ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997 TAG: 9703170110
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N. C.
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK THE ROANOKE TIMES
Freshman Ed Cota helps Tar Heels coach Dean Smith become the winningest major-college basketball coach.
One of the givens in Dean Smith's 36 years as North Carolina's coach is that he is going to talk about his seniors.
Which is fine, but as the Tar Heels head to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen for the 24th time in school history, it's a freshman everyone else is discussing.
Smith surpassed Kentucky's Adolph Rupp on the NCAA career victories list with his 877th on Saturday, as rookie guard Ed Cota came off the UNC bench to pretty much take care of the ball until it was presented to Smith by his players.
In a 73-56 second-round pasting of Colorado in the East Regional, Cota scored a career-high 16 points when the Heels (26-6) needed more than the proficient ball distribution he usually provides.
The victory at Joel Coliseum moved fifth-ranked UNC into Friday night's East semifinal at the Carrier Dome against California (23-8), which eliminated Villanova 75-68 here Saturday. The winners of today's second-round games in Pittsburgh will meet in the other Sweet Sixteen date in Syracuse, N.Y.
A capacity crowd of 14,368, including more than a few of Smith's former players, saw history as the Tar Heels' coach passed Rupp, who took the record almost 30 years ago from their college coach, Kansas legend Forrest ``Phog'' Allen.
Cota was happy to be part of a big day that began for Smith with a warm hotel-room phone call from Rupp's son, Herky, a former high school coach. The coaching record, however, is not what motivated the Heels.
``It ain't over yet,'' Cota said, when asked about celebrating Smith's achievement. ``Maybe after we lose, if it happens, we'll do something to celebrate this day. But we're still playing.''
With sophomore Vince Carter on the bench, an ice bag resting between his legs on a groin injury he suffered nine minutes into the game, Cota had to come up big.
``To me, when Vince was hurt, it did something to [Cota] mentally,'' Smith said. ``He knew he was going to play anyway. He always plays the same time until he gives me the tired signal.''
Cota played 35 minutes, which is more than could be said for the Buffaloes (22-10), who came in with a school record for victories and left after skidding from a 31-30 halftime edge.
The Big 12 Conference team hacked its way to oblivion, while shooting 35.5 percent in the second half. All-America guard Chauncey Billups was a non-factor. Martice Moore, the transfer from Georgia Tech, fouled out in a little more than 11 minutes of the second half.
``How many timeouts do you have to stop the bleeding?'' asked Colorado coach Ricardo Patton, who picked up a technical foul for squawking about the second-half whistling. ``Any time a team gets in a bonus situation that early, it's a big advantage. I thought that was the big difference in the second half.''
Cota wasn't much smaller. His alley-oop pass to Antawn Jamison with 13:57 to play was spectacular, but it was Cota's basic penetration that troubled the Buffaloes more.
``I knew I had to score some baskets with Vince out,'' said the freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y. ``I usually don't look to score that much, but I've been looking more.''
Colorado trailed 43-37 when Cota teamed with Jamison on the crowd-enthralling hoop. Then, the guard hit a 3-pointer from the left wing. Two possessions later, Cota swerved between two Buffaloes and wrapped a pass around another to Serge Zwikker, who scored, was hacked, and made the free throw.
It was 58-45 when the Heels went on an 11-2 spurt, a stretch that included Patton's technical and a Cota jumper as the shot clock showed :01.
Smith will be making his 21st trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and 15th in 17 years (1994 and last year, UNC lost in the second round). Cal has reached one regional semifinal since 1960 (in '93). Carter is expected to be ready to play Friday, but that news wasn't the biggest relief in the Carolina camp.
The Rupp run had been consuming the Heels, to a certain extent. Now, the chase, as well as the record, is history.
``I'm proud that we did it this year,'' Jamison said, as many of Smith's former players, Tar Heel stick-on logos on their shirts, chatted in a Joel corridor. ``You can't really say it was just this team, because down the hallway there are 20 guys from other teams standing around.
``There are a lot of guys who helped get Coach Smith here, but I'm proud to be part of this one. I'll never forget this day. Now, hopefully, we can put this behind us and concentrate on the next game.'' see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina coach Dean Smithby CNB(center) is in a class by himself after his 877th career victory.
Carolina sports information director Rick Brewer (left) and Virginia
Tech media relations director Jack Williams (right), formerly of
Carolina, offered congratulations. color
2. ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina's Serge Zwikker (45), Ademola
Okulaja (13), Ed Cota and Shammond Williams celebrate their 73-56
victory over Colorado on Saturday at the NCAA East Regional in
Winston-Salem, N.C.
3. chart - Dean's List