Greg Bailey WCNC Sports Director

Carolina's players don't have any more of an idea than you and I do. They sat stunned, emotional, angry and confused by exactly what happened to the No. 1 overall seed in the train wreck of a first half. What happened to the team that made anything seem possible as little as a week ago in Charlotte?

Marcus Ginyard said the Heels simply weren't tough enough. Wayne Ellington fought back tears as he said he had no idea. Danny Green spoke frankly, but almost like he was dazed as well, when he said Carolina didn't rebound and get back on defense. Roy Williams told everyone that the Heels broke every pregame rule that defined their game plan. From rebounding poorly to taking too many dribbles in the post, Carolina paid a heavy toll for every last mistake.

The Jayhakws are happy to tell everyone that they "punched Carolina in the mouth." That meant intensity that the Heels couldn't match early. As the lead built to 10 then 18 and finally 28, stunned Carolina fans behind me buried their heads in their hands. All along press row people mouthed "Wow!" and no one could believe what was happening. I have seen Kansas play several times this year and they can be hot and cold. Everyone was hot on Saturday night and they steamrolled UNC in a way that still surprises me.

The Alamodome was dominated by Kansas fans on Saturday night. Carolina brought a nice group of fans, but KU fans were able to drive, and it showed on Saturday. The "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" party raged deep into the night on the riverwalk in San Antonio. Delirious probably describes the scene when I looked out my hotel window around 2 a.m. I have no idea how long the bars stayed open, but if it was until dawn, I know KU fans were still toasting their big win.

The boos rained down on Roy Williams when he was introduced and this was personal for so many KU fans. I covered the mania in Kansas when Roy turned down Carolina. Everyone thought that meant "I'm staying forever." Some of the hate will still linger, but it felt like KU fans loved rubbing Roy's nose in it so much that I wonder.

Memphis coach John Calipari has some great stories from his days as a graduate assistant coach under Larry Brown at Kansas. Coach Cal didn't have a bed to sleep on, but he took a cot out of the scrap heap after a movie was shot in Lawrence, Kansas. Great stuff and a lot of fun.

Memphis also boasts a Charlotte connection. Doneal Mack played at Statesville Christian. He's amped to play in the National Title game on Monday. He also has the greatest hair cut at the Final 4.

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Finally, The Final Four

Tyler Hansbrough not saying a word to his teammates about earning Associated Press National Player of the Year Honors is one of the great stories I've ever heard. Everybody else woke up for breakfast and Tyler sheepishly rolls in wearing a suit. Turns out he woke up, got the award and tried to blend in before anyone noticed. He doesn't say a word about one of the most prestigious honors in basketball until someone asks. Great, great stuff.

Tonight at 6, Tyler told us that he didn't come to the Final Four for personal honors. He wants to win the National Title with his teammates. He's the most casual college basketball legend I've ever been around. Nothing he's ever done has impressed him. Tyler's teammates told us that his remarkable intensity really has cranked up a notch in the post season. If he continues to play like he plays, Carolina will be tough to beat. After talking with Tyler today I like UNC's chances to win it all.

What impresses the Heels about the Final Four in San Antonio? The long walk from the locker rooms to the floor. Maybe someone else is star struck but not the Heels. Deon Thompson talked about the walk, and Quentin Thomas talked about how well his teammates are handling everything. This is a special group for many reasons, and the way they go about their business tops the list.

A couple of Jayhawks from the '88 National Title team at KU are here and it's obvious that their shot at Roy Williams is special for many reasons. Chris Piper does radio for the Jayhawks and he told stories about the similarities between this team and the champs from 20 years ago. The road was the same with games in Omaha and Detroit before the Final 4. Danny Manning was the star then and works as an assistant at KU now for Bill Self.

UNC legend Larry Brown is also here. Larry wants to coach again, so he's doing interviews telling everyone that he has great ties to every one of the programs here. Carolina for obvious reasons from his playing days; Memphis for his ties with John Calipari when Coach Cal was just getting started as a grad assistant; UCLA because he coached there; and Kansas because he coached there, too, leading that '88 team dubbed "Danny and the Miracles."

It was awfully sad for me to see Kansas reserve guard Roderick Stewart fracture his kneecap today. I covered Roderick and his brother in high school. It wasn't their fault that some service ranked them in the top 2 or 3 high school players in America. Watching them struggle to live up to other people's expectations is a cautionary tale about all those recruiting services.

My New Best Friend from the Texas Highway Patrol

The State Troopers in Texas like to believe that they are the best the country has to offer. No argument here. (I have 'em tied with the fine men and women from North Carolina in my personal trooper poll.)

Last night I was stopped on I-10 from Houston to San Antonio, and I deserved to be stopped. I won't say how fast I was driving, but it was fast enough that the cows I passed were all stopping to take a peak as I blew by. My strategy was simple: admit that I was speeding, firmly beg for mercy and tell the trooper honestly that I was flying, er, driving, to make my 11pm live shot from the Alamo Dome. The fine trooper could not have been nicer. Up until Saturday when "Tar Heels win!" will be the greatest phrase I can hear in Texas, this takes over first place through tenth place: "Mr. Bailey, I'll give you a warning if you promise to take it easy." Bless the great state of Texas. (Texas is actually a republic, but that's another story for another time.)

Welcome to the Final Four

It's big. Really big. Bigger than any arena, coliseum or gym that I've ever been in. We walked for 10 minutes to get from the entrance of the Alamo Dome to the media center that's somewhere in the basement. We'll walk another 5 minutes from our "video room" to the rooms where players are doing interviews. Not a complaint at all -- just big. I forgot how Texans do things like this, spread out and then spread out some more.

Now It Can Be Told

Maybe you heard me say before on the air that I covered Roy Williams and some great Kansas teams for 5 years earlier in my career. These were the Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz, Jacque Vaughn teams that always found a way to fall short of the Final Four. I covered their tournament stops in places like Memphis, Denver and Oklahoma City and something always kept them from their dreams. One year it was Miles Simon and Arizona. The next it was Cutino Mobley and Rhode Island. The state of Kansas would go into mourning and Roy would climb onto the podium and cry for his players. Last year in the Meadowlands, more of the same. As I watched the Heels' 10 point lead evaporate late against Georgetown I was convinced that I had cursed Roy wherever he was. (I had not yet arrived in Charlotte when Roy and Carolina won it in 2005.) All that was wiped clean when UNC took over late to beat Louisville. Glad to be here with a great team and a great collection of characters in the UNC locker room.

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