NORTH CAROLINA 89, MICHIGAN ST. 72
In a game that matched two teams on a mission, North Carolina found itself fulfilling the wishes of four players who returned after a disappointing Final Four last year to cut down the nets at Ford Field.
The Tar Heels built a lead that grew to as many as 24 in the first half, then used it as a cushion to repel any attempts by Michigan State to come back, gaining an 89-72 victory over the Spartans to win the national championship Monday before a record crowd of 72,922.
Carolina (34-4) finished an impressive NCAA run that saw it defeat six opponents, including Villanova, by an average of 20.2 points, winning no game by fewer than 12. It marked the Tar Heels’ fifth national championship, tying Indiana for third all-time, and enabled Roy Williams to become the 13th head coach to win more than one.
Wayne Ellington scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half when the Tar Heels built their sizable advantage and set a championship game record with 55 points.
Point guard Ty Lawson scored 21 points, dished out six assists and set a title game record with eight steals. Tyler Hansbrough added 18 points. Those three players, along with Danny Green, all resolved to return to the team and not test the NBA waters after losing in the national semifinals last year. Their plan paid off in a big way.
The Spartans (31-7), who said they wanted to win to give the economically depressed Detroit area something to smile about, committed 14 turnovers in falling behind by 21 points at the half.
They couldn’t muster a comeback of any significance early in the second half even though the Tar Heels made only three of their first 16 shots from the field in the opening 10-plus minutes.
The best they could do during this time was close to 68-53 on a free throw by Draymond Green with 9 minutes, 32 seconds left.
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The digit
18,446,744,073,709,551,616
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