North Carolina to the Final Four

Known as one of the best college basketball teams, The Tar Heels, advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Looking back at the history of events, North Carolina defeated Mount St. Mary's 113-74, Arkansas 108-77, Washington State 68-47 and Louisville 83-73. In the first round of the East Region, both Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough each had 21 points to help the Tar Heels beat Mount St. Mary's.

In the second round, Ty Lawson scored 19 points and 7 assists and Wayne Ellington scored 20 points for the Tar Heels. They made it to a double digit lead in the first 5 minutes in a 108-77 rout of Arkansas. They scored the first 9 points, led 51-26 at halftime and shot 68% for the game. North Carolina became the first team to score 100 points in its first 2 NCAA games since Loyola Marymount did it against New Mexico State and Michigan in 1990.

In the East Regional, Tyler Hansbrough scored 16 of his 18 points in the 2nd half and the Tar Heels beat Washington State, 68-47. That game sent North Carolina back to the NCAA tournament's Elite 8 for the 2nd straight season.

In the East Regional final, Hansbrough scored 28 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Tar Heels beat Louisville, 83-73, reaching the national semifinals for the first time since 2005. Hansbrough finished 12 for 17 from the floor in 38 minutes and was named regio
MVP.

Tyler Hansbrough, the likely college player of the year, took over when after Louisville erased a 12-point halftime deficit, finishing with 28 points and 13 rebounds before being named Most Outstanding Player in the East Region. His effort allowed North Carolina, the top overall seed in the tournament, to advance after losing in this same round last year.

The Tar Heels are 36-2 and have won all four NCAA tournament games in their home state, all by double digits. This will be the 17th Final Four for North Carolina and the 6th for Roy Williams, who also took Kansas to college basketball's big event. North Carolina returns to the Final Four for the first time since winning the title in 2005, with Williams as the coach.