SAN ANTONIO — Once upon a time, Cole Aldrich was an afterthought, the fourth big man off the bench, just another big body at Kansas coach Bill Self’s disposal.

On Saturday night against North Carolina, Aldrich etched his name onto the list of greatest relief performances in Kansas basketball history.

Photo Gallery

Kansas Basketball vs. North Carolina

Photo gallery of Kansas' Final Four game against North Carolina, Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Kansas’ freshman center scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench in Kansas’ 84-66 victory against North Carolina, including one board that Aldrich snatched from the clutches of North Carolina All-American Tyler Hansbrough.

“I wasn’t gonna let go,” Aldrich said.

Aldrich’s supporting performance may go down in Kansas lore if the Jayhawks follow up their Saturday night victory with a national title tonight against Memphis.

And oddly enough, Self saw it coming.

Earlier this week Self corrected a reporter who had asked how important Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun and Darrell Arthur would be in Kansas’ attempt to contain Hansbrough. Don’t forget about Cole, Self reminded.

Self’s prophecy came true.

“He may have won the game for us tonight as much as anybody,” Self said.

With seniors Kaun and Jackson both committing two early fouls, Self faced a coaching calamity. Send Aldrich, who averaged 8.1 minutes per game during the regular season, onto the floor to guard Hansbrough, the Tar Heels’ leading scorer and the AP National Player of the Year.

No sweat. Aldrich responded with 13 first-half minutes played, six points during Kansas’ fun-n-gun first half, and one rebound that Aldrich couldn’t help but smile about.

With 10 minutes left in the first half and Kansas leading 31-10, Aldrich sprang from the floor and ripped the ball away from a bewildered Hansbrough.

“Tyler usually outworks someone, but tonight, he got outworked,” Rush said.

Aldrich, along with help from Kaun, Jackson and Arthur, held Hansbrough to 17 points and nine rebounds, a shade below his usual averages of 23.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

“I don’t think he was quite used to going against four guys that can hold their own,” Aldrich said. “We just tried to come out and put pressure on him.”

The Kansas frontcourt also controlled the glass, shouldering a 42-33 rebound advantage against their frontcourt comrades from North Carolina.

“We knew we had to keep them off the glass to win the game,” Aldrich said.

Aldrich’s 6-foot-10 frame stood tall in Kansas’ victorious locker room, searching for words to describe his nation-wide coming out party.

“It was a blast,” Aldrich said. “This game meant a lot to a lot of people.”

Kansas junior walk-on Matt Kleinmann, sitting 35 feet to Aldrich’s left, had his own take on Aldrich’s bench performance du jour.

“He played like a man tonight,” Kleinmann said.

— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld

Prime Plays

First Half

18:25- Russell Robinson makes a three-pointer to give Kansas a 7-2 lead. Maybe the Jayhawks have a pretty good chance after all, huh?

9:35- Kansas is cruising. Cole Aldrich rips a rebound away from Tyler Hansbrough then gets fouled. His free throws extend the KU lead to 33-10.

7:32- Brandon Rush hits a three-pointer. He didn’t make many open shots, but he still scored 25. This one gave Kansas a 38-12 lead.

0:00- Sherron Collins twists into the lane to make a layup at the buzzer. This had to settle the stomach of a few fans who started getting queasy after Carolina whittled the lead down to 15.

Second Half

11:15- Yikes. Wayne Ellington makes a layup to bring North Carolina to within four at 54-50. He gets a huge block on Mario Chalmers seven seconds later.

5:25- It’s over now. With Carolina down five, Collins breaks their hearts by hitting a three from the top of the key. Kansas now leads 67-59.

3:40- Three defenders swarm Hansbrough, who travels. Kansas’ defense was much better than Carolina’s all night.

0:00- Can you say, ‘Monday’?

—Mark Dent

A special Final Four edition of the High/Low from San Antonio

Highs

Jayhawk Nation

Kansas fans may have been quiet and reserved on the San Antonio River Walk – unlike UCLA’s boastful bunch – but inside the Alamodome, Kansas fans were the loudest of the lot. A large contingent of students made for a loud section in the nosebleed seats, and Kansas’ lopsided victory allowed for the Rock Chalk chant to reverberate through the massive dome in the final minutes.

Rodrick Stewart

It’ll be a moment Stewart will never forget. Sidelined with a broken kneecap, Stewart sat behind the Kansas bench with his leg elevated. In the closing moments, the Kansas section started chanting his name, and Stewart broke down and started to tear up.

“I just wanted to be out there for a second,” Stewart said.

We’re not gonna take it

It’s quickly becoming the anthem to Kansas’ Final Four run. North Carolina had crept back in to the game after trailing 40-12, and Kansas was on its heels. Then the under 8:00 media time-out came, and the Kansas band belted out Twisted Sister’s classic rocker, “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” And just like they did against Davidson, Kansas found a way to close out the game.

Lows

Derrick Rose

Any Kansas fan who saw Memphis’ freshman guard, Rose, play against UCLA can’t be too exited about playing the Tigers. Rose scored 25 points, snatched nine rebounds and racked up four assists.

Foul Trouble

Kansas found a way to advance, but Bill Self must be hoping that Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson combine for more than 27 minutes of court time against Memphis. Foul trouble, a season long nemesis, reared its ugly head against North Carolina.

Ty Lawson

Lawson, North Carolina’s starting sophomore point guard, hardly looked like the fastest guard on the floor against Kansas. Lawson was 2-of-8 from the field, and looked bewildered next to Kansas’ guards.

—Rustin Dodd

Notebook

Don't care about Roy

The fans might have thought there was more at stake against North Carolina, but the team didn’t. Bill Self never once brought up the fact that Kansas was playing against its former coach.

“There is no jealousy, no animosity between coach Williams and myself,” Self said, “at least on this end. And I have never this entire week said, ‘Look, we need to do better because this would better for me with our fan base’ or anything like that. It wouldn’t have made any difference who was on the other bench.”

Hansbrough to the NBA?

Well, he sure didn’t look a pro Saturday night, but there’s a chance that Tyler Hansbrough, a junior, could make the jump. Williams said they’d discuss the situation soon.

“You know,” Williams said, “I have no idea. Tyler and I talked before the season, said we’d discuss it when the season is over with. We’ll probably sit down Tuesday or Wednesday and try to start making some decisions.”

Extra special for Teahan

Conner Teahan, a Rockhurst High School graduate, played Hansbrough when they were in high school. During Teahan’s sophomore year, his team faced Poplar Bluff, Hansbrough’s team in the Missouri 5A state semifinal. Teahan said Hansbrough, a senior, scored 36 points, and that he scored 19. Rockhurst lost by six. Poplar Bluff went on to win the state title.

“The whole team was pretty much him and his brother,” Teahan said.

—Mark Dent