More NCAA Basketball Tournament Notes

This is the 19th time North Carolina has made at least the national semi-final/Final Four round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

They are (10-9) in semi-final games and enter tonight’s Final vs Villanova, with a (5-4) record in such games. The breakdown includes (1-0) “semis” records under Ben Carnevale in 1946 and Frank McGuire in 1957.

Under current coach, Roy Williams, “N.C.” is (3-1) in semi-final games. Dean Smith had a (4-9) record in such games, as North Carolina coach, including a loss to current North Carolina coach Roy Williams’ Kansas squad, in a 1991 semi-final game.

Villanova is (3-1) in semi-final games, their lone loss to North Carolina in 2009.

It should be noted that Villanova won a regional final game vs North Carolina en route to its only title in 1985. Since as already noted in another post, North Carolina has beaten Villanova thrice en route to titles, no matter the victor tonight, one or the other beat the other, en route to 5 of the last 6 titles won by the teams.