He finally allowed himself to smile when it was over, racing over to hug coach Roy Williams.

“Sean came up with the ball. He’s running at me,” Williams said. “I just wanted to hug that big rascal as long as I could hug him.”

May also soaked in the atmosphere in what might be his final college game. All season long, he insisted he would be back for his senior season, but his performance in the tournament is sure to make the NBA an option.

“It’s been unbelievable,” May said. “My teammates, friends, family, they supported us. I’ll never forget this ’til the day I die. This is the best moment I’ve ever had in my whole life.”

MEN'S RESULTS FINAL North Carolina 75, Illinois 70 SEMIFINALS Illinois 72, Louisville 57 North Carolina 87, Michigan State 71

At the start of the second half, May scored North Carolina’s first two baskets, then added another less than 2 minutes later when he followed up a miss by Jawad Williams with a powerful dunk. Time and again, when the Tar Heels needed points, they went to May, and he almost always delivered.

“Man, Sean was absolutely just killing those guys,” North Carolina guard Melvin Scott said. “I wish we could have gotten him the ball 12 extra times and gotten him 50.”

Even when Illinois surrounded him with double teams, May couldn’t be stopped. He threw a nifty crosscourt pass to set up a 3 by Jawad Williams to give North Carolina a 60-53 lead, then May had a chance for a three-point play on the next possession after making a jumper over Ingram.

Missing the free throw didn’t slow him down. May converted 3-of-4 at the line to make it 65-55 before adding his final points on those free throws to set up the finish.

“They play really good defense, but they extend so much, it leaves a wide gap,” May said. “Our guards did a great job getting me the ball, and they just kept feeding me.”

He also had a hand in helping the Tar Heels take the lead for good, getting good position alongside teammate Marvin Williams when Rashad McCants missed a reverse layup. May and Williams both jumped for the tip, but Williams was credited with it, and the Illini couldn’t recover.

“You know, it’s not supposed to be easy,” May said. “We have to tip our hats to them. They played well, but we didn’t give up. We wanted to win.”