David and Goliath?

No, today it is Derrick vs. the Goliath that is North Carolina in the realm of men's basketball.

It is guard Derrick Low, the kid from 'Iolani School, leading underdog Washington State against storied North Carolina in the Tar Heels' hoops-happy backyard of Charlotte, N.C. in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

It is the alma mater of Michael Jordan versus the hoops home of, well, we'll have to get back to you on that one. There is Tony Bennett — no, not that one — coaching against icon Roy Williams.

For players, it is a couple guys who might just get into NBA camps against a team that has can't-miss lottery picks. Parade All-Americans that ESPN refers to by name versus a parade of who-da-guys largely unknown beyond Pullman, Wash. Tobacco Road against the wind-swept wheat fields of the Palouse.

In this Low is the poster player for the underdog Cougars. He might have been the most heavily recruited of them all, but Williams, after moving from Kansas to UNC, ultimately decided he inherited a full cupboard and didn't need him. So, yes, there just might be an element of worth to be proved today.

OK, a lot, for everybody in crimson and gray. Ask Low. No Hawai'i high school product has carried his team this far in the men's tournament. Punahou's Brandon Brooks, a national championship water polo star at UCLA, went to the 2000 Sweet 16 with the Bruins, but not as a starter and catalyst.

And definitely not as such an underdog. Most folks had the Tar Heels in the Final Four of their brackets, if not winning the whole quesadilla. After all, UNC has won four of them. It is tied with UCLA for the most Final Four appearances in NCAA history and is making its NCAA-leading 22nd Sweet 16 showing.

The Cougs? It is their Sweet 16 debut. Their deepest run since 1941 and people are trying to figure out how Wazzu got this far. The Cougs opened the tournament with 40-1 odds to win it. UNC was 4-1, according to bodoglife.com. Wazzu was 9-1 just to get out of the regional; UNC 2-3.

The Tar Heels' Tyler Hansbrough is 4-1 odds to be named the Final Four MVP. And if he doesn't, there's always one of his accomplished teammates, Ty Lawson (12-1) or Wayne Ellington (20-1). Low? You can barely find a betting line on him, and, when you do, it is as a 150-1 pick.

North Carolina doesn't rebuild, it reloads. The Cougs have been loading for ages.

This time, Goliath need not worry about a deadly sling shot. Maybe just Derrick's jump shot.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.