Jazz players recall NCAA tourney glory days

"They've got a good team. I'm obviously confident in my Tar Heels. I'm obviously confident in my college coach (Roy Williams)," Williams said. "It'll be a good match-up. It'll be fun to watch."

Beating Foye's Villanova squad was just one great moment during that magical run for the Tar Heels. Williams' face lit up with an ear-to-ear grin while going back eight years to talk about that tournament.

"That was probably the most special time I've ever had playing basketball, just the run through the tournament, to see the excitement on campus, and throughout the team," Williams said. "Obviously, winning Coach Williams his first national championship, he had been to the Final Four a few times, but he couldn't quite finish it out. We got him his first one and that's really a special moment for all of us."

Part of Williams is bummed the Jazz will be in Texas the rest of the week.

He would have loved to have camped out at the arena for six NCAA games between the likes of Gonzaga, New Mexico, Pittsburgh and, of course, Belmont.

"Obviously, we're going to miss it, but it'll still be a good time for Salt Lake," Williams said. "I'd be here without a doubt. It's always fun to watch the tournament. You never know who's going to win, so it's always fun to have that element of surprise."

In all, eight Jazz players have teams in the Big Dance and three guys' squads are in the NIT. Four players have no rooting interests remaining in action, not even in the CBI or CIT.

You can bet Utah players will have their TVs tuned in at the hotel or locker room on Thursday and Friday, and hopefully later.

"That's going to be their Super Bowl, the first game," Foye said of his Wildcats' showdown with North Carolina. "I believe in them. I think they can do some pretty good things. I think we're going to come out being in the Sweet Sixteen."

Because Indianapolis isn't too far away, Hayward believes Butler will have good fan support in Lexington, Ky., where the Bulldogs take on Bucknell in the first round.

"I'll just have to watch them on TV. I'll be rooting for them. They've got a tough first-round match-up," Hayward said. "But some of the other games, if they were to win, they've got some other teams in their region that they've already beaten in the regular season.

"In that regard," he added, "I think it's kind of favorable for them."

P.S. Be careful when asking Mo Williams about his college. He razzed a reporter for asking about NIT-bound Alabama and the NCAAs.

"That might be a soft spot for him right now," Marvin Williams joked.

Mo Williams believes he has an inside track on the team pool, though. He smiled when that was brought up and added, "I plan on winning that, by the way."

Join the crowd.

Everybody in the tournament or with a filled-out bracket in hand is a winner the Monday before March Madness begins.

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NCAA TOURNAMENT

Gordon Hayward's Butler vs. Bucknell

Randy Foye's Villanova vs. North Carolina

Marvin Williams' North Carolina vs. Villanova

Alec Burks' Colorado vs. Illinois

DeMarre Carroll's Missouri vs. Colorado State

Jeremy Evans' Western Kentucky vs. Kansas

Jamaal Tinsley's Iowa State vs. Notre Dame

Earl Watson's UCLA vs. Minnesota

NIT TOURNAMENT

Paul Millsap's Louisiana Tech vs. Florida State

Mo Williams' Alabama vs. Northeastern

Enes Kanter's Kentucky vs. Robert Morris

NO POSTSEASON TEAMS

Al Jefferson, Prentiss HS

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech

Travis Leslie, Georgia

Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech