Tar Heels Trample Spartans to Take Title

Now Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green can head to the NBA feeling good about their decision to return to school. The upperclassmen led North Carolina to its fifth national championship with an 89-72 blowout of Michigan State tonight in Detroit, reports the AP. "We've been working so hard since last year when we fell short," said Ellington, named most outstanding player. "I wanted to redeem myself. We worked so hard."

From the start, it was clear Carolina (34-4) wasn't falling short in this game. The Tar Heels  led, 55-34, at halftime, breaking a 42-year-old title-game record for biggest lead at the break and setting the mark for most points at the half. "The best team won," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "That's an easy statement to make." Said UNC's Roy Williams, who won his second title: "I'm the luckiest coach in America."
(More 2009 NCAA Tournament stories.)