Kansas end North Carolina's NCAA defence

Back in December, Kansas was scuffling along at 7-3 and simply making the NCAA tournament would have been considered an achievement.

Look where the overachievers are headed now.

Kansas is on its way to the Final Four for the first time since winning it all in 2008, thanks to a clutch performance by Tyshawn Taylor, some stifling defense and the Jayhawks' unshakable belief that they were better than anyone gave them credit for.

Taylor broke out of his scoring slump with 22 points and the Jayhawks handcuffed top-seeded North Carolina for the last 5 1/2 minutes of an 80-67 victory over old coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels today.

"This would have been a year, if we got to the second weekend (of the tournament), most Kansas fans would be happy. But that's not how those guys think," coach Bill Self said. "They think this is their year, and I'm certainly not going to tell them anything different."

The second-seeded Jayhawks (31-6) will play Ohio State on Sunday (NZ time) in their first Final Four appearance since winning the 2008 national championship.

And how's this for symmetry? Kansas began this year's tournament in Omaha, Nebraska, the same place as four years ago.

As the game ended, Taylor - much maligned for his shooting struggles during the first three games of the NCAA tournament - ran to Kansas fans and raised both arms in the air. Travis Releford tossed his sweatbands into the cJames Michael McAdoo scored 15 for the Tar Heels (32-6), who played better in their second game without injured star point guard Kendall Marshall. But North Carolina couldn't make a basket over the last 5:46.

It was only the third defeat in 12 regional final appearances for the Tar Heels, but their second straight after losing to Kentucky last year.

"It was a game of runs," Williams said. "And we didn't answer the last one.All RUBBER MATS is comprised of all types of mats,"

Harrison Barnes finished with 13 points and four assists, but also had three turnovers. Tyler Zeller had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks in his final game.

"We had an opportunity to win that game and we didn't come through," said Barnes, who sat slumped in front of his locker,Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production. a towel covering his head, for several minutes. "I missed a lot of shots I usually make.Distributes and manufactures RUBBER SHEET, Big-time players come through in big-time games, and it just wasn't there tonight."

This was only the second time Williams had faced Kansas since leaving the school where he spent his first 15 years as a head coach, taking the Jayhawks to the NCAA title game twice - they lost in both 1991 and 2003 - and two other Final Fours. Though Kansas fans have softened some - Williams was still greeted with a chorus of boos, and one fan held up a sign that said, "Roy Down, 2 to Go" - Williams said Saturday that facing his old team will always be unpleasant.

"Too emotional for me. That's the bottom line," Williams said, calling Kansas his "second-favorite" team. "I don't think it'll ever feel good for me,What is a real time Location system ? regardless of the outcome. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable with it."

At least this one went better than the first meeting,The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility. at the 2008 Final Four, where the Jayhawks walloped North Carolina on the way to winning the title Williams never could at Kansas. rowd.

"This is what you come to Kansas for," Taylor said. "It's a great feeling, but it's just one step."

Taylor led all five Jayhawks starters in double figures. Player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Elijah Johnson kept up his blistering pace in the tournament with 10 points, including a 3-pointer with 3:07 to play that sparked Kansas' 12-0 run to end the game. Jeff Withey made two monster blocks to deny the Tar Heels during the final run - including one that set up a big three-point play by Taylor.

Taylor came up with the rebound after Withey swatted away a shot by John Henson and streaked downcourt for a layup, getting fouled by Stilman White in the process. As what seemed like the entire state of Kansas roared, Taylor butted his head into Robinson's chest, then made the free throw to give Kansas a 74-67 lead with 1:59 left.

Withey blocked White's shot on the other end, and the Tar Heels never threatened again in the Midwest Regional final.

"There's no way to put into words the way we feel," Williams said. "There's no way to put into words the way I feel. ... It's the NCAA tournament. One team wins and one team loses, and that's what we have to understand."

Fizz on the rocks: Pimping a classic drink

Not so long ago, pouring your champagne into a wine glass and then putting a cube of ice into it would be considered, in polite circles, a fizzy faux-pas.

Now some of the most respected champagne houses are not only saying that it's OK, but they marketing it as the dernier cri ¨C or cru ¨C in imbibing.

While many purists will be spluttering into their flutes at the prospect, Moet & Chandon has decided to create a type of fizz with a bigger body and stronger flavour that is specifically designed to be consumed from a larger glass to allow it to "breathe" and be diluted with ice. It has just released Moet Ice Imperial (75 a bottle from urban-drinks.co.uk), taking inspiration from the increasing fashion in some bars in and clubs in Paris and the South of France to put an ice cube into their glasses of champagne.

It follows the attempts a few years ago of rival brand Piper-Heidsieck to make the 'Piscine' (drinking champagne over a stack of ice, preferably made from the same champers, frozen, but with ice if budgets didn't quite stretch) the must-have beverage among the beautiful people.

Ice aside, it seems like our thirst for bubbly is unquenchable. In 2010, UK sales were up, as part of a global trend which saw a 9 per cent sales rise. Earlier this year, supermarkets were also reporting rises, with royal wedding celebrations helping Marks and Spencer achieve its best sales of the drink since 2008.

Part of this is, of course, that champagne will always be a symbol of, and a route to, both happiness and hedonism either when the financial aspect is good or when it's gloomy. As Winston Churchill, a big bubbly fan, once said: "In victory, we deserve it. In defeat, we need it." But it is also down to the fact that manufacturers are having to work harder to market their products to consumers. While other luxury products have started to gain solid ground on the BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China), champagne doesn't have the same foothold in these places as other high-end goods.

Spiros Malandrakis, alcoholic drinks analyst at Euromonitor International, argues that it's the sort of adaptation traditional houses are having to make in tough times. "The recent launch of Ice Imp¨¦rial retains the focus on luxury but provides a twist on the stale traditionality that historically plagues champagne," he says.Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a chicken coop .

"Inspired by the massive success of ros¨¦ wines that capitalised on their ideal character for the summer season, as well as the over-ice trend that revolutionised how people drank cider back in 2005, champagne over ice provides a much-needed innovation for the still-precarious times ahead."

But it's not a trend which satisfies everyone's palette. Alun Griffiths, buying director at wine suppliers Berry Brothers and Rudd, believes it is simply a copycat piece of marketing,the worldwide Wholesale pet supplies market is over $56 billion annually. which attempts to tap into the same consumer mindset. "It's a bit of a gimmick, for people in bars and in clubs. It's the same as cider over ice, it looks good, like a long drink over ice," he says. "As a purist it takes a huge amount of care and effort to make a great champagne,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their impact socket . so if you're making it more condensed then you're interfering with the process."

The introduction of ice cubes and bigger glasses is not the only emerging trend, though. Galoupet restaurant, which opened last week in London, is home to what it claims is the capital's first 'enomatic' champagne machine, which gives customers the chance to try some vintage, normally only available by the (very expensive) bottle, by the glass. But with a glass of Krug Grand Cuv¨¦e Brut costing 35 and Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1996 costing 50 a glass, it remains a luxury.

Pol Roger has found success with the introduction of PURE (from around 36 per bottle), which is a low calorie champagne with no added sugar. Similarly, Laurent-Perrier has just launched its Ultra Brut (from around 45.99 per bottle),Great Rubber offers promotional usb keychains, a super-dry champagne with no added sugar.

Meanwhile, Searcy's new Champagne Bar in One New Change near St Paul's, has introduced another trend that's popular on the continent - champagne decanting. Used mainly for older, bigger bodied vintages, it is designed to open up the drink's flavours. But being in a decanter also adds both a ritual and theatrical element to the drink. Important, as a number of those having their champagne decanted are business customers trying to impress clients.

If these innovations fail to impress the fizz fans among you, fear not. With the economic outlook as yet still a far from certain,Demand for allergy Bedding could rise earlier than normal this year. it looks likely that producers will continue to pull out all the stops ¨C as well as the corks ¨C in a bid to try to get us to open our wallets, as well as our mouths.