Battles between titans are always filled with their share of anticipation, but rarely do the opponents bring in so much shared history as in the Final Four slugfest-to-be that is Kansas vs. North Carolina. Besides giving college sports fans one of the greatest championship games in history in 1957 when the Tarheels defteated Wilt Chamberlin and the Jayhawks 54-53 in triple overtime, the entwined history of these two powerhouses that follows should lead to one of the most anticipated Final Four matchups in history.
December 1891......In the beginning there was James Naismith and he was good, for he invented the game which has such a devoted following. James Naismith -Kansas' first coach- begat Forrest "PHOG" Allen, the legendary coach who ended his career with a 771-223 record, which was a record for coaching victories when he retired. Allen begat coaching greats Adolph Rupp (who coached future Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley at Kentucky) and Dean Smith. Dean Smith not only set the record for coaching victories at 879 (since surpassed by Bobby Knight), but he helped in the cyclical relationship between UNC and KU by coaching two more elite coaches: Larry Brown and Roy Williams.
Continue reading "Roy's Boys vs. The Big Blue Phog: College Basketball at Its Finest"
