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

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball North Carolina Tar Heels logo.svg 140px Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 1 2 34–4 13–3 Roy Williams 6th C. B. McGrath Steve Robinson Jerod Haase Joe Holladay Dean Smith Center NCAA tournament National ChampionsACC Regular Season champions Maui Invitational champions National Championship Game W Won 89–72 vs. Michigan State 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.Novak Thad The 50 Best Teams in College Basketball History https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1046550-the-50-best-teams-in-college-basketball-history 2024-01-31 Bleacher Report en 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.Ridiculously early preseason Top 25 (and one): Heels, Cards sit 1–2 – NCAA Division I Mens Basketball – CBSSports.com Live Scores, Standings, Stats https://web.archive.org/web/20080625074614/http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10871330 2008-06-25 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.Tar Heels Are Unanimous Preseason No. 1 In Coaches Poll http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103008aaa.html October 30, 2008 Tarheelblue.com 2008-10-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20081210032056/http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103008aaa.html 10 December 2008 live UNC also received the first unanimous preseason #1 ranking in the history of the Associated Press Poll.Tar Heels voted as first unanimous preseason no. 1 in AP poll https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=3675860 October 31, 2008 ESPN.com 2008-10-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20081103132506/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3675860 3 November 2008 live Recruiting no no 2008 Ed Davis PF Richmond, Virginia Benedictine HS 6 10 225 07/18/2007 5 5 96 Larry Drew II PG Encino, California Woodland Hills Taft 6 2 180 05/23/2007 4 4 96 Justin Watts SG Durham, North Carolina Jordan HS 6 4 210 05/20/2008 3 3 40 Tyler Zeller PF Washington, Indiana Washington HS 7 0 250 01/04/2008 5 4 96 2008 North Carolina Basketball Commitments 2008 North Carolina Basketball Commits ESPN northcarolina 75 153 5 11 7 2011-06-24 yes Roster 2008 North Carolina Tar Heels y yes Marc Campbell 2 G 5 11 175 JR Raleigh, NC Ravenscroft Mike Copeland 40 F 6 7 235 SR Winston-Salem, NC R. J. Reynolds Ed Davis Ed Davis (basketball) y 32 F 6 10 215 FR Richmond, VA Benedictine Larry Drew II y 11 G 6 1 180 FR Encino, CA Woodland Hills Taft Wayne Ellington y 22 G 6 4 200 JR Wynnewood, PA Episcopal Academy Bobby Frasor y 4 G 6 3 210 SR Blue Island, IL Brother Rice Marcus Ginyard y 1 G 6 5 220 SR Alexandria, VA Bishop O'Connell Will Graves y 13 F 6 6 245 SO Greensboro, NC Dudley Danny Green Danny Green (basketball) y 14 F 6 6 210 SR North Babylon, NY St. Mary's Tyler Hansbrough y 50 F 6 9 250 SR Poplar Bluff, MO Poplar Bluff Ty Lawson y 5 G 5 11 195 JR Clinton, MD Oak Hill Academy Patrick Moody 35 F 6 4 195 SR Asheville, NC T. C. Roberson J. B. Tanner 15 G 6 0 185 SR Hendersonville, NC West Henderson Deon Thompson y 21 F 6 8 245 JR Torrance, CA Torrance Justin Watts y 24 G 6 4 205 FR Durham, NC Jordan Jack Wooten 30 G 6 2 190 SR Burlington, NC Walter Williams Tyler Zeller y 44 F 7 0 220 FR Washington, IN Washington Roy Williams Joe HolladaySteve RobinsonJerod Haase http://www.goheels.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=667867&SPID=12965&DB_OEM_ID=3350&Q_SEASON=2008 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 (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. yes |- !colspan=12 style=North Carolina Tar Heels|Exhibition games November 8 4:00 p.m. yes 1 2008–09 UNC Pembroke Braves University of North Carolina at Pembroke UNC Pembroke Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC Exhibition 102–62 18,793 0–0 |- !colspan=12 style=North Carolina Tar Heels| Regular season November 15 4:00 p.m. w yes 1 2008–09 Penn Quakers University of Pennsylvania Penn Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC FSN 86–71 19,623 1–0 November 18 9:00 p.m. w yes 1 Kentucky Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC ESPN 77–58 21,538 2–0 November 21 10:00 p.m. w yes yes 1 2008–09 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos University of California, Santa Barbara UC Santa Barbara Campus Events Center Santa Barbara, CA ESPNU 84–67 6,000 3–0 November 24 9:30 p.m. w yes yes 1 2008–09 Chaminade Silverswords Chaminade University of Honolulu Chaminade Lahaina Civic Center Lahaina, HI Maui Invitational ESPNU 115–70 2,500 4–0 November 25 9:30 p.m. w yes yes 1 Oregon Lahaina Civic Center Lahaina, HI Maui Invitational ESPN 98–69 2,500 5–0 November 26 10:00 p.m. w yes yes 1 Notre Dame 8 Lahaina Civic Center Lahaina, HI Maui Invitational ESPN 102–87 2,500 6–0 November 30 6:30 p.m. w yes 1 2008–09 UNC Asheville Bulldogs University of North Carolina at Asheville UNC Asheville Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC FSN 116–48 18,054 7–0 December 3 9:15 p.m. w yes yes 1 Michigan State 13 Ford Field Detroit, MI ACC–Big Ten Challenge/Basketbowl II ESPN 98–63 25,267 8–0 December 13 6:00 p.m. w yes 1 2008–09 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC ESPN2 100–84 21,269 9–0 December 18 7:00 p.m. w yes 1 2008–09 Evansville Purple Aces University of Evansville Evansville Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC ESPN 91–73 21,291 10–0 December 20 2:00 p.m. w yes yes 1 Valparaiso United Center Chicago, IL ESPNU 85–63 10,645 11–0 December 28 7:45 p.m. w yes 1 Rutgers Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC FSN 97–75 21,750 12–0 December 31 10:00 p.m. w yes yes 1 2008–09 Nevada Wolf Pack University of Nevada Nevada Lawlor Events Center Reno, NV ESPN2 84–61 10,526 13–0 January 4 5:30 p.m. l 1 Boston College Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC FSN 78–85 21,750 13–1 0–1 January 7 9:00 p.m. w yes 3 2008–09 College of Charleston Cougars College of Charleston College of Charleston Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC FSN-South 108–70 20,543 14–1 0–1 January 11 8:00 p.m. l yes 3 Wake Forest 4 Lawrence Joel Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC FSN 89–92 14,714 14–2 0–2 January 15 9:00 p.m. w yes 5 Virginia John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, VA ESPN 83–61 13,811 15–2 1–2 January 17 9:00 p.m. w 5 Miami (FL) Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC ESPN College GameDay ESPN 82–65 21,750 16–2 2–2 January 21 9:00 p.m. w 5 Clemson 10 Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC ESPN 94–70 21,750 17–2 3–2 January 28 9:00 p.m. w yes 5 Florida State Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL Raycom 80–77 11,333 18–2 4–2 January 31 3:30 p.m. w yes 5 2008–09 North Carolina State Wolfpack North Carolina State Universoty NC State RBC Center Raleigh, NC Carolina-NC State rivalry ABC 93–76 19,700 19–2 5–2 February 3 8:00 p.m. w 3 Maryland Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC Raycom/ESPN 108–91 20,863 20–2 6–2 February 7 4:00 p.m. w 3 Virginia Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC Raycom 76–61 20,879 21–2 7–2 February 11 9:00 p.m. w yes 3 Duke 6 Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC Carolina-Duke rivalry Raycom/ESPN 101–87 9,314 22–2 8–2 February 15 7:45 p.m. w yes 3 Miami (FL) BankUnited Center Coral Gables, FL FSN 69–65 7,200 23–2 9–2 February 18 8:00 p.m. w 3 NC State Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC Carolina-NC State rivalry Raycom 89–80 21,750 24–2 10–2 February 21 3:30 p.m. l yes 3 Maryland Comcast Center College Park, MD ABC 85–88 OT 17,950 24–3 10–3 February 28 12:00 p.m. w 4 Georgia Tech Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC CBS 104–74 20,959 25–3 11–3 March 4 7:00 p.m. w yes 2 Virginia Tech Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, VA ESPN 86–78 9,847 26–3 12–3 March 8 4:00 p.m. w 2 Duke 7 Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC Senior Day/Carolina-Duke rivalry CBS 79–71 21,750 27–3 13–3 |- !colspan=12 style=North Carolina Tar Heels| ACC Tournament March 13 12:00 p.m. w yes 1 Virginia Tech Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA ACC men's basketball tournament Raycom/ESPN2 79–76 26,352 28–3 March 14 1:30 p.m. yes 1 Florida State 22 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA ACC men's basketball tournament Raycom/ESPN2 70–73 26,352 28–4 |- !colspan=12 style=North Carolina Tar Heels| NCAA tournament March 19 2:50 p.m. yes yes 2 (1-S) Radford (16-S) Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC First Round CBS 101–58 20,226 29–4 March 21 5:45 p.m. yes yes 2 (1-S) LSU 21 (8-S) Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC Second Round CBS 84–70 22,479 30–4 March 27 9:57 p.m. yes yes 2 (1-S) Gonzaga 10 (4-S) FedExForum Memphis, TN Sweet Sixteen CBS 98–77 17,103 31–4 March 29 5:05 p.m. yes yes 2 (1-S) Oklahoma 7 (2-S) FedExForum Memphis, TN Elite Eight CBS 72–60 17,025 32–4 April 4 8:47 p.m. yes yes 2 (1-S) Villanova 11 (3-E) Ford Field Detroit, MI Final Four CBS 83–69 72,456 33–4 April 6 9:21 p.m. yes yes 2 (1-S) Michigan State 8 (2-M) Ford Field Detroit, MI National Championship Game CBS 89–72 72,922 34–4 AP Poll Eastern Time"2008–09 Schedule https://web.archive.org/web/20100318020200/http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/unc-m-baskbl-sched.html 2010-03-18 ." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on August 26, 2008. Rank indicates seed in the NCAA tournament. E-East Region, W-West Region, S-South Region, M-Midwest Region Rankings 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 18 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) Coaches 0 19 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 Maverickshttp://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=N&yr=2009 2009 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com 2011-01-03 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20110101133340/http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=2009&lg=N 2011-01-01 References North Carolina North Carolina Category:North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Tar Tar