Tar Heels Rule Women's Tournament

It was Kay Yow's tournament but North Carolina's championship. The Tar Heels beat the Pack 60-54 for their third straight ACC women's title.

Yow, the legendary N.C. State coach whose continuing battle with breast cancer has been an inspiration to all, was met everywhere in Greensboro this weekend with applause, good wishes and admiration. Even North Carolina was pulling for Coach Yow. They just didn't want her to win this game.

"If I wasn't coaching Carolina, I probably would've been pulling for them too," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell. "I knew we had to overcome the emotion, and that's what we talked about all day -- matching the emotion of their team."

N.C. State did play with emotion. They hit Carolina hard right at the very outset, bolting to as much as an 11-point lead. But North Carolina did get the emotion that Sylvia Hatchell knew they needed from senior star Ivory Latta. The ever-expressive Latta, who sometimes carries emotion to an extreme, had 20 points, including crucial buckets when it most counted. She also became North Carolina's all-time leading scorer and in the process kept a promise that she says she made her freshman year after the 2004 championship loss to Duke.

"I just know after that game I had tears in my eyes and I told (Hatchell), ' This won't happen again,'" Latta said.

And she was right. It was three straight ACC championships for Ivory Latta and North Carolina.

Latta, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player for a third straight year, is a fun player to watch. Quick and competitive, she's always carried the emotion of every play right with her. She will leave Carolina as one of the ACC's all-time greats, and her impact on the women's game will leave a deep imprint.

"We were leaving the arena out there, and all these little kids were calling her name," Hatchell said. "She's done so much for the game of basketball."

As has N.C. State's Kay Yow, whose very presence turned her team's season around. After missing 16 games while undergoing chemotherapy, Yow's return to the bench coincided with the Wolfpack winning 10 of their last 12 and making it all the way to the ACC championship game.

"You can't hit a wall emotionally when you've got Coach Yow next to you," said the Wolfpack's Ashley Key, who had 14 points. "We just didn't come out with a win today, but emotionally we're still there."

And Kay Yow, who is obviously drained and fighting a bad cough, is grateful for all the love and affection that she has been shown.

"Well, I'm overwhelmed by how people tell me I'm an inspiration to them," Yow said. "I'm just doing the best I can."

Her best has inspired her basketball team, and it has meant a lot to many people.

So now it's on to the NCAA Tournament. North Carolina and Duke will almost assuredly be number one seeds. Maryland will probably be a second seed, and N.C. State with its fast finish could be a fourth seed. It will all play out in a week.

Despite coming into the tournament with a glittering 27-3 record, the Tar Heels were somewhat disappointed with their regular season. Three days in Greensboro changed that. North Carolina will enter the NCAA tournament at 30-3 and with the momentum of ACC champions.