Tyler Hansbrough walked off the court after his final home game at Chapel Hill celebrating another ACC championship and another win against the Tar Heels' fiercest rival. Once again, Ty Lawson had a lot to do with that.

Hansbrough scored 17 points and Lawson nearly had with a triple-double to help the No. 2 Tar Heels beat No. 7 Duke 79-71 Sunday, winning the league's regular-season title for the 2nd straight season and earning the top seed in next week's ACC tournament.

When the brackets come out next weekend, Duke could be a #2 seed and UNC will be a #1.  This game was about what you would expect between a #1 and #2 seed in a regional final.  This gives me confidence that UNC can handle such situations in the NCAA Tournament.  The Heels stepped up and played the game they needed to play.  It was not perfect, but in the end the Heels made it work.  Danny Green hit a three.  On missed shots, the Heels got the rebound. It came down to Ty Lawson, splitting the defense, taking Jon Scheyer to the basket and getting the “and 1? to make it a seven point lead in the final minute. 

This was a balanced game for the Heels offensively.  Five players scored in double figures for UNC and each player picked a different moment in the game to score a key basket or two.  Deon Thompson and Wayne Ellington were consistent.  I am sure Ellington enjoyed outplaying his former high school teammate Gerald Henderson. Frasor also stepped in and took a charge on Kyle Singler earlier in the game. Singler had to leave the game with his fourth foul late in the game taking a threat off the floor.  Frasor will never make a huge impact on the game in terms of points or made shots but he is capable of making the smart plays and the opportunistic plays that turn the tide.  It was good to see Frasor go out like that.

Once it was over, Hansbrough got emotional as he addressed the crowd during the Senior Day postgame festivities and thanked his teammates for "the best four years of my life." It was the send-off he had hoped for when he put off the NBA to come back to school for one more run at a national championship.

"It's a hard game to play," Hansbrough said. "You're thinking about everything. You're thinking about your after-game speech. You're thinking, 'Oh man, this is my last game in the Dean Dome,' and you start to think your college career is coming to an end. Then you're still trying to focus on the game and get the win."

The game also had its share of Tar Heel celebrities among the rowdy capacity crowd. Michael Jordan - the managing partner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats - arrived with head coach Larry Brown and current players Raymond Felton and Sean May.

In the end this was a balanced offensive attack and the Heels’ defense was good enough.  I think it sets the right tone heading into the postseason and hopefully the first step towards a 2009 National NCAA Title.