DETROIT (AP) -No team had ever left the court at halftime of a championship game in better shape than North Carolina did Monday night.
The second half couldn’t have been as spectacular as the first for the Tar Heels, and it wasn’t.
No matter, it was good enough for an 89-72 victory over Michigan State, capping a season during which North Carolina went from the first-ever unanimous preseason No. 1 to its fifth national title.
The Spartans had seen North Carolina play this well before – a 98-63 romp on the same court at Ford Field in December. They couldn’t have imagined a start like this.
The Tar Heels hit six of their first seven shots, forced three turnovers and took a 17-7 lead less than 5 minutes into the game
two baskets, not an easy feat against the best rebounding team in the country. The lead was 22-7 and there were still nearly 14 minutes left in the first half.
Michigan State couldn’t do anything right and North Carolina kept rolling in a record-breaking first half.
The score was 55-34 – the most points a team had ever scored in the first half of a championship game. It was also the biggest lead after 20 minutes.
The Tar Heels shot 52.9 percent (18-for-34) from the field and were just one rebound behind the Spartans’ 17. Michigan State committed 14 turnovers in the half, just over the 13.8 they averaged per game this season.
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