Tar Heels knock off top-seeded Stanford

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A lot from freshman Joseph Forte and a little bit of Tar Heels tradition turned out to be too much for top-seeded Stanford. <br><br>Forte hit two huge 3-pointers in the closing minutes

Sunday, March 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A lot from freshman Joseph Forte and a little bit of Tar Heels tradition turned out to be too much for top-seeded Stanford.

Forte hit two huge 3-pointers in the closing minutes and North Carolina upset Stanford 60-53 Sunday in the second round of the South Regional.

Forte finished with 17 points, sparking a decisive 10-0 run and punctuating his effort with a game-ending dunk.

Ed Cota added 10 assists, seven points and seven rebounds as the eighth-seeded Tar Heels (20-13) recorded their 30th straight 20-win season.

North Carolina improved to 9-0 overall against Stanford and more important, moved on to the regional semifinals Friday night in Austin, Texas, against the Connecticut-Tennessee winner.

And, for now, the win quieted speculation that coach Bill Guthridge should be replaced.
Stanford (27-4), ranked No. 1 for much of the season, joined Arizona as top-seeded teams to lose in the second round.

David Moseley scored 17 points, but hotshot Casey Jacobsen had only five and was outplayed in the freshman matchup with Forte. Jacobsen missed a pair of 3-point tries near the end, and finished 2-for-12 from the floor.