Tar Heels' O vs. Cougars' D

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In a perfect world, Roy Williams never would see his North Carolina team stop running.

The Tar Heels would sprint out in transition on every possession. They'd push the ball ahead for get-you-right-back baskets to answer scores. And, by the end, their offense would leave demoralized opponents struggling to catch their breath.

His team lived up to that standard last weekend to start the NCAA Tournament. Yet Williams knows that the No. 1 overall seed can't keep scoring at that pace, especially against a Washington State team that has been just as impressive defensively to reach today's East regional semifinals.

Of course, Williams figures his team can win a boring ol' half-court game, too.

"I like to win in the 80s and 90s, but to … reach the dreams that we have and be the team we want to be, you've got to be able to win at somebody else's different tempo," Williams said Wednesday. "It can't be your own comfort zone all the time, and for the most part I've had teams in the past that could win in the 50s and 60s. I just enjoy it more if it's 80s and 90s."

The Tar Heels (34-2) rank second nationally in scoring (89.9 points) while reaching the century mark eight times this year.

Now they face the fourth-seeded Cougars (26-8), a team that has been almost as dominant in the NCAAs behind a focus-on-fundamentals philosophy and a defense that held Winthrop and Notre Dame to a combined 81 points.

Washington State, appearing in the Round of 16 for the first time, ranks second nationally in scoring defense (56.1 points per game). Their offense averages 67 points per game in a system that coach Tony Bennett picked up from his father, Dick, the former Wisconsin coach who preceded his son in Pullman, Wash.