Michigan State gave it all they had, but in the end North Carolina was just too much. The Tar Heels cruised to their fifth NCAA Division I Men's Basketball title with a 89-72 win over Michigan State.  It's fifth national championship ranks tied for third all-time.

Records fell all over the place. Not only was the 72,922 attendance the most highly attended NCAA Men's basketball championship game, but UNC's 55 points in the first half, set a record for most points in a half at the Final Four, and UNC guard Ty Lawson registered eight steals, another impressive record we saw fall.

The nets have been cut down, the tears have  been wiped away after watching One Shining Moment, the last piece of confetti has fallen from the sky and it's now time to put the 2009 Men's Final Four in the books. Thanks for reading and supporting NCAA Division I Men's Basketball. Til next year....

Michael Jordan is here! He, along with fellow Hall of Fame Inductees, C. Vivian Stringer, John Stockton, David Robinson and Jerry Sloan were honored at halftime as the 2009 Naismith Hall of Fame Inductees.

There is not much to report, other than North Carolina is basically dominating. They are shooting 53 percent from the field and are taking care of the ball, only having turned it over four times. Michigan State is struggling offensively, committing 14 turnovers.

The overwhelming Michigan State cheers have diminished with North Carolina taking a 55-34 lead with them into the half.  It's 55 points in the first half, are an NCAA record for most points in a half at the NCAA National Championship game.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson just presented the game ball and we are underway at the NCAA National Championship game. We had to do two jump balls because there was no possession and now UNC takes an early 7-3 lead.

UNC is continuing to roll, as they are now up 22-7.

The street were packed with people on the walk over here...it looks like we are going to have another huge crowd of over 70,000.

Doors opened at 7:00 p.m. and fans quickly got to their seats.

I just attended a Primesport reception in the North Suite where we got to see three of the 2009 Naismith Hall of Fame inductees, C. Vivian Stringer, David Robinson and John Stockton. Each of them made a few comments about the highlights of their career and were on their way to enjoy the game.

Motown sensation The Temptations just sang the national anthem and it is starting to get REALLY loud in here.   

With the national championship game six hours away, majority of fans were anything but bored.  Hoop City, set up at the Cobo Center, drew the most fans in the history of the event. 25,000 showed up on Saturday, while 29,000 came through on Sunday. The attendance is more than all three days combined last year.

Walking into Hoop City is chaos..you don't even know where to begin. There are tons of interactive games, contests, give-aways, etc. Below are some people sampling Vitamin Water.

I started off at one of the Coke activities where two people with soda bottles tied around the back of their waist tried to move another coke bottle on the ground. The participants could not use their hands or feet, so there was a lot of hip moving. It was pretty funny to watch.

Several of the other activities included shooting baskets over card board cut outs of some greats (Reggie Miller), visiting the Hall of Champions to take a picture with the national championship trophy, getting autographs from Mark Aguirre of DePaul University (1980  Jame Naismith winner) and Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Piston, former UConn guard.

The Hartford Wheelchair Exhibition was another crowd-drawer, as fans gathered in the bleachers to watch the USA Paralympic team.

One of the biggest attractions for kids was "Hang Time". Kids stepped up on a ladder, grabbed the hoop and held on for as long as they could once the ladder was removed. Jermell Stocks was one of the participants when I walked up. He held on for 1:38 and said he wanted another stab at it, because he thought he could do better.  A screen displayed the highest scores of the weekend, and Carly Preston had the best time with 3:48.

 Snow continues to fall here in Detroit, but the excitement is still in the air. In just a few hours, we will crown an NCAA champion.

I just so happened to catch some UNC fans taking a little nap at the Starbucks in the hotel. Looks like they are saving up all of their energy for the game!

It is snowing right now. Yes, snowing, and they are saying we are going to get four inches.

 Luckily, the snow did not start until just a few hours ago, which was great because My Coke Fest went off without a hitch. People starting gathering around 6:30 for some great concerts. Of course, the crowd was heavily favoring MSU, and even their local businesses are supporting their home team! The Anthem Blue Cross building put an "S" formation in their windows for everyone in the city to see.

 The temperatures dropped significantly throughout the day, but it didn't stop the thousands of people from coming to see music artists Janelle Monae, Gym Class Heroes, Staind and Fergie, with her surprise guest, Slash!

Tonight's concert was a little more rowdy than the past two days, as people pushed and shoved to get a good spot for the shows. Luckily security was at its best. All bundled up in coats, hats, and gloves, people sang along to the songs they knew and danced around to stay warm.

As soon as Fergie was done signing "Fergalicious", it started freezing rain and the place cleared out pretty quickly. We ran over to the hotel just in time to see Dick Vitale presenting Syracuse head coach Jim Boheim with a life-time achievement award.

We went over to a Coke party, where Janelle Monae preformed again in front of a much smaller crowd. Coca-Cola cupcakes were served and a good time was had by all!

I have not hit up Hoop City yet, so that is on my agenda for tomorrow, as well as the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! Who will it be, Spartans or Tar Heels? Game time is set for 9:22 p.m.!

The ever popular Dome Dribble drew lots of fans, both local and from out of town. Registration began at 12:30 outside Comerica Park and the line wrapped around the building with eager children waiting to get their free basketball and tshirt, courtesy of the NCAA and Wilson Sporting Goods.

The actual dribble started at the Brush and Adams street intersection in downtown Detroit, and ended at the Cobo Center, the site of NCAA Hoop City.

I  jumped in the middle of the dribble to talk with Erin Williams, mother of two kids, aged 5 and 9.

"My children could not wait for this," she said. "They woke up this morning and kept asking when they were going to get their basketball.  They play in our driveway all the time, they loved being able to dribble in the streets with lots of other people today. I think everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to seeing Hoop City."

The Inkstar High School marching band provided upbeat music to keep the participants going.

People in attendance today were part of history. 72,456 fans came out today, the largest crowd ever at the NCAA Final Four. UNC advances after a 83-69 victory over Villanova.

Photo courtsey of the NCAA Double A-Zone

North Carolina is showing early dominance, leading 31-20 at the 9:28 mark.

Villanova fans watching intently below and the sea of Carolina blue on the other side of the court.

Carolina was red-hot throughout most of the first half, but Villanova went on a 9-2 run to close out the half. They only trail nine, 49-40.