Tar Heels win fifth NCAA title
By David Ely
Published: April 26, 2009
APRIL 6, DETROIT — It started when they decided to come back.
Four players declining the riches of the NBA, motivated to make one more run at history. One more run at a national title.
And everything that happened this season — the expectations, the No. 1 rankings, the blowout wins — pointed toward this one moment.
Suddenly, that moment became reality.
Senior Mike Copeland wildly flung the ball into the air. Playersjumped up and down amid a blizzard of confetti. Tyler Hansbrough hugged coach Roy Williams as explosions rang throughout Ford Field.
In a truly dominant display, the North Carolina Tar Heels asserted themselves atop the college basketball world as national champions by defeating Big Ten regular season champion Michigan State, 89-72.
The win gives UNC its fifth NCAA title and second in five seasons.
“The first one was unbelievably sweet in 2005, and in some ways this is even sweeter,” Williams said after the game. “I’m so proud of this team.…
“My hat’s off to … the guys in the locker room, because they took Roy Williams on one fantastic ride, and it’s something that I’ll never forget.”
Right out of the gate, the Tar Heels (34-4) let MSU know that the Spartans wouldn’t dictate the game’s tempo as it did in past wins against Louisville and UConn. . . .
Franklin Street: The Celebration from The Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.
More game coverage and video: stories, photos, video game highlights / press conference / trophy presentation:"A Tar Heel Triumph: North Carolina Takes Down Michigan State, 89-72" from the official Tar Heels and University of North Carolina Athletics website
Subdued atmosphere in E.L. after MSU loss; 21 arrested
Fires, arson reports following MSU loss Monday night: In a span of about two hours, 11 fire-related incidents were reported in East Lansing, which resulted in four arrests as of 3 a.m. Tuesday. . . .
By The State News Staff
Published: April 7, 2009
Spartans celebrated somberly following the MSU men’s basketball team’s loss to North Carolina in the NCAA national championship game on Monday night.
A police-estimated crowd of about 1,700 people gathered in Cedar Village around midnight, shouting and celebrating in cold, damp weather.
By the end of the night, 21 people were arrested citywide on various charges, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.
The Cedar Village-area crowd shrank significantly by 1:40 a.m., and the police asked all remaining people in the street to go home. The crowd dispersed within minutes.
Medical technology junior Ashley Allemon said the atmosphere was quieter than Saturday’s after the Final Four victory, and it’s a good thing people behaved.
“It gives our school a bad reputation with people throwing beer bottles and stuff,” she said. “I hope it’s more peaceful because we get looked down upon.”
The weather helped put a damper on what could have been a rowdy night, Wibert said. . . .
Continue reading the April 7, 2009 article from Michigan State University's The State News . . .
Spartans, Tar Heels to meet again in Big Ten /ACC Challenge
By Joey Nowak
Published: April 22, 2009
The MSU men’s basketball team will take the floor with North Carolina for the third time in a calendar year and for the second consecutive year in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The two teams will meet in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Dec. 1 in the 11th rendition of the weeklong event that pits teams from each conference against one another. . . .
Continue reading the April 22, 2009 article from Michigan State University's The State News . . .
Big Ten/ACC Challenge schedule:
Nov. 30 2009
Penn State at Virginia
Dec. 1 2009
Maryland at Indiana
MSU at North Carolina
Northwestern at North Carolina State
Virginia Tech at Iowa
Wake Forest at Purdue
Dec. 2 2009
Boston College at Michigan
Duke at Wisconsin
Florida State at Ohio State
Illinois at Clemson
Minnesota at Miami
--NewsHammer 5/1/2009
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