by the time the clock had wound down to 5:13, Virginia was sitting on a slight 28-27 lead on four straight free throws, two by Stokes and the other two by Owens.

Stokes canned a 17 footer to give Virginia a 30-27  lead with 4:35 to go but the Tar Heels hadn't fallen out of the first half picture. O'Koren brought the Heels back with four points and Kuester knocked in six of North Carolina's final eight points.

Iavaroni had a final crack at giving the Cavaliers a three-point cushion at the half but the inside attempt was short, North Carolina's 80-foot toss was just off its mark at the buzzer and Virginia carried the shaky 40-39 lead into intermission.

There were 27 free throws launched in the first half and 25 of them fell through the net. Virginia was 14 of 14 and the Tar Heels were 11 of 13.

Ford was the hottest item on the floor, hitting seven of 10 attempts and turning in a five-of-five effort from the line for 19 points.

VIRGINIA (69)    FG    FT    REB   PF   TP
Koesters         2-2   0-0   1     5    4
Iavaroni         4-8   2-5   10    4    10
Castellan        2-8   0-1   7     4    4
Langloh          5-11  2-3   3     3    12
Stokes           6-9   5-6   1     4    17
Fulton           0-1   2-2   2     0    2
Newlen           0-5   4-4   3     2    4
Owens            3-5   10-10 6     2    16
Briscoe          0-0   0-0   0     0    0
Jefferson        0-0   0-1   1     1    0
Team                         1
TEAM TOTALS      22-49 25-32 35    25   69

NO CAROLINA (75) FG    FT    REB   PF   TP
Buckley          1-2   0-0   3     4    2
O'Koren          8-14  5-5   8     5    21
Yonakor          0-2   4-4   4     3    4
Ford             10-18 6-7   2     5    26
Kuester          4-7   6-6   2     3    14
Zaliagiris       2-4   0-0   1     3    4
Davis            0-1   0-0   0     2    0
Wolf             0-0   0-0   0     0    0
Krafcisin        2-3   0-0   1     1    4
Colescott        0-0   0-1   0     1    0
Bradley          0-0   0-2   3     4    0
Coley            0-0   0-0   0     0    0
TEAM                         0
TOTALS           27-51 21-25 24    31   75

Field goal percentages: Virginia 44.9; North Carolina 52.9

ASSISTS
Virginia (8): Koesters 1, Iavaroni 1, Castellan 1, Langloh 4, Owens 1
North Carolina (11): O'Koren 2, Ford 3, Kuester 3, Krafcisin 2, Bradley 1

TURNOVERS
Virginia (16): Iavaroni 4, Castellan 1, Langloh 2, Stokes 5, Owens 4.
North Carolina (13): Buckley 1, O'Koren 2, Ford 3, Kuester 1, Davis 1, Krafcisin 1, Colescott 1. Bradley 3.

A -- 15,735

[From The Spartanburg Herald-Journal, March 6, 1977]

47 Years Ago Today--March 4, 1967 -- No. 3 North Carolina 92-Duke 79

On their way to the first of three consecutive Final Four appearances, the Heels clinched the first of their regular season crowns under Dean Smith with a defeat of their rivals from Durham.

UNC Downs Duke

CHAPEL HILL, N. C. (AP) -- Larry Miller scored 21 points in the second half as North Carolina's Tar Heels pulled away to rout Duke 92-79 and win the regular season basketball championship in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The victory earned the Tar Heels top seeding for the conference championship tournament starting at Greensboro March 9.

North Carolina, ranked third nationally in The Associated Press poll, had a 43-41 lead at halftime. Great outside shooting by Miller ignited the Tar Heel offense in the second half as North Carolina began pulling away. He wound up with a total of 29 points.

Duke's Bob Verga, however, grabbed high scoring honors with 34 points. He scored 22 points in the second half and had several driving layups good for three-point plays.

Early in the second half Duke's Mike Lewis drew his fourth foul and was sidelined most of the half.

North Carolina built up a 13-3 lead in the first half, but the Blue Devils fought back to gain a one-point lead 17-16.

North Carolina regained the lead 25-24 with 8:39 left in the half on a layup by Dick Grubar.

North Carolina had a shooting percentage of 49.3 from the floor compared to 38.7 for Duke.