The University of North Carolina Tar Heels, your 2009 NCAA Champions…
Tyler Hansbrough celebrates the Heels' 5th NCAA title.
Or, to channel Denny Green, they are who we thought they were.
North Carolina capped a dominating run through the NCAA tournament with a 89-72 shellacking of Michigan State in Detroit on Monday night. The Heels jumped out to a 17-7 lead by the first TV timeout and were never threatened again as the lead never shrank below double digits for the remainder of the game. Along the way, UNC set NCAA title game records for points in the first half and halftime lead.
The NCAA tourney run was almost anticlimactic as UNC was not seriously challenged except by LSU in the second round. The Heels entered the tourney with a thousand questions and answered nearly all of them emphatically.
While I’m sure the Heels’ season and title run will be dissected ad nauseum over the coming days and weeks, here are some things we learned:
- Ol’ Roy is that good, plus he can win the big game and do it with his own players;
- Tyler Hansbrough is among the best to wear the Carolina uniform, regardless of what his detractors say;
- Ty Lawson’s February, March, and April are the stuff of legend – it kind of makes you wonder what he was doing the first 2 1/2 years;
- Wayne Ellington and Donald Williams will be forever linked in Carolina championship lore for their remarkable tournament runs.
- All the hand-wringing about how good this team was and whether or not they could win it all seems so silly now.
The interesting thing for me is that my feeling was not as much joy as relief, for the players and for Roy Williams. While Roy made it perfectly clear that the players did not come back to win a title, winning was the only thing that would have been good enough for this team and this coach to cement their respective legacies. The NCAA tourney is littered with the remains of the best team not winning the title (see 1999 Duke, 1991 UNLV, 1985 Georgetown); that is what makes the tourney special.
On a final note, I find it interesting to see the joy with which Roy Williams is relishing this title. He often spoke of the season as a grind, filled with the pressures of high expectations, and he seems pleased that the expectations were filled. The 2005 title was about restoring the North Carolina name and getting the monkey off Roy’s back. This one was just for him, and for fulfilling the dreams of his players.
Aye zigga zoomba, Heels!
