N. CAROLINA, DUKE MAKE IT A FOURSOME TAR HEELS SURVIVE TEMPLE.(Sports)

Byline: Joe Layden Staff writer

It isn't easy wearing Carolina blue.

People expect things. Like the folks who write coach Dean Smith every year, wanting to know when the Tar Heels will be returning to the Final Four. And the supposed experts who, afer watching No.2 seed Syracuse fall to Richmond in the first roud, proclaimed North Carolina's path to Indianapolis the smoothest in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Well, it wasn't all that smooth, but the top-seeded Tar Heels have survived. With Sunday's 75-72 victory over No.10 seed Temple in the Eastern Regional final at Byrne Arena, they advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1982.

"Personally, I'm very pleased," Smith said. "I'm happy for the team and I'm happy for the staff. It's an exciting time for the program."

"It's exciting," said senior point guard King Rice. "We've been close before, but we've never made …