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Magic brings spirit of '79 to Spartan bench

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By EDDIE PELLS

The Associated Press

Published: April 7, 2009

Updated: 04/07/2009 12:34 am

DETROIT - There was a team of destiny out there, all right. It's the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the final chapter of their story was about as heartwarming as a demolition derby.

Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and North Carolina won a national championship a season or more in the making, stomping out Michigan State's inspirational run Monday night with an 89-72 blowout that wasn't even that close.

Lawson led all scorers with 21 points and also had a record eight steals, Wayne Ellington added 19 points and Hansbrough had 18 - and now they and Danny Green can all head to the NBA feeling good about their decision to return to school to bring Carolina's fifth championship back home.

All those upperclassmen, save Hansbrough, came back in part because their draft prospects didn't look so good. They also didn't want their college careers to end on last year's embarrassing loss to Kansas in the Final Four. That was a dud of a game in which they trailed 40-12 in the first half.

This time, North Carolina (34-4) led 36-13 and was never challenged in winning its fifth national championship.

Michigan State (31-7) simply never got any momentum. From the start, it was clear there was no way Carolina was losing control, no chance for the Spartans to serve up that definitive ray of sunshine for a state that's been battered by the ailing economy.

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