You name it, Duke students are setting it on fire tonight.

Minutes after Duke squeaked by Butler in an incredible national championship game, the bonfire in the residential quad was lit, and away it went. Mattresses? Check. Beer cans. You bet. Park benches? Why not? The occasional bra? Sure.

If you can light it on fire, chances are it got heaved into the bonfire tonight - er, this morning - because when college kids celebrate these days, stuff gets set on fire. That's just how it is.

Be safe, Dukies. And congratulations on one heck of a championship game.

Wanna give your favorite hoopsters a big hug?

Win or lose, Duke is throwing a "Welcome Home" bash for the Blue Devils Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  

It's free and open to the public. Doors will open at noon, and parking will be limited.

ESPN's Hannah Storm asked Doug Gottlieb on SportsCenter this morning if
Butler could pull off an historic upset, like N.C. State or Villanova, in tonight's national championship game.

Hold the analogous phone right there.

It's ironic that Duke spent five seasons living-and-dying by the 3-pointer and couldn't get to the Final Four.

Now that the Blue Devils are at the Final Four, because of their
ability to defend and find other sources of offense besides the 3,
their fate against West Virginia on Saturday in the national semifinals
rests on ... you guessed it ... the 3-pointer.

Staff photo by Robert Willett

You can bury the ghost of Kansas.

The only thing Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and this North Carolina group will be remembered for is winning the 2009 national title.

Well, winning the national title and playing maybe the best first half in the history of the title game.

A focused and determined UNC team dispatched Michigan State 89-72 for their fifth NCAA title and second in five years.

Former North Carolina coach Dean Smith didn’t make the trip to Detroit, but he liked what he saw the Tar Heels do from afar Monday night.

“That was sensational, a good start and a good ending,’’ said an excited Smith, who watched the national championship game on television from his home in Chapel Hill.

“It was the national championship. Tyler [Hansbrough], he was jumping up and down. That’s why they [several key players] came back.”

Just one win separates North Carolina from its second NCAA title in five seasons and the realization of a lifetime goal for seniors Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.

Here are five things to watch in the championship game as the Tar Heels meet Michigan State at 9:21 p.m. Monday:

DETROIT — If Detroit area weather forecasts are correct, Monday’s championship game between North Carolina and Michigan State should be an interesting experience for the 72,500 or so fans expected to show up at Ford Field.

Up to 6-8 inches of snow is expected overnight Sunday and through the day Monday.

The city is used to dealing with rough weather -- “Hockey Town” is a popular nickname -- but heavy traffic is another matter. In cold but clear conditions during Saturday’s semifinal games, street and pedestrian traffic for several blocks around the stadium was a nightmare.

Staff photo by Robert Willett

• Box score
• First Look
• Photo gallery

UNC's first visit to Detroit's Ford Field ended with a blowout win.

The Tar Heels picked up their second big win in Motown on Saturday with an 83-69 win over Villanova in the national semifinals.

The Heels will get a third game at Ford Field — for the national title on Monday — and it will be against the same team it beat by 35 points in December in the same building.

UConn will watch Michigan State and UNC play for the national title on Monday.

The Huskies were on the wrong side of karma. The Huskies had the whole "Yahoo!-we-cheated" thing working against them, Jim Calhoun's defiant "Get-some-facts" taunt that blew up in his face (when Yahoo! got some facts), the continued presence of A.J. "Hot Laptop" Price on the roster and last week's refusal to cut down the nets at the regional final.