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

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 was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team won the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the fifth NCAA national title in school history. Considered one of the greatest teams in college basketball history, the Tar Heels won their six NCAA tournament games by double digits, and by an average of 19.8 points per game. They were ranked as the 30th best team in college basketball history by Bleacher Report in 2012.

## 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

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| Star ratings: 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 |
| Star ratings: 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 |
| Star ratings: 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 |
| Star ratings: 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: "North Carolina Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 24, 2011. "2008 North Carolina Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 24, 2011. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 24, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 24, 2011. "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 24, 2011. ||||||

## 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 (which are not recognized by the ACC as official championships; the tournament winner is declared champion), 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, although Kentucky has reclaimed the top spot as of 2019.
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 to earn the award.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition games ||||||
| November 8* 4:00 p.m. | No. 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 | No. 1 | Penn | W 86–71 | 1–0 | Dean Smith Center (19,623) Chapel Hill, NC |
| November 18* 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | Kentucky | W 77–58 | 2–0 | Dean Smith Center (21,538) Chapel Hill, NC |
| November 21* 10:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 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 | No. 1 | at Chaminade Maui Invitational | W 115–70 | 4–0 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI |
| November 25* 9:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | vs. Oregon Maui Invitational | W 98–69 | 5–0 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI |
| November 26* 10:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | vs. No. 8 Notre Dame Maui Invitational | W 102–87 | 6–0 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,500) Lahaina, HI |
| November 30* 6:30 p.m., FSN | No. 1 | UNC Asheville | W 116–48 | 7–0 | Dean Smith Center (18,054) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 3* 9:15 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | vs. No. 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 | No. 1 | Oral Roberts | W 100–84 | 9–0 | Dean Smith Center (21,269) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 18* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 1 | Evansville | W 91–73 | 10–0 | Dean Smith Center (21,291) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 20* 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 1 | vs. Valparaiso | W 85–63 | 11–0 | United Center (10,645) Chicago, IL |
| December 28* 7:45 p.m., FSN | No. 1 | Rutgers | W 97–75 | 12–0 | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 31* 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 1 | at Nevada | W 84–61 | 13–0 | Lawlor Events Center (10,526) Reno, NV |
| January 4 5:30 p.m., FSN | No. 1 | Boston College | L 78–85 | 13–1 (0–1) | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| January 7* 9:00 p.m., FSN-South | No. 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 | No. 3 | at No. 4 Wake Forest | L 89–92 | 14–2 (0–2) | Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14,714) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 15 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 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 | No. 5 | Miami (FL) ESPN College GameDay | W 82–65 | 16–2 (2–2) | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| January 21 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | No. 10 Clemson | W 94–70 | 17–2 (3–2) | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC |
| January 28 9:00 p.m., Raycom | No. 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 | No. 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 | No. 3 | Maryland | W 108–91 | 20–2 (6–2) | Dean Smith Center (20,863) Chapel Hill, NC |
| February 7 4:00 p.m., Raycom | No. 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 | No. 3 | at No. 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 | No. 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 | No. 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 | No. 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 | No. 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 | No. 2 | at Virginia Tech | W 86–78 | 26–3 (12–3) | Cassell Coliseum (9,847) Blacksburg, VA |
| March 8 4:00 p.m., CBS | No. 2 | No. 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 | No. 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 | No. 1 | vs. No. 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 | No. 2 (1-S) | vs. No. (16-S) Radford First Round | W 101–58 | 29–4 | Greensboro Coliseum (20,226) Greensboro, NC |
| March 21* 5:45 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1-S) | vs. No. 21 (8-S) LSU Second Round | W 84–70 | 30–4 | Greensboro Coliseum (22,479) Greensboro, NC |
| March 27* 9:57 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1-S) | vs. No. 10 (4-S) Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | W 98–77 | 31–4 | FedExForum (17,103) Memphis, TN |
| March 29* 5:05 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1-S) | vs. No. 7 (2-S) Oklahoma Elite Eight | W 72–60 | 32–4 | FedExForum (17,025) Memphis, TN |
| April 4* 8:47 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1-S) | vs. No. 11 (3-E) Villanova Final Four | W 83–69 | 33–4 | Ford Field (72,456) Detroit, MI |
| April 6* 9:21 p.m., CBS | No. 2 (1-S) | vs. No. 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-Midwest Region. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 1 (72) | 1 (72) | 1 (72) | 1 (72) | 1 (72) | 1 (72) | 1 (71) | 1 (72) | 3 (2) | 5 | 5 | 5 (11) | 3 (3) | 3 (2) | 3 (2) | 4 | 2 (3) | 1 (35) | 2 (11) | Not released |
| Coaches | 1 (31) | 1 (30) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 1 (31) | 3 (1) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 (1) | 3 (6) | 1 (31) |

## 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 |