CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Almost everybody, it seems, has a hard time seeing Washington State beating or even staying close to No. 1-ranked North Carolina in today's Sweet 16 East Regional semifinal.

And I can see why.

On paper and on film, just the pedigree and caliber of athletes seems to set the Tar Heels apart from the Cougars, allowing them to play a style that is hard to match up with.

So I tried to figure out myself how it might be possible for Wazzu to pull off the monumental upset, and in doing so my mind keeps going back to the 'Iolani Prep Classic. It's the same type of scenario Hawai'i teams face going up against Mainland powerhouses like Fairfax, Montrose Christian, Rice.

On paper, and even during the warm-ups, it's hard to imagine the local teams having any kind of shot of knocking off or hanging with these basketball factories.

But having watched Derrick Low and 'Iolani match some of these juggernauts step-for-step from 2000 to 2003, it gives me an idea of how it might happen.

In Low's freshman year, the Raiders lost De La Salle by a couple points, 41-39 or something. His sophomore year, they lost to Fairfax, 61-59. In Low's senior year, they fell to No. 7-ranked Montrose Christian only after a 3-point buzzer beater in overtime.

So, how did they do it, despite the seemingly overwhelming mismatches? Well, pretty much the same way Washington State has been doing it: Get back on defense to slow the fast break, dictate the tempo by turning it into a deliberate, possession-by-possession game, take care of the basketball and take good shots.

I don't know if other teammates like Kyle Weaver, Taylor Rochestie and Robbie Cowgill had the same kind of exposure to big-time high school basketball, but for as for Low, I think that early exposure helped prepare him for moments like today.

When you are 14 years old and playing against De La Salle, or 15 years old and playing Fairfax, and then taking teams like this down to the final basket, it has to instill confidence that no challenge is insurmountable.

One difference might be the atmosphere of playing before a cozy home crowd of 1,050 at 'Iolani Gym compared to 18,500 hostile fans wearing Carolina blue. But hey, as Wazzu coach Tony Bennett pointed out, playing at Arizona or Pauley Pavilion is no walk in the park, either.

So while the media and fans here and around the country struggle to find reasons why Low and Washington State might have a chance against Michael Jordan's alma mater today, I found mine.

It comes from a December, 2001 memory of watching a 15-year-old kid from Hawai'i sink two free throws to tie mighty Fairfax, 59-59, with nine seconds left, against the nation's No. 18-ranked boys basketball team.