Nelson harries Heels after Cota's fourth foul
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Florida's press had worked in fits and starts, but the offense
still needed a lift for the Gators to shake North Carolina on Saturday night.
Brett Nelson, the Gators' best penetrating guard, had fed Udonis Haslem for a dunk to trim the lead to 48-46, but following a Kris Lang hook shot, the Tar Heels looked like they could keep the Gators at bay.
|  | | Brett Nelson's penetrating ability hurt the Tar Heels. |
But North Carolina point guard Ed Cota picked up his fourth foul
on the next possession, making him vulnerable to the driving Nelson.
"I kind of got in a rhythm," Nelson said. "I was penetrating and kicking it
out and through our offense I was knocking my shots down."
Sensing the weakness, Nelson cruised down court, found an open
spot and buried a jumper to cut the UNC lead to 50-48. Nelson fed Haslem for a
jam to tie the game on the next possession.
He had a hand in the next three baskets, including a jumper and
3-pointer to help propel the Gators to a 71-59 national semifinal victory
Saturday at the RCA Dome.
"Brett's the best at finding the spot and getting his shot off quickly," Florida assistant John Pelphrey.
Nelson, a freshman point guard, finished with 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench. But his two 3s and four assists were the difference for a Gators team looking for an X factor.
North Carolina had climbed back from an 18-3 deficit by going on a
31-19 run to end the first half. The Tar Heels switched defenses, causing
some problems for the Gators when they went zone. But Cota's fourth foul
allowed Nelson the needed space to get free for his shot.
"It definitely changed the momentum of the game," Cota said. "My
team wasn't comfortable with me playing with four fouls. My approach to the
game was definitely different. I wasn't being aggressive anymore. I was
giving guys open shots because I didn't want to pick up my fifth foul."
That's why Florida's depth -- namely Nelson -- was able to wear on the
Tar Heels. The traps that weren't working during the middle stretch of the
game suddenly became more effective.
"I knew I had to step up because we weren't shooting the ball well
in the second half," Nelson said. "I just came in and brought energy and
knocked down my shots."
When Nelson went out later in the second half, Haslem finished the
job by putting away the Tar Heels with a basket while Teddy Dupay added a
steal and mid-range jumper.
The Gators' finishing run negated Brendan Haywood's 20 points and
Joseph Forte's second-half run of making 5 of 11 shots.
"Things came so easily at the beginning of the game," Dupay said.
"We must have set a record for deflections in those first 10 minutes. We got
a lot of breaks and made some shots, while they missed them. It wasn't easy
because they showed a lot of heart and didn't fold."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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