North Carolina wins prized NCAA crown
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 08, 2009 00:00
DETROIT, Michigan - The University of North Carolina Tar Heels seized the coveted National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball title Monday with an emphatic 89-72 triumph over Michigan State.
The Tar Heels led 55-34 at halftime, breaking a 42-year-old championship-game record for biggest lead at the interval and also setting the record for most points at the half.
They dominated a Michigan State side whose run to the title game was seized upon in a state ravaged by the economic downturn as a rare cause for celebration.
But a North Carolina team packed with future National Basketball Association talent and fueled by prior disappointment derailed the dream run.
Ty Lawson led all scorers with 21 points and also had a record seven steals by halftime.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 18 and Wayne Ellington had 19 as they delivered a fifth championship to North Carolina.
In Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and teammate Danny Green, the Tar Heels had an experienced group of upperclassmen who decided not to make a move to the NBA, preferring to return and try to win a title after falling to Kansas in the semi-finals last year.
"I couldn't picture it any other way," said a teary-eyed Hansbrough.
"It feels great," said Ellington, who was named the tournament's most outstanding player. "It's something you can't explain. I thought about how hard we worked. We've been working so hard since last year when we fell short. We wanted to redeem ourselves."
Michigan State, playing less than 100 miles from their home campus before a tournament-record crowd of 72,922 never fired as North Carolina continued to dominate as they had throughout the tournament.
Goran Suton led Michigan State with 17 points, and Kalin Lucas, the Big Ten conference player of the year, had 14 - most of them after the game was out of reach.
Former Michigan State player turned NBA icon Magic Johnson joined his onetime college and NBA rival Larry Bird at center court to present the game ball, a nod to the 30-year anniversary of their historic matchup and Michigan State's first title.
They dominated a Michigan State side whose run to the title game was seized upon in a state ravaged by the economic downturn as a rare cause for celebration.
But a North Carolina team packed with future National Basketball Association talent and fueled by prior disappointment derailed the dream run.
Ty Lawson led all scorers with 21 points and also had a record seven steals by halftime.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 18 and Wayne Ellington had 19 as they delivered a fifth championship to North Carolina.
In Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and teammate Danny Green, the Tar Heels had an experienced group of upperclassmen who decided not to make a move to the NBA, preferring to return and try to win a title after falling to Kansas in the semi-finals last year.
"I couldn't picture it any other way," said a teary-eyed Hansbrough.
"It feels great," said Ellington, who was named the tournament's most outstanding player. "It's something you can't explain. I thought about how hard we worked. We've been working so hard since last year when we fell short. We wanted to redeem ourselves."
Michigan State, playing less than 100 miles from their home campus before a tournament-record crowd of 72,922 never fired as North Carolina continued to dominate as they had throughout the tournament.
Goran Suton led Michigan State with 17 points, and Kalin Lucas, the Big Ten conference player of the year, had 14 - most of them after the game was out of reach.
Former Michigan State player turned NBA icon Magic Johnson joined his onetime college and NBA rival Larry Bird at center court to present the game ball, a nod to the 30-year anniversary of their historic matchup and Michigan State's first title.