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

2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
ACC Regular Season Champions
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.[1] 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.[2] UNC also received the first unanimous preseason #1 ranking in the history of the Associated Press Poll.[3]

Recruiting

Name Hometown 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:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   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:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   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:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   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:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   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/Junior College Home town
G 2 Campbell, MarcMarc Campbell style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Ravenscroft Raleigh, NC
F 40 Copeland, MikeMike Copeland style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 235 lb (107 kg) Sr R. J. Reynolds Winston-Salem, NC
F 32 Davis, EdEd Davis style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Benedictine Richmond, VA
G 11 Drew II, LarryLarry Drew II style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Woodland Hills Taft Encino, CA
G 22 Ellington, WayneWayne Ellington style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Episcopal Academy Wynnewood, PA
G 4 Frasor, BobbyBobby Frasor style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Brother Rice Blue Island, IL
G 1 Ginyard, MarcusMarcus Ginyard style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Bishop O'Connell Alexandria, VA
F 13 Graves, WilliamWilliam Graves style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 245 lb (111 kg) So Dudley Greensboro, NC
F 14 Green, DannyDanny Green style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 210 lb (95 kg) Sr St. Mary's North Babylon, NY
F 50 Hansbrough, TylerTyler Hansbrough style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 250 lb (113 kg) Sr Poplar Bluff Poplar Bluff, MO
G 5 Lawson, TyTy Lawson style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Oak Hill Academy Clinton, MD
F 35 Moody, PatrickPatrick Moody style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 195 lb (88 kg) Sr T. C. Roberson Asheville, NC
G 15 Tanner, J. B.J. B. Tanner style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 185 lb (84 kg) Sr West Henderson Hendersonville, NC
F 21 Thompson, DeonDeon Thompson style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 245 lb (111 kg) Jr Torrance Torrance, CA
G 24 Watts, JustinJustin Watts style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Jordan Durham, NC
G 30 Wooten, JackJack Wooten style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Walter Williams Burlington, NC
F 44 Zeller, TylerTyler Zeller style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 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

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

[5]

References

  1. ↑ Ridiculously early preseason Top 25 (and one): Heels, Cards sit 1–2 – NCAA Division I Mens Basketball – CBSSports.com Live Scores, Standings, Stats
  2. ↑ "Tar Heels Are Unanimous Preseason No. 1 In Coaches Poll". Tarheelblue.com. October 30, 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  3. ↑ "Tar Heels voted as first unanimous preseason no. 1 in AP poll". ESPN.com. October 31, 2008. Archived from the original on 3 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  4. ↑ "2008–09 Schedule." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on August 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=N&yr=2009