Observations from the ACC tournament

Slideshow: Tar Heels win ACC title

The Tar Heels can win pretty, and they can win sloppy. UNC was plagued by turnovers for much of the weekend, and against Virginia Tech on Saturday, UNC shot only 40 percent from the floor. But the Tar Heels still won. And in the other two games combined, UNC shot a much prettier 50.7 percent. Against Clemson, the Tar Heels even got their fast break mojo working again and scored 34 points in transition. "I think that's the biggest thing about playing in March, is just doing whatever it takes to get it done," junior Marcus Ginyard said. "It's not going to be pretty all the time, but as long as you're staying together and everybody's keeping the same focus to the same goal, then you can pull through."

The Tar Heels can win coasting a little. The proof - UNC rarely ever loses the rebounding battle, and coaches often say rebounding is about effort and desire. Friday, for only the third time all season, the Tar Heels failed to outrebound their opponent when they tied Florida State at 30 each. Against Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels were tied on the boards in the first half before kicking it up a few notches in the second and running away with a 43-33 advantage. Until the championship game, the Tar Heels did just enough to win. Ginyard said it best after the VT win: "We might not have been fighting as hard as we needed to the whole game, but when it came down to it, we gave that extra effort."

Tyler Hansbrough is a beast. Not that anyone needed a reminder. But as the accolades rack up (ACC Tournament MVP and ESPN.com's, Sports Illustrated's and Sporting News' Player of the Year), he continues to live up to the hype. Hansbrough finished the weekend with 66 points, 26 rebounds and one game-winner. He moved into third place on the all-time UNC scoring list, and his fadeaway to beat Virginia Tech and advance to the finals was one of the biggest of his UNC career. "I just remember Ty (Lawson) going into the lane area, and I knew he was going to put the ball up," Hansbrough said. "So I just ran over to where Ty was gonna shoot, and luckily the ball had a good roll out to me. And I just caught it and let it fly. I was pretty glad it went in."

Wayne Ellington is hitting his stride at just the right time. He's scored 15 or more points in 10 of the last 11 games and continues to hit big shots when it counts. Ellington held off rallies from Florida State and Clemson and helped keep UNC in the game against Virginia Tech with his three scores from beyond the arc. "I got into a pretty good rhythm from the first day, and I think I just went from there," Ellington said. "I'm feeling very confident right now, and that contributes to my shooting from the perimeter."

Lawson still isn't 100 percent. Against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Lawson shot 1-7, including a couple of botched layups, and had only one assist to go with four turnovers. But things do look a little brighter after Sunday's performance, when the point guard racked up 12 points and eight assists. "I think he's getting closer, but he's gotta get a lot better for us to reach the dreams that we have," Williams said.