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.

Well, the state of Michigan and Michigan State fans have got to be very happy. They get to take a stab at a national title on Monday after defeating the Huskies, 82-73. 

UConn opened up the second half with a 6-0 run, but it was all Michigan State the rest of the way. It seemed like they hardly missed a shot! Their fans were behind them all the way and they played a factor in the win for sure.

Rebounds were dead even at 42 apiece. But turnovers and free-throws proved to be a key factor in Michigan State's win. The Spartans only turned the ball over 11 times, compared to UConn's 16. They also shot 70 percent from the floor, compared to the Huskies' 63 percent.

The Spartans went into the locker room jumping all over the place and tugging on their jersey's that proudly display "State."

Jim Nantz tried interviewing head coach Tom Izzo, but you couldn't hear a thing because it was so extremely loud in here!

The only thing I could make out was "we want to thank our fans so much and can't wait for you to join us on Monday night."

On to the next game..the Wildcats of Villanova take on the UNC Tar Heels at 9:07 p.m!

Game one has started and the electricity in the air is beyond words. It is no question who the majority of the fans in here for rooting for. Lots of boos for UConn and screams for MSU.

We missed the National Anthem, but Aretha Franklin belted it out and set the tone for the game.

Sitting right behind me is legendary coach Pat Riley. About a minute before the game, he yelled for Coach Calhoun and said "hey Jim, good luck". Pretty cool stuff.

It is ABSOLUTELY PACKED in here. I can't believe there are over 71,000 fans in attendance. I have never seen anything like it.

It is an intense battle and MSU leads, 38-36 at the half.

My fingers are shaking and I cannot type quickly as I would like. I have SO MUCH to fill everyone in on after just leaving the Big Dance.

Where to begin, where to begin....

I was not expecting Keith Sweat go put on the great concert that he did. He entertained the ladies with his smooth voice and R&B songs.

Gavin DeGraw was next and he was just as great. The crowd was so into it and he even came around and met with all the fans behind stage to sign autographs and take pictures. Such a nice guy!  Even the UNC cheerleaders were singing along to his songs.

After his performance the pep rallies began. Each of the schools had their bands, cheerleaders, and mascots. By then, there were about 30,000 people gathered, each one donning their school colors.

Troy Greene, an avid UNC fan was one of them. He flew in from North Carolina with his buddies, Shannon and  Mike.

"I am in awe of everything going on," Greene said. "I just bumped into some friends of mine from UNC, I had no idea they were coming. Everyone is in a great mood and the atmosphere is awesome. It's been a great experience already and the games haven't even started yet."

Blue and green (all the school colors) balloons were let go. A fly over took place and then it was time for the Pussycat Dolls.

All I can say is WOW. They came out in all sparkles did an outstanding performance. The adrenaline from that concert is sure to carry over into the NCAA Final Four semifinals!

I am happy to report the Road to the Final Four 5k was a huge success. There were 1,702 runners that showed up and the course was great. Motown music blared over the loud speakers and the course was all along Detroit's Riverfront, which was beautiful.

At first I thought we were going to freeze to death, but after we walked over to the start, the sun came out and all of the runners were ready to go! Michigan State fans definitely outnumbered everyone, as they shouted Go Green, Go White right before the start of the race.

Lots of people ran with their dogs, and I saw people of all ages participating in the event. At the end, they had a post-race gathering inside the Cobo Center where runners were able to get water, fruit and bagels. Just as I was leaving, they were giving out free tickets to tonight's games!

One of the best things about the entire weekend of the NCAA Men's Final Four is the FREE concerts! Last night things got started at the AT&T Block Party right outside my hotel.

It was a chilly night, but it did not stop people from heading out to listen to Jesse McCartney and N.E.R.D., as well as several other local bands. I only saw N.E.R.D., and boy were they entertaining. They played one song, "Jump"and everyone in the crowd was on their feet.

I roamed around a little bit, but cold only take the cold for so long. Pontiac has some cool cars on display, including four with the four remaining team logos on them.

Now that the floor has been cleared, we are now ready for the Hershey's College All-Star Game. Right before the game, some volunteers handed out Hershey chocolate to everyone sitting on press row. They are a great corporate sponsor of the NCAA!

There is still a good crowd here watching the  the All-Star game and there is some good talent out there. The rosters feature players from all over, including Boston College, Western Kentucky, North Dakota State, and Auburn, just to name a few.

It's been a back and forth battle all game and right now the Reese's All-Stars is beating the Hershey's All-Stars, 70-60.

The court is now filled with Carolina blue! They are looking pretty sharp and focused. Most of them have been here before and it shows.

Also focused is Ryan Bloien, a life-long North Carolina fan. When I asked him what he was most excited about he said "To see them win, just to see them win." They have come so close since 2005 and I want to see them win it again."

At the end of Carolina's practice, Tyler Hansbrough put on a little show with some of his fancy dunks and some of the players went around and signed autographs for fans. 

The UConn Huskies are the next team ready to test out the Ford Field floor. I was able to catch the tail end of the press conference with A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien just before the stepped out on the court.

"We have a great mindset and are really focused on playing tomorrow," Price said. "Michigan State has a lot of offensive sets and they are all around a really good basketball team."

"Like A.J. said, we just need to contain them," Adrien said. "Our whole team is just ready to go play some ball."

I mentioned before that I am from Connecticut and I just so happened to run into someone that was from my mom's hometown, Winsted, Conn.  Small world!

Char Jacobs was right near the tunnel where the players run out and she held up a sign that said: 2009 UConn Huskies in the Final Four. Wanna see more? Do it with style, bring us to the 8 mile.

 "I run my own website about UConn basketball," Jacobs said. "It took us 11 hours to get here, but so far it has been worth it. My brother in law is here and my nephew from California. We are just so excited."

I stopped Jonathan the Husky and snapped a quick photo with him. He is as cute as can be!

The Villanova Wildcats are on the court now. I am trying to find some Villanova fans to talk to, but I honestly have not seen one person wearing a Villanova shirt yet. I will find one..stay tuned.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright looks comfortable in this setting, despite this being his very first trip to the Final Four with the Wildcats.

The cheerleaders and band are pepped up and it looks like some shooting drills are going on right now.

Ok I finally found some Nova fans in the front row. The Nogales family, Javier, Andrea, and Roberto all were attending their first Final Four. Javier and Andrea flew in from New York, while their father resides in Pennsylvania.

"We attended the Big East Championship a few weeks ago,but we have never been to a Final Four. The atmosphere is phenomenal!".

Doors opened at 11 a.m. and it didn't take long before the sections filled up with a sea of green. Michigan State hit the hardwood at Noon and I don't think we could have asked for a better crowd.

It is VERY confusing getting around Ford Field in the media areas. Luckily, they have super friendly escorts and elevator operators directing people where to go. The staff at Ford Field has been more than accomodating.

People were snapping pictures left and right, singing the fight songs in their seats, even when the band was not playing, and their spunky mascot Sparty was giving out high-fives to anyone and everyone.

I got to chat with three generations of the Wiking family, who are all die-hard Spartan fans. A lot of their family members are MSU alum and  Luke's father hopes his son goes there some day.

"This is such a great turnout, better than I thought," he said. "I am a basketball fan in general, but Michigan State being here is just a bonus. I will not be attending the game, because I think I am jinx (they lost both times he watched them in person at the Final Four). I get pretty intense and will be watching from home."

Luke may be a young fan, but he can already sing the Michigan State fight song, even though he was too shy to do it in front of me. J

I heard several people say that the Salute Presentation at the Fox Theatre was the best they have ever seen, and I have to agree. Jim Nantz captivated the audience and you could tell the teams were proud to be there as they marched onto the stage with their fight song blaring in the theatre. One of the nicest touches was when Nantz introduced the teams on stage; they each got to hold the game ball and passed it along to the next person. Nantz interviewed two players from each team and they were nothing but smiles.

All four coaches gathered on stage at the end and Nantz grilled them all with questions as well.

"This is the best part of our jobs," North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. "So many coaches are here for the coaches convention and are so jealous that we are sitting in these seats."

After the presentation, guests were invited to a reception at the beautiful Comerica Park inside the Tiger Club. They had tons of food, and even this neat ice sculpture that held the shrimp.

"One Shining Moment" played on all the TV's inside and people were mingling and talking about the excitement of the NCAA Men's Final Four being in Detroit. Below is a picture of several of my coworkers enjoying the reception.

I am over at Ford Field now getting ready to Final Four Friday. The practices are open to the public and we are hoping for a great crowd. If you can't attend, follow along online on NCAA.com

Michigan State

Villanova

UConn

North Carolina

Watch the Salute Presentation HERE (6:30 p.m.)

Right now I am inside the Fox Theatre, one of Detroit's crowned jewels, getting ready for the Salute Presentation tonight. The finishing touches on the lighting and sound are being done, and the emceee Jim Nantz is practicing.

The Fox Theatre has played host to some of the biggest names in show business and holds its ground as one of the top-grossing theaters of its size in the nation. Built in 1928, Fox Theatre was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Located within the Detroit Theater District, the Fox has 5,048 seats and the really are no words to describe what it looks like on the inside.  See for yourself below.

It is a lavish interior featuring a blend of Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Persian motifs.

Behind the stage are white walls, covered in signatures from so many famous artists. Can you make out the names below? Pretty neat.

After we got everything set up for the Salute Presentation, we grabbed lunch at a place called the El Wood Bar and Grill, a little diner just steps away from Ford Field. Then we went inside Ford Field to check out the arena before all the madness begins. Lots of neat signs and the seating arrangements are great. It's hard to believe in just a few days there will be 70,000 people in here.

We're here! And what a warm welcome we received when we arrived in Detroit. The drive was pretty uneventful and went by really fast.  We checked in to the hotel and I am staying on the 64^th floor!! It is quite a view. I can see Canada from the room and all the preparations for the Big Dance too.

As soon as we walked in to the Renaissance it was decked out in blue and black and the Final Four logo. Signs lined the hotel lobby and all of the staff members were wearing welcome buttons with smiles on their faces. I talked to Nina, the woman at the concierge and she was very excited to have us.

"The big rush will come tomorrow," she said.  "But we have been getting a lot of phone calls. Everyone wants to know what to do, where to go, if we have rooms, etc. It's so great to have so many people show interest in this event. We are all well rested and ready for the rush."

A welcome table was front and center with all kinds of information for the entire weekend.

After doing a quick walk around the first floor, I noticed banners from all of the national champions were displayed, a pretty neat touch. This hotel is so big, I was only able to find North Carolina's and Michigan State's.

It's quiet for now, but I know things will really pick up tomorrow and the city will be bustling. I hope to get out around the city a little bit more tonight to see what else is going on.