Spring Break
North Carolina cruises to title
Marc Gauthier
Issue date: 4/7/09 Section: Sports
DETROIT - The first piece of confetti fell from the rafters some 120 feet above the court at Ford Field. It floated slowly but surely down from the sky and landed harmlessly on Tyler Hansbrough's head.
He would have noticed, but Hansbrough was caught up in a pile of teammates at half court cheering and celebrating North Carolina's fifth National Championship.
In 40 minutes of pure dominance, the Tar Heels beat Michigan State 89-72 Monday in front of 72,922 fans in Detroit.
"The first [championship] was sweet in 2005, but in some ways this one is sweeter," said UNC coach Roy Williams. "I'm so proud of this team. With Tyler [Hansbrough] and the rest of the senior class, I felt like it was going to be fitting to do what this group just accomplished. It's an incredible feeling."
From the tip-off, the Tar Heels controlled the pace of the game.
"At first, it was like a blur," said Michigan State's Travis Walton. "In the first five minutes it was a blur."
In the first half, Michigan State couldn't get into an offensive rhythm and when the Spartans did score a basket, UNC came down the court and responded with a bucket of their own.
The Spartans also weren't getting the offensive rebounds that helped them get 71 total shots in their win over UConn.
With 6:50 to play in the first half, Wayne Ellington curled off a screen on the left wing, caught the ball and drained a 3-pointer with a defender in his face to put UNC up by 23 points. No amount of perimeter pressure could hold back the Tar Heels shooters.
"[UNC] made some shots," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "It seemed like everything they threw up went in, and some of them were tough shots. It was like the perfect storm; a lot of things happened."
On the ensuing Michigan State possession, Kalin Lucas let a routine chest pass slip through his hands and out-of-bounds.
These back-to-back possessions symbolized the struggles Michigan State dealt with all night.
But the thousands of Michigan State fans never stopped supporting their team.
With less than three minutes to play, Michigan State cut the lead to 18 on a foul shot by Travis Walton and the crowd erupted with noise.
With one minute to play in the first, North Carolina tied the NCAA record for most points scored by a team in the first half. Then on the next Michigan State possession Ty Lawson stole the ball from Korie Lucious for a break away dunk by Wayne Ellington to break the record.
Lawson finished the game with eight steals, setting the NCAA Championship record for steals in a game, while Ellington was named the NCAA Tournament MVP.
Going into the half, the Tar Heels had a commanding 55-34 lead while shooting 53 percent from the floor.
He would have noticed, but Hansbrough was caught up in a pile of teammates at half court cheering and celebrating North Carolina's fifth National Championship.
In 40 minutes of pure dominance, the Tar Heels beat Michigan State 89-72 Monday in front of 72,922 fans in Detroit.
"The first [championship] was sweet in 2005, but in some ways this one is sweeter," said UNC coach Roy Williams. "I'm so proud of this team. With Tyler [Hansbrough] and the rest of the senior class, I felt like it was going to be fitting to do what this group just accomplished. It's an incredible feeling."
From the tip-off, the Tar Heels controlled the pace of the game.
"At first, it was like a blur," said Michigan State's Travis Walton. "In the first five minutes it was a blur."
In the first half, Michigan State couldn't get into an offensive rhythm and when the Spartans did score a basket, UNC came down the court and responded with a bucket of their own.
The Spartans also weren't getting the offensive rebounds that helped them get 71 total shots in their win over UConn.
With 6:50 to play in the first half, Wayne Ellington curled off a screen on the left wing, caught the ball and drained a 3-pointer with a defender in his face to put UNC up by 23 points. No amount of perimeter pressure could hold back the Tar Heels shooters.
"[UNC] made some shots," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "It seemed like everything they threw up went in, and some of them were tough shots. It was like the perfect storm; a lot of things happened."
On the ensuing Michigan State possession, Kalin Lucas let a routine chest pass slip through his hands and out-of-bounds.
These back-to-back possessions symbolized the struggles Michigan State dealt with all night.
But the thousands of Michigan State fans never stopped supporting their team.
With less than three minutes to play, Michigan State cut the lead to 18 on a foul shot by Travis Walton and the crowd erupted with noise.
With one minute to play in the first, North Carolina tied the NCAA record for most points scored by a team in the first half. Then on the next Michigan State possession Ty Lawson stole the ball from Korie Lucious for a break away dunk by Wayne Ellington to break the record.
Lawson finished the game with eight steals, setting the NCAA Championship record for steals in a game, while Ellington was named the NCAA Tournament MVP.
Going into the half, the Tar Heels had a commanding 55-34 lead while shooting 53 percent from the floor.
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