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Princeton University Athletics
Doherty And Thompson Remember The Supderdome
March 16, 2001 | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2001
By MARY FOSTER
AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS - North Carolina coach Matt Doherty stood at the 3-point line before practice, being fed the ball by a student manager. Up they went, one after another - swish, swish, swish.
"I hit 10 out of 12 3-pointers," said Doherty, who averaged nine points a game as a North Carolina player. "Which makes me think coach (Dean) Smith did not use me right. I should have gotten to shoot the ball more."
That would have been tough. Doherty's teammates included Sam Perkins, James Worthy and Michael Jordan, who scored such memorable shots as the jumper with 17 seconds left that beat Georgetown for the NCAA title in the Louisiana Superdome in 1982.
"My players asked me where I was when Mike hit that shot in 82," Doherty said. "I was wide open at the foul line and he wouldn't pass the ball. Michael wanted tickets to this game, but I told him no. I'm still mad." Kidding aside, North Carolina has enjoyed playing in the Superdome. The Tar Heels are 4-0 in previous NCAA games in the building and won their last two national titles in the building in 1982 and '93.
This time they're looking for a big start in the Dome.
"We know North Carolina has done well in the Superdome in the past," said Tar Heel center Brendan Haywood. "We can't rely on the past. We just have to worry about the present."
No. 2 seed North Carolina (25-6) opens against 15th seed Princeton (16-10) Friday night.
It's the 27th straight NCAA appearance for the Tar Heels. They've also been to the Final Four six times in the last 10 years.
Princeton has one player with NCAA experience - Nate Walton played one minute in the 1998 second-round loss to Michigan State.
"You want to respect the other team without fearing them," Walton said. "At Princeton, you don't have that same fear that a lot of small schools have. We've had success in the past. The coaches are always instilling that we should win, not that we are trying to come close. Everyone on our team feels we have a good chance to win the game."
Like Doherty, Princeton coach John Thompson III has never coached in the NCAA tournament before. But the son of one of basketball's most successful coaches also remembers that 1982 game.
He was a teen-ager sitting behind the Georgetown bench and his father was the Georgetown coach.
"He gave me a list of churches and chapels in the New Orleans area and told me to pray a lot," Thompson said.
In the other Friday games at the Superdome, it will be Temple vs. Texas, followed by Florida vs. Western Kentucky and Penn State vs. Providence.
The sixth-seeded Longhorns and 11th-seeded Temple are both expecting a low-scoring, physical game, and that's fine with them.
"I told our team that this could be a great opportunity because of Temple's success," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "We want to get to the next level and, to do it, you've got to make some noise against a team like Temple."
At last season's Final Four, Florida beat North Carolina 71-59 in the semifinals. The Gators then lost to Michigan State 89-76 in the championship game.
"They don't have quite the same depth," said Western Kentucky coach Dennis Felton. "They have much more experience, which is accompanied by a higher level of poise. They are very confident. Every time they step on the court now, they expect to win. It's a tremendous challenge for our team to beat a team that is so talented."
Providence and Penn State both feature three-guard offenses and man-to-man defenses.
"I'd like to think that it is all going to come down to execution," said Penn State coach Jerry Dunn. "I think you're always going to try to negate the strength of your opponent, but at the same time we have to play our game and not be overly concerned about what the other team is trying to do."