Ken Davis

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Andrew Tyler Hansbrough was born into this world on Nov. 3, 1985. Think about that for a minute. Put that date in perspective. Then try to make the historical connection from his point of view.

Sure, Hansbrough is a big star on the North Carolina basketball team. He wears Carolina Blue and White with as much pride as any of the Tar Heels. He was an Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year, just like Sam Perkins, Michael Jordan, J.R. Reid, Ed Cota, Joseph Forte and Marvin Williams.

But should we really expect him to know about North Carolina vs. Georgetown, circa 1982? Should he have a poster of Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot hanging on the wall above his bed? Should he understand why the names James Worthy and Fred Brown are linked for all time?

It has been 25 years since North Carolina won that classic NCAA championship in New Orleans. Hansbrough wasn’t even born yet. So forgive him for coming up short in the memory department.

“Well, I think I do know a little bit about it because I think those guys [from the 1982 Carolina team] did come back, right ... to watch us play a game and for the reunion,” said Hansbrough, not sounding so sure of himself.  “It was pretty inspiring for us. It says a lot about the tradition and what North Carolina has done.

“But, you know, I’m just ready to play because it’s our next game.”

Georgetown and North Carolina get together again, Sunday in Continental Airlines Arena. It’s not a national championship game, but it is the East Regional final. The winner gets a ticket to the Final Four in Atlanta.

This is Retro League Basketball at its best. This party will have a real Eighties feel. This may not be your father’s tournament, but suddenly we are celebrating some very famous fathers. John Thompson, father of Georgetown coach John Thompson III will be in the building. So will Patrick Ewing, the thumbs-up, proud papa of Hoyas junior forward Patrick Ewing, Jr.

John III was in high school in 1982. He was in the Louisiana Superdome that night, sitting right across from the Georgetown bench.

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“I remember everything about it,” he said. “I don’t know if I have a sappy story that you want. It was a tough game. The thing that you just never know is whether you’re going to get to that point again. I remember thinking that after the game.”

North Carolina coach Roy Williams was an assistant to Dean Smith back in those days.

“Twenty five years ago, I had black hair,” Williams said. “My golf game was a lot better than it is right now, too.”

Hair color and golf handicaps won’t matter on Sunday. Those of us who are old enough to remember John (The Father) hugging Brown and comforting him after his turnover, may be geeked for a regional final oozing with tradition and memories. But for the players, Hansbrough’s assessment is right on the mark.

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It is just the next game for these players. Do not dismiss that as a tired, old cliché. It may be the formula for success in this year’s tournament.

When Friday night’s games were complete, we had an Elite Eight that consisted of all four No. 1 seeds, three No. 2 seeds and Oregon — the No. 3 seed in the Midwest. As orderly as that may seem, close calls are very much in style in this year’s tournament. In a span of just under five hours Friday night, the two East Regional semifinals were determined in dramatic form. Vanderbilt and Southern California could have been Sunday’s finalists with just a minimal turn of events.

Georgetown trailed Vandy by eight at halftime, fought back behind center Roy Hibbert in the second half and then won 66-65 on Jeff Green’s “stumbling and bumbling” bank shot with 2.5 seconds remaining. Green may have traveled — in fact, replays strongly support that theory — but there was no call and the Hoyas moved on.

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North Carolina, following a similar script, fell behind by nine at the half and 16 early in the second half. An incredible display of offensive rebounding triggered an 18-0 run by the Tar Heels and they advanced with a 74-64 victory over USC.

They were two sensational games in one building, but they were part of a bigger pattern in this tournament. Ohio State and Memphis each escaped their Sweet Sixteen games by one point. Kansas struggled against Southern Illinois and won 61-58. Florida, which seems determined to repeat as national champion the hard way, started slowly once again before beating Butler 65-57.

That has brought an avalanche of criticism crashing down on the highest seeded teams. The critics say the close calls are an indication of weakness among the tournament’s top teams. But those are assessments stemming from ignorance, lack of insight, and in some cases jealousy.  I would suggest that the spirit, the heart, and never-say-die attitude demonstrated by theses teams are the traits of champions.

Just like the old days, North Carolina and Georgetown both have what it takes to go all the way. 

“Collectively, our team is resilient,” John III said. “We’ve been in a lot of different situations; been up, been down. It might sound crazy, but I think we feel comfortable and we knew we could get back in and — you’ve heard me say it before — just methodically take control of the game.”