Tyler Hansbrough, University of North Carolina: Fulfilling a Championship Dream

"Nothing beats this feeling right here. This is the best way to go out. I couldn't picture it any other way."

--Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina All-American, after he and his Tar Heels teammates soundly beat the Michigan State Spartans, 89-72, in the NCAA championship game. The final score was the largest title-game margin in 17 years.

"This is the culmination of a dream he's had since he was old enough to know what a basketball is. This is something he's had in his mind since he was a little boy, to be a national champion. All the individual awards are nice, but this is a team sport. It's always meant more for him to win as a team."

--Gene Hansbrough, Tyler Hansbrough's father, discussing a championship mindset.

Hansbrough turned down an opportunity for NBA money and glory last year for a shot at leading North Carolina to the NCAA basketball title.

In his last college game, Hansbrough had a typically solid game with 18 points and seven rebounds. He is one of the most successful and decorated college basketball players in history. He is a three-time consensus All-American. He is also the fourth all-time leading scorer in NCAA tournament play with 325 points, the Atlantic Coast Conference all-time leading scorer and the first player in conference history to lead his team in scoring and rebounding in each of his four years.

Watch the ESPN.com highlights of the game below.

Michael Jordan, University of North Carolina Tar Heel Legend, Makes Hall of Fame

Watch the ESPN video above to hear about Jordan's legacy as described by current players.

Michael Jordan was elected to the Class of 2009 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer.

The announcement was made today in Detroit, site of the men's Final Four. Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jordan's Hall of Fame selection was no surprise after he retired as perhaps the greatest player in basketball history.

For more about Michael Jordan and Peak Performance, click on The Handbook of Peak Performance.

Is North Carolina positioned for another NCAA run?

The UNC Tar Heels won the 2008 ACC basketball tournament, but are they really shooting for an NCAA title. How does the current Tar Heel team compare to the 2005 NCAA championship team, who occasionally visit this team at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill? If mindset and tradition is important, the Tar Heels could be difficult to beat.

"They don't say anything to us. We see the banner every day when we practice, and Coach is always stressing it. We really don't know how it feels because we haven't accomplished that. But we can just tell in their eyes when they come back it's something special for all of them."

--Tyler Hansborough, talking about the occassional visits from the
2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Tar Heels players to the Dean Smith
Center.

"We play the same style, we believe in the same things. But that team in '05,
when it got into the tournament, really clamped down defensively. So, I'm
hoping that this team will decide to do that as well."

--Roy Williams, UNC head coach.

"These guys have an unbelievable swagger about them. As a player you love to see
that. There's a difference between cockiness and arrogance. But these guys
are just confident in their abilities. I see the same characteristics in the
team that we had."

--Sean May, current NBA Charlotte Bobcats' player and member of 2005 Tar Heels team.

"Just the hard work and the passion. It see that as far as the 2005 team and
this team, the unselfishness of both teams. We have a lot of similarities."

--Quentin Thomas, senior UNC guard who is the only holdover from the
2005 team, when asked about the similarities of the two teams.

" They're built for a title run. I don't think there's any question about it."

--Clemson coach, Oliver Purnell, who lost on Sunday 3/16/08 to UNC in
the ACC conference finals.

Sounds like the Tar Heels are well positioned and have the right mindset for a successful tournament. Let's see if their mindset gives them an advantage.

excerpts taken from the New York Times article by Viv Bernstein, 3/19/2008.