Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2009
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HEAVEN FOR A HEEL
PAGE 10A
North Carolina's Deen Thompson celebrates after North Carolina's 89-72 win over Michigan State in the championship game at the men's NCAA Final Four Monday in Detroit. Ty Lawson led all scorers with 21 points as the Tar Heels won their fifth national championship in school history.
Roy's boys take home another title
Tar Heels cruise to lopsided championship game victory against Spartans, 89-72
BY EDDIE PELLS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — There was a team of destiny out there, all right. It was 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.
Hansbrough scored 1.8 points, Wayne Ellington had 19 and Lennon Ellington had 19 and
Wayne Ellington Lawson led all scorers with 21 and also had a record eight steals—and now they and Danny Green can all head to the NBA feeling good about their decision to return to school to bring
All those upperclassmen, save
Hansbrough, came back in part.
"We've been working so hard since last year when we fell short. I wanted to redeem myself."
WAYNE ELLINGTON
North Carolina guard
home Carolina's fifth championship, and the second for coach Roy Williams.
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 duel of a game in which they trailed 40-12 in the first half and Billy Parker was
This time, North Carolina led 36-13 around the time "Dancing
telling CBS viewers it was over.
With The Stars" was starting on another network. At least nobody knew how that one was going to end.
"We've been working so hard since last year when we fell short," said Ellington, named most outstanding player. "I wanted to redeem myself. We worked so hard."
Michigan State (31-7) simply never got any momentum. From the start, it was clear there was no way Carolina was losing control of this one, no chance for the Spartans to serve up that definitive ray of sunshine and warm-and-
fuzzy smile for a state that's been battered by the alling economy.
The Tar Heels (34-4) were up 55-34 at halftime, breaking a 42-year-old title-game record for biggest lead at the break and setting the mark for most points at the half.
"We handled injuries, handed some losses this season," Williams said. "The youngsters standing behind me are great, great young men. I'm the luckiest coach in America, I can tell you that."
This collection of NBA talent
SEE NCAA ON PAGE 4A
BASEBALL
Bad weather could be repeat for Kansas
BY JOSH BOWE
jbowe@kansan.com
Kansas takes its usual break in the Big 12 Conference schedule today as it heads for Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Hawkeyes at 4 p.m.
If the Jayhawks thought the weather was bad at Hoglund Ballpark this past weekend, they might be in for a surprise today.
Kansas faced high winds, ice and rain as Baylor pummeled the team in a 21-9 loss on Sunday. Coach Ritch Price hasn't heard anything cheerful concerning the weather so far from Iowa.
"Somebody told me today it snowed four feet up there," Price said on Sunday. "We'll have to wait and see what the weather conditions are like as well."
ONDECK
For now, the weather reports indicate that the temperature could reach the low 20s tonight. Iowa officials decided to move the game back from its original start time of
WHO: Kansas vs. Iowa
Hawkeyes
WHEN: 4 p.m. today,
4 p.m. Wednesday
6 p.m. to avoid to below freezing temperatures.
The jayhawks will have to prepare themselves for a repeat of the weekends weather if they are to rebound from their worst loss since 2002.
But the great thing about baseball for most of the players and
Weston White/KANSAN
Coach Ritch Price speaks with an apuprise after a questionable call on Kansas' Nick Faunce, who was picked off at second base during the Jayhawks game against the Baylor Bears on Saturday. Although Kansas went on to beat Baylor 6-0, the Bears trounced the Jayhawks 21-9 on Sunday. The weather during the game was chilly, but the Jayhawks could see similar conditions in Iowa today.
SEE BASEBALL ON PAGE 4A
COMMENTARY
A freshman Jayhawk basketball player, one who is 6-foot-6 and built like a NFL tight end, takes control of a game in Allen Fieldhouse. Fade-aways, stepbacks, deep three-pointers: his arsenal of moves rivals Bobby Fisher's. After each of his scintillating scores, the only sound in the stadium is the sound of jaws dropping to the floor.
I've had the same dream for the past week.
That player in my dreams, of course, must be high school phenom Xavier Henry, who appears close to committing to Bill Self and Kansas.
Regardless of Xavier Henry Hawks need older leaders
But last night's national title game provided an alarm-clock-like reminder: having the sizzle of a stud freshman is nice, but having the championship is better. To translate into Phog-olog: having Xavier Henry would be great, but keeping Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins around would be better
I was shocked.
CBS announcer Jim Nantz probed my thinking about the situation when he brought up an interesting point while calling the Michigan State-C Connecticut game. Of the twenty starting players for the teams in the Final Four, only two were underclassmen.
I ran and grabbed my laptop because I was so skeptical. But Nantz was right. Only Michigan State freshman Delvon Roe and sophomore Kalin Lucas were underclassmen starters. Villanova North Carolina and Connecticut all started five upperclassmen.
So let's not get ahead of ourselves. Xavier Henry would be an impact player from the moment he steps on campus. He would bring swagger, flash and hype, as well as his big brother C.J. and flocks of television crews.
Carmelo Anthony carried Syracuse to the title in 2003, but no other freshman has played a big role on a championship team since.
OK, that's just one year. I told myself. In this era of Kevin Durants, Michael Beasleys and one-and-done players, there had to be someone who significantly helped a team win the title in his first year on campus.
In fact, ever since the NBA refused to accept players fresh out of high school in 2006, there have been no freshman starters on any team that won the national championship. Connecticut's Charlie Villanueva and North Carolina's Marvin Williams were both the sixth man on their championship teams.
Of the last six Most Outstanding Player award winners, none were freshmen. The last freshman to win it was 'Melo. Florida's Joakim Noah is the only sophomore to have won it recently. The rest were juniors, including Mario Chalmers and Connecticut's Emke Okator.
We need to look no further than Jayhawker Towers for the two players who give Kansas the best shot to win the national title.
But he'll still be a freshman
And that's the only dream worth having in Lawrence.
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Edited by Grant Treaster