North Carolina Beats Illinois to Win NCAA Championship

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is probably dialing the phone right now to call Papa Del’s. Blagojevich had bet North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley that if UNC won the NCAA championship tournament, he’d ship him a pizza from Papa Del’s in Champaign, Illinois, and a six-pack of Orange Crush. Easley’s side of the bet would have paid two pounds of barbecue, a six-pack of Cheerwine, cole slaw, hushpuppies, icebox pickles, and blackpepper cornbread. But as of late Monday night, Blagojevich will have to go to North Carolina to get his own barbecue if he wants it, because UNC did win the championship 75-70 at St. Louis. Easley said that he didn’t expect to be sending barbecue across state lines anyway, and he’ll enjoy the pizza while watching the highlights of the Tar Heels’ victory.

North Carolina had already extended its own NCAA record by appearing in the Final Four for the 16th time. The game was highly anticipated, since the two teams had occupied the top two spots in the national polls for most of the season. Fans weren’t disappointed, and the players on both teams lived up to the pre-game hype by providing an exciting, closely matched game with an excruciatingly tense final three minutes. Carolina began the second half with a 15-point lead, but Illinois caught up fast and the teams were tied at 70 before freshman Marvin Williams delivered a tip-in with 1:26 remaining on the clock. Raymond Felton made three free throws down the stretch to lead the Tar Heels to victory, winning their first title since their victory in 1993 under coach Dean Smith.

Monday night's win finally gave head coach Roy Williams, a 17-year coaching veteran, his first national championship win to add to his stellar resume. The win triumphantly ends North Carolina’s 12-year title drought, and moves Williams firmly into seventh place on the all-time coaching list, with 41 NCAA tournament victories. Carolina Junior Sean May, voted Outstanding Player following the game, paced the Tar Heels from the outset, making 26 points and nine rebounds. Raymond Felton assisted him by adding 17 points, including three free throws in the final 26 seconds of the game. The Tar Heels didn’t allow a basket during the final two and a half minutes of the game, making Monday night quite a night of celebration for May on his 21st birthday. "This celebration is a lot better than that '76 celebration, 'cause it's my celebration and this team,'' May said. "I never understood what it was like, I never won anything on this level.''

Chapel Hill police prepared the town in case the Tar Heels won, buttoning down the city as tight as possible in preparation for post-game festivities Monday night. A crowd of as many as 45,000 people flooded Franklin Street, the main party drag outside campus, screaming, cheering, and tugging on street signs. Over 270 officers from Chapel Hill and other agencies were guarding the area, confiscating alcohol and random pieces of furniture destined for bonfires. The street was closed off Saturday in anticipation of the traditional celebratory bonfires UNC students are known for building, but police were not planning to put out any fires unless the fires got too big and out of control. Within minutes of their team winning, exuberant fans had already built six bonfires, with three people sustaining burn injuries and one bicycle being lost to the flames. Authorities said 24 people were treated for burns, and 11 of those were sent to the hospital. Fifteen arrests, mainly for assault and disorderly conduct, were reported, Capt. Brian Curran said.