VOLUME 113, ISSUE 23
UNC 87 MICHIGAN STATE 71
One last dance
HISTORIC BATTLE
No. 1 vs. No. 2 for
just the 6th time
BY DANIEL BLANK ST. LOUIS
SENIOR WRITER
As promised, North Carolina
and Michigan State played
at a blistering pace for 40
minutes with plenty of
transition layups and high
flying dunks for both teams.
But the biggest slam was a botched
one. With 13:30 remaining in the second
half, Michigan State’s Maurice Ager went
up for an alley-oop but threw it down off
the back heel.
The dunk would have stopped a mini
spurt by the Tar Heels and reinvigorated
the pro-Big 10 crowd at the Edward Jones
Dome. Instead, North Carolina blasted the
Spartans with an 18-3 run that catapulted
the top-seeded Tar Heels to an 87-71 vic
tory and into the championship game,
where they will face Illinois on Monday.
“The first half, I didn’t think it was
North Carolina out there. We didn’t
compete the way we have all year long,”
said UNC coach Roy Williams. “We didn’t
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SEE BASKETBALL, PAGE 12
FIERY FESTIVITIES
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DTH/JULIA LEBETKIN
Tar Heel fans celebrate around bonfires
on Franklin Street after Saturday's y
game. Chapel Hill police reported only
two arrests related to the celebrations.
Faithful
flock to
Franklin
BY TED STRONG
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
It was a war zone, a rock concert, a jam
boree and a decidedly good time for all.
The crowd that swelled to more than
7,000 Saturday shoved, jumped, jostled
and jockeyed for position, creating a
human riptide that washed revelers up
and down Franklin Street.
“Pandemonium. ... You couldn’t
even move. I was just moving with the
crowd,” senior Andrew Hunt said follow
ing the men’s basketball team’s win over
Michigan State.
“It was pandemonium.”
SEE CROWDS, PAGE 12
ONLINE
Look online for updates on tonight's big game
Faison talks to Hillsborough leaders about his efforts
Find these and more stories at www.dthonline.com.
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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4 AT THE DOOR
UNC looks to win
its 4th NCAA title
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DTH/IAURA MORTON
North Carolina's Jawad Williams (21) shoots over Michigan State's Alan Anderson (15) as the Tar Heels downed the Spartans 87-71 and advanced to
their first NCAA National Championship game since 1993. Williams ended his scoring slump with 20 points, putting up his most since late February.
www.dthonline.com
TURNED AROUND
3 years after 8-20,
title within reach
InSlDfci
FREE TIME
Carrboro hosts Really Really Free Market and CD
and record show during the weekend PAGE 7
MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2005
SERIES HISTORY
Tar Heels 3
Illini 2
WEATHER
TODAY Sunny, H 74, L 47
TUESDAY Sunny, H 76, L 53
WEDNESDAY Partly cloudy, H 78, L 56
BY THE
NUMBERS
22 team high
points by Sean May
20 points as
Jawad Williams ends
his scoring slump
57.1 team
shooting percentage
in the 2nd half
14 Tar Heels
saw action against
Michigan State
4 turnovers in the
2nd half, compared
to 9 before the break
FACING
ILLINOIS
SEEKING ITS IST
Illinois looks for its
first NCAA title in
school history
3 IN A ROW
The Tar Heels will face
the Illini for the 3rd
consecutive year
LAST TIME OUT
UNC beat Illinois in
last season's ACC-Big
10 Challenge, 88-81
BREAKING
THE CURSE
NO TITLE YET
Roy Williams has
twice lost in the
NCAA title game, to
Syracuse in 2003 and
to Duke in 1991
STALLED AT 40?
Roy Williams has
recorded the most
tournament wins of
any coach without
earning the elusive
national title
TOURNAMENT
HISTORY
LOOKING BACK
The No. 1 and 2
teams in the AP poll
last met in the final
in 1975 when No. 1
UCLA beat Kentucky
INSIDE
Jawad Williams
snips scoring slump
against Spartan team
PAGE 12
Local establishments
get game face on
with specials for the
Tar Heel faithful
PAGE 3
O