North Carolina not looking for redemption at Final Four

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The moment Kris Jenkins’ last-second 3-point shot went through the hoop and turned Villanova from a potential loser into a winner a year ago, North Carolina coach Roy Williams began preaching redemption as motivation to his shellshocked team.

The Tar Heels left Houston empty-handed and soul-searching after losing in the NCAA championship game, 77-74.

But they’re back at the Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium, and it’s no longer a matter of redemption. To Williams and his players, redemption was getting back. Now the focus is on the present, not the past.

“In the locker room was the most inadequate feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” Williams said. “And it’s hard. It’s hard to think about it. It’s hard to talk about it because my kids gave me everything they had, and the other team made a big-time play.

“I told them let’s use this as fuel, as motivation, to work extremely hard in the offseason. And that’s where I left it. But I haven’t got it up on the wall in the locker room or anything like that. It was used as motivation to work hard and be the best player they could be.”

The players also aren’t thinking redemption. If North Carolina were playing Villanova again, that would be a chance for redemption. When the Tar Heels beat Kentucky 75-73 in the South Regional final last week, that was redemption for a 103-100 loss to the Wildcats on Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Arena.

“I don’t even remember last year’s game (with Villanova),” forward Kennedy Meeks said. “I haven’t even thought about it being redemption. This is a new team and a new year. I’m concentrating on winning these next two games.”

First things first. The Tar Heels (31-7) must defeat Oregon (33-5), the Pacific 12 Conference champion and Midwest Regional champ. The Ducks also won the Pac 12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena.

“They’re a great team with a lot of weapons,” junior guard Joel Berry II said. “They’re an athletic team that likes to get out and run and push the tempo. So we have to make sure we get back on defense and not give them any easy looks.”

Sounds as if Berry learned his lesson from last year in Houston, as Villanova ran the perfect transition play to give Jenkins a wide-open look at the 3-pointer. Berry has been nursing a sore left ankle, and his feet swelled up from the flight to Phoenix. He said he’s playing Saturday but admitted he’s not 100 percent.

“I wouldn’t say redemption,” Berry said. “More like unfinished business. We didn’t finish what we came to Houston to do. Now we’re in Arizona to finish what we started.”

Meeks said every year is different and every situation is different.

“I feel like we can’t compare this team to last year because it isn’t the same team,” he said. “We’re in the same position. But it’s a new year, new teams in the Final Four. We just happen to be the only team that’s back.”

Unlike Meeks, senior forward Brandon Hicks said last year will never go away in his mind.

“It will always stick with us because that was the biggest moment of our careers in college and we lost at the buzzer,” he said. “I don’t think we will ever get over it, but it is always nice to have a second chance.”

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Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.