Harris Walker gives Tennessee an extra athletic defender on Cota, and Terrence Woods will get a shot to bust Carolina's zone. Slay, who scored 15 points in 18 minutes against Lafayette, has supplanted starter Victor as the Vols' best inside weapon. Still, Slay can play and is the Vols' most valuable frontcourt reserve. Bill Guthridge received much criticism this season after the Tar Heels underachieved. Guthridge apologized repeatedly in Birmingham, Ala., for not pushing the right buttons with this team during the regular season, but he has been handicapped by injuries that ravaged the bench and kept him from playing the pressure defense that has been Carolina's trademark.
Critics say the team lacks fire, and that is a valid charge.
But don't discount Guthridge's experience in key games. Few teams are going to beat Carolina when it comes to Xs and Os. And he does have a Final Four on his resume. And now he has his team on a roll at the right time. The upset of Stanford was overshadowed a little by all of the other upsets taking place in the second round, but that shouldn't diminish the win over the Cardinal, which pushed Guthridge's NCAA record to 6-2.