KANSAS CITY — The hard feelings haven't faded. It's been 10 years since Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina, but Jayhawks fans still treat the former coach like Walter O'Malley stepping foot in Brooklyn.
Perhaps they should let go. Every time Williams and the Tar Heels take on the Jayhawks, Kansas moves one step closer to a national championship.
After trailing by 11 in the final minute of the first half, South Region No. 1 seed Kansas finally came to life after the break, carried by Travis Releford's 22 points, and knocked Williams out of the tournament for the second straight season and third time in as many meetings with a 70-58 win over eighth-seeded North Carolina in the third round of the NCAA Tournament yesterday at the Sprint Center.
AP
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Kansas (31-5) advances to its third straight Sweet 16, against No. 4 Michigan, while the Tar Heels (25-11) failed to reach the second week for the first time in six years.
"No, it is not any more painful. We lost to another basketball team," Williams said. "The fact that I coached there for 15 years is extremely important to me, but it doesn't add anything today. I hurt for myself. I hurt for the kids in the locker room. NCAA tournament, the suddenness, the swiftness with which your season is over with is dramatic. It hurts everywhere."
With the game being played less than an hour from Kansas' campus, Williams received a hostile greeting, but North Carolina quieted the crowd by taking a 30-21 halftime lead while holding Kansas to 25 percent shooting from the field. But Kansas went on a 22-5 run to open the second half and turn momentum for good. Williams being warned for leaving the coach's box added to Jayhawks fans' glee.
Releford hit 9 of his first 11 shots and scored 21 of Kansas' first 47 points, sparking an exchange of excitement between the senior and the 17,000-plus bathed in royal blue.
"With them cheering us on, giving us that energy, it helps us a lot," Releford said. "When we go down, I feel like the game's not over at any point."
For the first 25 minutes, Releford was the lone aggressor, but his confidence soon became contagious.
"He put the team on his back tonight for sure," center Jeff Withey said. "He played great defense. Offensively, he was a stud. He was tough. It was awesome to see him do that."
The Jayhawks somehow flipped a switch in the second half and knocked down 63 percent (17 of 27) from the field, including 5-of-8 3-pointers after missing their first six. This wasn't Jekyll and Hyde. This was the 1973 76ers turning into the 1996 Bulls.
Meanwhile, Williams' mid-season switch to a perimeter-oriented Tar Heels offense finally backfired.
With the undersized lineup unable to do any damage inside against Withey, the 3-point shooting that carried North Carolina to nine wins in its past 11 games went cold.
P.J. Hairston led North Carolina with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting while the team hit 6-of-21 on 3-pointers and was out-rebounded 50-36. Withey grabbed a career-high 16 boards along with 16 points and five blocks, helping make up for another lackluster performance from much-hyped freshman Ben McLemore, who had two points on 0-for-9 shooting from the field.
"It was definitely a nightmare in the second half, there's no question about that," Williams said. "You know, the change in the lineup, I tried to get the best five basketball players on the court for us. We knew we were giving up some rebounding, but we knew we were adding some things offensively from the perimeter."
howard.kussoy@nypost.com
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