The Tar Heels needed this victory to regain their spot among the current elite. AP
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ST. LOUIS -- It all happened so quickly, didn't it? One minute, North Carolina is stuck in a post-Dean Smith recession, getting turned down by Roy Williams, playing in the lowly NIT, trying to pass off guys like Kris Lang and Jason Capel as worthy torch-bearers. Next thing you know, it's Monday night, and Williams is not only the Tar Heels' coach, but he's standing on the same stage his mentor did twice before him, dancing a little jig with his players after hoisting the 2005 national championship trophy.

The game that ultimately put UNC back atop the college basketball world followed nearly the same progression. For more than 31 minutes, the Tar Heels enforced their will on near season-long No. 1 Illinois like they've done so many other foes throughout the years. Then suddenly, they hit a rut. Suddenly there was less than a minute left, and suddenly the Illini had caught up to them, just like the rest of the country did earlier this decade.

And then, in an instant, it was theirs again -- both the game and the glory. Jitter-bug Raymond Felton dashed into the lane to intercept an errant Luther Head pass in the final 30 seconds and headed the other way, taking the ball and the impending 75-70 outcome with him. As the final ticks of the clock ran down, and junior Sean May clutched the ball for what would seem like eternity, fellow junior Felton ran to the side of the court nearest the Tar Heels fans and tugged at his jersey in jubilation. Soon, he would be locked in a long embrace with another junior, Rashad McCants.

Amidst the flashbulbs, confetti and general chaos, three seniors, Melvin Scott, Jawad Williams and Jackie Manuel, stood together at center court and said a prayer. They, more than any of their teammates, could appreciate just what this moment meant to Dean Smith, Michael Jordan and the several thousand other blue-clad spectators.

"We were the class that came in and had the worst season [8-20] in school history," said Scott. "And we're the same class that brought this team one of its best years ever."

North Carolina didn't need another national championship to justify its place among college basketball's historical elite. The 1,860 wins and 24 ACC titles took care of that a long time ago. The Tar Heels needed this one to regain their spot among the current elite, a realm from which until only recently they'd seemingly surrendered their membership, lapped by arch-rival Duke, upstaged by Kentucky, Kansas, UConn and the others.

As of Monday, it has officially become cool again for kids to don UNC jerseys in the school hallway, the way their older brothers did in the days of Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison. And it's now assured the Tar Heels will be sticking around awhile. May, Felton and McCants may be off to greener pastures, but Roy Williams will be able to lure capable successors for years to come. National titles tend to have that effect.

"Michael Jordan and Coach Smith both came in the locker room afterward," said Roy Williams. "I said [to the players], 'These guys and [former star player and assistant] Phil Ford and a lot of other people made North Carolina basketball. But you guys are going to be a huge part of it for the rest of your lives.'"