Bobby Cremins isn't even sure how his College of Charleston team
managed this upset.
"Going on a 12-1 run with 4 minutes to go against North
Carolina, usually that's lights out," Cremins said. "So I've got to
watch the tape tonight to figure out what happened."
North Carolina won't want to be reminded how it happened.
The ninth-ranked Tar Heels (11-4) squandered an 11-point lead
down the stretch and lost 82-79 in overtime to the Cougars on
Monday night.
Charleston's Andrew Goudelock scored the last eight points in
regulation, including the tying 3-pointer from about 28 feet over
6-foot-10 Ed Davis with 2 seconds left.
Donavan Monroe opened the overtime with a 3-pointer to put
the Cougars ahead for good as they defeated a Top 25 team for the
first time since beating the then-third ranked Tar Heels 66-64 on
Dec. 5, 1998.
North Carolina coach Roy Williams said the team was as low as
it could be with the loss.
"It hurts," said Davis, who led North Carolina with 19 points
and 16 rebounds.
Along with his go-ahead 3-pointer, Monroe hit two free throws
for the final margin.
Goudelock scored 24 points, none bigger than his fadeaway
jumper that forced overtime.
"He was so far back, and it was contested," Monroe marveled.
"It was just the slowest shot ever."
And it pretty much took the life out of North Carolina.
"This takes our confidence sky high," Goudelock said. "We try
to look at everything in a positive way. We're going to take a lot
from this one."
The Tar Heels' Dexter Strickland missed a layup with 4
seconds left. Davis' cross-court pass with less than a second to go
was picked off by Monroe and the celebration began.
Monroe clutched the basketball as time ran out and fans
rushed the court at the Carolina First Arena. Cremins had his share
of success at Georgia Tech for nearly two decades, going 12-33
against the Tar Heels.
This one figured to be out of his team's reach, however,
especially after North Carolina took the 72-61 lead.
But the Cougars called on their long-range shooting to pull
out the victory. Goudelock hit two of his four 3s the rest of the
way.
In all, Charleston was 13 of 32 from behind the arc. North
Carolina's only 3-pointer came in overtime when Larry Drew II cut
Charleston's lead to 80-79.
Williams was already miffed from the Tar Heels being
outscored 23-2 down the stretch in their last game against Albany.
That didn't cost North Carolina, which had built a 38-point lead
and won comfortably 87-70.
This time, the Tar Heels paid for their mistakes. They shot
38 percent, were only 1 of 6 on 3s and forced just 10 turnovers.
"This was a great test for us," Davis said. "We just didn't
get it done."
That the Tar Heels were in this at all was because of their
size and accuracy at the free throw line. North Carolina
outrebounded Charleston 56-36 and was 24 of 34 from the line to the
Cougars' 3-of-6 showing.
Casaan Breeden and Monroe both had 15 points for the Cougars.
Deon Thompson added 17 points for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina's starting backcourt of Drew and Strickland
were a combined 5 of 21 from the field for 17 points.
Charleston had never hosted a team ranked as high as No. 9
North Carolina and many Cougar fans wore wigs of Cremins' signature
bleach white hair.
Williams has a beach home just north of the city in the Wild
Dunes resort and, with the university on winter break, brought the
Tar Heels in on Saturday night with the team staying at the swanky
Charleston Place hotel.
Things get more intense for the defending national champs
with Atlantic Coast Conference play opening Saturday against
Virginia Tech.
"It doesn't feel good for us right now. It's a tough, tough
night," Williams said. "But we've got to bounce back and be smarter
and more effective."
