UNC Wins!!

Dateline: April 4, 2005
North Carolina beat Illinois 75-70 to win the Men's NCAA Championship on Monday night in St. Louis. After trailing by as many as 15, the Fighting Illini mounted a valiant comeback, much as they had against Arizona earlier in the tournament, but fell short against a tough Tarheels squad led by Sean May (matching his father's title run with Indiana 29 years ago). This is the first championship for coach Roy Williams who has posted 40+ tournament wins.

Some well known faces were on hand, including Michael Jordan, former UNC coach Dean Smith, and former presidential turned vice presidential candidate John Edwards (all in the UNC camp). Bill Murray came out in support of the Fighting Illiini. Ashley Judd was another celebrity spotted during the tournament, rooting for her Kentucky Wildcats who failed to make the Final Four.