2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
NCAA National Champions
ACC Regular Season Champions
NCAA Men's Division I Tournament, Championship Game W 89–72 v. Michigan State
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#1
2008–09 record	34–4 (13–3 ACC)
Head coach	Roy Williams
Assistant coach	Joe Holladay
Assistant coach	Steve Robinson
Assistant coach	Jerod Haase
Home arena	Dean Smith Center

2008–09 ACC men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
#2 North Carolina	13	–	3		.813			34	–	4		.895
#6 Duke†	11	–	5		.688			30	–	7		.811
#12 Wake Forest	11	–	5		.688			24	–	7		.774
#16 Florida State	10	–	6		.625			25	–	10		.714
#24 Clemson	9	–	7		.563			23	–	9		.719
Boston College	9	–	7		.563			22	–	12		.647
Maryland	7	–	9		.438			21	–	14		.600
Virginia Tech	7	–	9		.438			19	–	15		.559
Miami (FL)	7	–	9		.438			19	–	13		.594
North Carolina State	6	–	10		.375			16	–	14		.533
Virginia	4	–	12		.250			10	–	18		.357
Georgia Tech	2	–	14		.125			12	–	19		.387
† ACC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Head Coach was Roy Williams. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team won the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the fifth NCAA national title in school history.

Preseason

The Tar Heels were a trendy pick to win the National Championship that year, primarily because Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson decided to withdraw from the 2008 NBA Draft, and consensus national Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough never declared for that draft. In addition, the players had been embarrassed in the previous season's Final Four by Kansas, and they were motivated to atone for that poor performance. In the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll the Tar Heels were ranked #1. They were the first unanimous preseason #1 ranking in the history of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. UNC also received the first unanimous preseason #1 ranking in the history of the Associated Press Poll.

Recruiting

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ed Davis PF	Richmond, Virginia	Benedictine HS	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jul 18, 2007
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Larry Drew II PG	Encino, California	Woodland Hills Taft	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 23, 2007
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Justin Watts SG	Durham, North Carolina	Jordan HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	May 20, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Tyler Zeller PF	Washington, Indiana	Washington HS	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Jan 4, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 5   Rivals: 11  ESPN: 7
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Roster

2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High school/previous college Home town G 2 Marc Campbell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Ravenscroft Raleigh, NC F 40 Mike Copeland 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr R. J. Reynolds Winston-Salem, NC F 32 Ed Davis 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Benedictine Richmond, VA G 11 Larry Drew II 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Woodland Hills Taft Encino, CA G 22 Wayne Ellington 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Episcopal Academy Wynnewood, PA G 4 Bobby Frasor 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Brother Rice Blue Island, IL G 1 Marcus Ginyard 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Bishop O'Connell Alexandria, VA F 13 William Graves 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Dudley Greensboro, NC F 14 Danny Green 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr St. Mary's North Babylon, NY F 50 Tyler Hansbrough 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Poplar Bluff Poplar Bluff, MO G 5 Ty Lawson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Oak Hill Academy Clinton, MD F 35 Patrick Moody 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr T. C. Roberson Asheville, NC G 15 J. B. Tanner 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr West Henderson Hendersonville, NC F 21 Deon Thompson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Torrance Torrance, CA G 24 Justin Watts 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Jordan Durham, NC G 30 Jack Wooten 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Walter Williams Burlington, NC F 44 Tyler Zeller 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Oakland Technical Senior Washington, IN	Head coach Roy Williams Assistant coach(es) Joe Holladay Steve Robinson Jerod Haase Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: October 31, 2012

Schedule

The Tar Heels rolled through the nonconference schedule, along the way winning the Maui Invitational for the third time. They sputtered out of the gate to start ACC play, dropping their first two conference games to Boston College and Wake Forest. However, they recovered to reel off 10 straight conference wins, including a 101–87 thrashing of rival Duke. Their only relatively close games during this stretch came against the ACC's two Florida teams—most notably against Florida State, in which they escaped with a Ty Lawson buzzer-beater.

They lost to Maryland in overtime, but recovered to win their last three games. A win over Virginia Tech gave the Tar Heels at least a share of their 27th regular season title, and third in a row. They won the title outright with a season-ending win over Duke.

The ACC Tournament did not go nearly as well, largely because Ty Lawson was sidelined with an injured big toe. They needed a last-minute score to defeat Virginia Tech, then fell to Florida State in the second round. Still, the Tar Heels were rewarded with the #2 ranking in the final AP Poll, behind Louisville. They also finished third in the final regular-season Coaches Poll, behind Louisville and Memphis.

Despite not making it to the ACC title game, the Tar Heels received the top seed in the NCAA South Region. It was the 13th time the Tar Heels had been selected as a #1 seed—the most since the NCAA began seeding the tournament field in 1979. It is also UNC's 41st NCAA appearance—tied with UCLA for the second-most in history.

The Tar Heels played their first- and second-round games at the Greensboro Coliseum, just an hour west of Chapel Hill. They easily dispatched Radford and LSU to advance to the regionals at the FedExForum in Memphis. In the regional round, the Heels dismantled Gonzaga 93–77. In the regional final, they defeated Oklahoma 72–60 to advance to the Final Four for the 18th time in school history—tied with UCLA for the most ever. The wins in the regional phase were also the school's 100th and 101st wins in the NCAA Tournament, passing Kentucky for most all-time.

The Tar Heels were the highest seed to reach the Final Four at Ford Field in Detroit; they were the overall #3 seed in the tournament behind Louisville and Pittsburgh. In the national semifinal, the Tar Heels pounded Villanova 83–69 to advance to the national championship game for the ninth time in school history. They played against Michigan State, whom the Tar Heels defeated 98–63 during the December 2008 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. They were no less dominant in the title game, winning 89–72 for the school's fifth NCAA national title—tied for the third-most all-time. The win capped off one of the most dominant runs in the tournament's history. The Tar Heels won every game by at least 12 points—a feat all the more remarkable since they upended four teams ranked in the top 15 of the final AP Poll in the process (#10 Gonzaga, #7 Oklahoma, #11 Villanova and #8 Michigan State). They also led for all but 10 minutes of a possible 240 minutes of game time. It also allowed Tyler Hansbrough and his fellow seniors to end their careers as the winningest class in school history.

Wayne Ellington was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, the fourth Tar Heel so honored.

Date Time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition Game
November 8* 4:00 p.m.	#1	UNC Pembroke Exhibition	W 102–62	0–0	Dean Smith Center (18,793) Chapel Hill, NC
Regular Season
November 15* 4:00 p.m., FSN	#1	Penn	W 86–71	1–0	Dean Smith Center (19,623) Chapel Hill, NC
November 18* 9:00 p.m., ESPN	#1	Kentucky	W 77–58	2–0	Dean Smith Center (21,538) Chapel Hill, NC
November 21* 10:00 p.m., ESPNU	#1	at UC Santa Barbara	W 84–67	3–0	Campus Events Center (6,000) Santa Barbara, CA
November 24* 9:30 p.m., ESPNU	#1	at Chaminade Maui Invitational	W 115–70	4–0	Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI
November 25* 9:30 p.m., ESPN	#1	vs. Oregon Maui Invitational	W 98–69	5–0	Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI
November 26* 10:00 p.m., ESPN	#1	vs. #8 Notre Dame Maui Invitational	W 102–87	6–0	Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI
November 30* 6:30 p.m., FSN	#1	UNC Asheville	W 116–48	7–0	Dean Smith Center (18,054) Chapel Hill, NC
December 3* 9:15 p.m., ESPN	#1	vs. #13 Michigan State ACC–Big Ten Challenge/Basketbowl II	W 98–63	8–0	Ford Field (25,267) Detroit, MI
December 13* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	#1	Oral Roberts	W 100–84	9–0	Dean Smith Center (21,269) Chapel Hill, NC
December 18* 7:00 p.m., ESPN	#1	Evansville	W 91–73	10–0	Dean Smith Center (21,291) Chapel Hill, NC
December 20* 2:00 p.m., ESPNU	#1	vs. Valparaiso	W 85–63	11–0	United Center (10,645) Chicago, IL
December 28* 7:45 p.m., FSN	#1	Rutgers	W 97–75	12–0	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
December 31* 10:00 p.m., ESPN2	#1	at Nevada	W 84–61	13–0	Lawlor Events Center (10,526) Reno, NV
January 4 5:30 p.m., FSN	#1	Boston College	L 85–78	13–1 (0–1)	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
January 7* 9:00 p.m., FSN-South	#3	College of Charleston	W 108–70	14–1 (0–1)	Dean Smith Center (20,543) Chapel Hill, NC
January 11 8:00 p.m., FSN	#3	at #4 Wake Forest	L 92–89	14–2 (0–2)	Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,714) Winston-Salem, NC
January 15 9:00 p.m., ESPN	#5	at Virginia	W 83–61	15–2 (1–2)	John Paul Jones Arena (13,811) Charlottesville, VA
January 17 9:00 p.m., ESPN	#5	Miami (FL)	W 82–65	16–2 (2–2)	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
January 21 9:00 p.m., ESPN	#5	#10 Clemson	W 94–70	17–2 (3–2)	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
January 28 9:00 p.m., Raycom	#5	at Florida State	W 80–77	18–2 (4–2)	Donald L. Tucker Center (11,333) Tallahassee, FL
January 31 3:30 p.m., ABC	#5	at NC State Carolina-NC State rivalry	W 93–76	19–2 (5–2)	RBC Center (19,700) Raleigh, NC
February 3 8:00 p.m., Raycom/ESPN	#3	Maryland	W 108–91	20–2 (6–2)	Dean Smith Center (20,863) Chapel Hill, NC
February 7 4:00 p.m., Raycom	#3	Virginia	W 76–61	21–2 (7–2)	Dean Smith Center (20,879) Chapel Hill, NC
February 11 9:00 p.m., Raycom/ESPN	#3	at #6 Duke Carolina-Duke rivalry	W 101–87	22–2 (8–2)	Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC
February 15 7:45 p.m., FSN	#3	at Miami (FL)	W 69–65	23–2 (9–2)	BankUnited Center (7,200) Coral Gables, FL
February 18 8:00 p.m., Raycom	#3	NC State Carolina-NC State rivalry	W 89–80	24–2 (10–2)	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
February 21 3:30 p.m., ABC	#3	at Maryland	L 85–88 OT	24–3 (10–3)	Comcast Center (17,950) College Park, MD
February 28 12:00 p.m., CBS	#4	Georgia Tech	W 104–74	25–3 (11–3)	Dean Smith Center (20,959) Chapel Hill, NC
March 4 7:00 p.m., ESPN	#2	at Virginia Tech	W 86–78	26–3 (12–3)	Cassell Coliseum (9,847) Blacksburg, VA
March 8 4:00 p.m., CBS	#2	#7 Duke Senior Day/Carolina-Duke rivalry	W 79–71	27–3 (13–3)	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
March 13 12:00 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2	#1	vs. Virginia Tech ACC Men's Basketball Tournament	W 79–76	28–3	Georgia Dome (26,352) Atlanta, GA
March 14 1:30 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2	#1	vs. #22 Florida State ACC Men's Basketball Tournament	L 70–73	28–4	Georgia Dome (26,352) Atlanta, GA
NCAA Tournament
March 19* 2:50 p.m., CBS	#2 (1-S)	vs. #(16-S) Radford First Round	W 101–58	29–4	Greensboro Coliseum (20,226) Greensboro, NC
March 21* 5:45 p.m., CBS	#2 (1-S)	vs. #21 (8-S) LSU Second Round	W 84–70	30–4	Greensboro Coliseum (22,479) Greensboro, NC
March 27* 9:57 p.m., CBS	#2 (1-S)	vs. #10 (4-S) Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen	W 98–77	31–4	FedExForum (17,103) Memphis, TN
March 29* 5:05 p.m., CBS	#2 (1-S)	vs. #7 (2-S) Oklahoma Elite Eight	W 72–60	32–4	FedExForum (17,025) Memphis, TN
April 4* 8:47 p.m., CBS	#2 (1-S)	vs. #11 (3-E) Villanova Final Four	W 83–69	33–4	Ford Field (72,456) Detroit, MI
April 6* 9:21 p.m., CBS	#2 (1-S)	vs. #8 (2-M) Michigan State National Championship Game	W 89–72	34–4	Ford Field (72,922) Detroit, MI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time Rank indicates seed in the NCAA tournament. E-East region, W-West region, S-South region, M-Midewest Region.

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
2009	1	13	Tyler Hansbrough	Indiana Pacers
2009	1	18	Ty Lawson	Denver Nuggets
2009	1	28	Wayne Ellington	Minnesota Timberwolves
2009	2	46	Danny Green	Cleveland Cavaliers
2010	1	13	Ed Davis	Toronto Raptors
2012	1	17	Tyler Zeller	Dallas Mavericks