TAR HEELS DEFEAT MICHIGAN STATE 89-72 TO WIN FIFTH TITLE

It wasn’t the Carolina that many in the Palmetto State were hoping would win the NCAA men’s basketball title, but North Carolina earned its fifth national championship Monday.

The Tar Heels beat Michigan State 89-72 in Detroit to cap a dominant season in which they won 34 games and lost only four.

Within the first few minutes of tip off, it was obvious North Carolina was destined to win the title. The Tar Heels took a 34-11 lead midway through the first half and never looked back.

At halftime, Michigan State trailed 55-34, breaking a 42-year-old championship game record for the largest defecit at the break. North Carolina set the mark for most points at the half.

Amazingly, the Tar Heels notched all six of their tournament wins by double-digits. The last time that happened was 2001 by cross-state rival Duke.

And North Carolina didn’t just win by double-digits. Of the 240 minutes the Tar Heels played in the tournament, they led by 10 or more points in 154 of them.

As for the real Carolina, well, they bowed out in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. Talk about contrast.

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