Four Final Questions

March Madness is finally in the Motor City and one team's dream is just two wins away. So what will determine which team goes down in history and which three simply go down? FanHouse's editors and writers got together to come up with the four most important questions for each Final Four team. Find out why North Carolina might need to be concerned about its rebounding, why Goran Suton could be the weekend's biggest matchup dilemma, and more.

1. North Carolina (31-4) | South Region Champion

Is This the Game the Heels Finally Miss Marcus Ginyard?
Conventional wisdom will tell you that North Carolina's defense is something of a Maginot Line in designer basketball shorts. But, though the Heels may sneak in the occasional defensive siesta, they're actually an underrated defensive team, particularly in the NCAA tournament. North Carolina is 18th in the nation in defensive efficiency and only Michigan State registered a better defensive rating in the four Elite Eight wins, and just slightly at that. But here's where it gets hairy. The Wildcats typically have four players on the court capable of driving the ball to the basket and a better guard rotation than anyone the Heels have faced all season. When North Carolina has lost this season, they've done it against teams with great guard play: Toney Douglas at Florida State, Jeff Teague at Wake, Tyrese Rice at Boston College and Greivis Vasquez at Maryland. That shouldn't be surprising, given that the best on the ball defender in baby blue is currently wearing a suit. The senior Ginyard, also a vocal team leader, redshirted with a foot injury this season. The Wildcats have a roster full of players that can handle the ball, including two slick point guards in Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. Is this the night the Heels come up one perimeter stopper too few?

Can North Carolina Hit 3-Pointers?
Villanova has ramped up what was an otherwise non-descript perimeter defense for the NCAA tournament, but that batting slump of a 3-point effort the Wildcats forced Duke into in their Sweet 16 matchup (5-of-27, for those in search of the gory details) was due in part to Duke's usual March swoon. The Blue Devils had their share of open looks but couldn't connect. Like their ACC rival, North Carolina should have open looks, particularly with three solid long-range options. But each has been prone to streaky shooting in the past, so will their attempts fall?

Can North Carolina's Forwards Handle Villanova's Drive?
While Dante Cunningham and Tyler Hansbrough will spend most of their time within arm's length of the paint, Deon Thompson and North Carolina's forwards will likely get drawn out by Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson. Both can put the ball on the floor or shoot a mid-range jumpshot; Anderson, meanwhile, can hit from beyond the arc enough to be a threat. Danny Green will have no problem keeping up with either player, but Thompson may feel like the jet stream is whizzing past him if he has to step out and defend on the perimeter. (Possibly relevant stat: Villanova is 9-0 when Clark scores eight or more points.)

Has the Past Passed?
If you asked North Carolina's players about their collapse in the 2007 Elite Eight against Georgetown, in which the Heels hit just one of 23 field goals in a 15-minute span at the end of regulation and overtime, or the 40-12 hole they were in against Kansas by the time the popcorn vendor made his first round last year, they would tell you they were both lessons learned in as obvious a manner as if you'd asked why they didn't twice stick their hands on a hot stove. But are those losses really out of sight and out of mind? The Heels had their mettle tested briefly in the second half against LSU, but if North Carolina hits a rough stretch against Villanova, do the ghosts of the past two seasons suddenly don Wildcat blue?

3. Villanova (30-7) | East Region Champion

Can Cunningham Stay Out of Foul Trouble?
If Lawson is the tournament's most important player, his former AAU teammate and childhood friend Cunningham is so darn close he might as well be drafting. Cunningham is irreplaceable in a Villanova frontcourt made up of Cunningham, Clark and Antonio Pena. Connecticut forced the big man into foul trouble in the Wildcats' January loss; North Carolina, with its big-man buffet in the front court, could be even more problematic. Cunningham will have to beat Hansbrough to the spot defensively and, as best as he can, refuse to foul. The North Carolina star is fourth in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and, to complicate matters, is an excellent shooter from the stripe. Cunningham has only fouled out twice and if Villanova can upset the Heels, he'll have to be certain a third time doesn't happen. There is no one to replace him.

Can Villanova Slow North Carolina's Transition Game?
Lawson plays basketball like the game is on an ice rink and he's the only one wearing skates, which is exactly why North Carolina has the nation's best transition game. But Villanova needs to control the tempo and force Lawson to beat them in the halfcourt, where the Wildcats will at least have a chance to rotate a defender into his path. This, of course, is easier said than done. Look no further than the Heels' win over Oklahoma. Seemingly every time the Sooners scored a momentum-grabbing basket, Lawson had already streaked back up the court for a layup, an assist or drawn a foul.

Can the Wildcats Get Hansbrough in Foul Trouble?
The only proven way to defend Carolina's contortionist, body-by-pipe-cleaners flexible center is to keep him on the bench. Hansbrough is not an aggressive defender (look no further than his anemic .4 blocks per game) and averages just 2.2 fouls per game. But the Wildcats can spread the floor as well as any team in the nation, which should mean lots of one-on-one opportunities against the ACC's all-time leading scorer. One-on-one, the Wildcats can create fouls and this may be Villanova's only chance to turn North Carolina's four towers into a pile of rubble.

Can Villanova Generate Extra Possessions?
North Carolina has the highest rated offensive efficiency of any team in the nation, so it's unlikely the Wildcats will win on a per-shot basis. But can they create extra possessions through offensive rebounding and creating turnovers? Thus far, North Carolina has been bank-executive stingy with the basketball; they're just not turning it over. Against Gonzaga, the Tar Heels committed just three turnovers in the decisive first half and didn't commit a live ball turnover until better than 13 minutes had passed. But they could be vulnerable on the defensive glass. North Carolina isn't a great defensive rebounding team, while Villanova managed to pluck better than 40 percent of its misses from Pitt in the Elite Eight.



2. Michigan State (30-6) | Midwest Region Champion

Will Raymar Morgan Return to Form?
If Morgan endured any more bad luck this season, you'd wonder exactly when he found the time to smash a whole room full of mirrors. From sickness to injury and now a broken nose, Morgan's season went into a tailspin in late January and hasn't recovered, though he remains an excellent weapon in transition and a tremendous offensive rebounder. Can the junior put it all together for two more games? He scored 21 points against North Carolina in the teams' earlier meeting. He's scored just 23 points in the entire NCAA tournament.

Can Michigan State Get Hasheem Thabeet in Foul Trouble?
Thabeet is a virtual forest in front of the basket. His 12.3 percent block rate is fifth in the nation and trails only Mississippi State's basket lid Jarvis Varnado among major college players. As great of a rebounding team as Michigan State is and as adept as Kalin Lucas is at getting into the paint, if the Spartans can't move Thabeet out of the lane (and hopefully onto the bench), Tom Izzo's offensive game plan could be badly disrupted.

Can the Spartans Control the Paint and Glass?
As great a defensive player as Thabeet is, his offensive repertoire is basics only. He's primarily a turn-and-dunk player, so if the Spartans can deny the hulking center the ball in the low post, they can effectively limit his offense. Meanwhile Connecticut thrives on the backboard on close-in second chance points and kick-outs for 3-pointers. But the Huskies only played one superior rebounding team this year, Pittsburgh, and were roundly dominated. The Huskies only rebounded 18.1 percent of their misfires in the first loss, a stunningly low number. Can Michigan State, which is nearly as good a rebounding team and just a physical, have the same success?

Can Michigan State Stay In Front of Connecticut's Guards?
The Huskies are incredibly skilled at getting into the lane and causing all sorts of havoc. A.J. Price has developed into one of the nation's most dangerous point guards, while Kemba Walker launched a surprise coming out party against Missouri in the Elite Eight. But Connecticut is a marginal 3-point shooting team, with only Price a valid threat from deep. Can the Spartans sag their way into stopping penetration?

1. Connecticut (31-4) | West Region Champion

Can the Huskies Handle Goran Suton?
The sweet-shooting Bosnian big man was a Thabeet-sized reason the Spartans toppled Louisville in the Elite Eight and could be an even bigger problem for Connecticut. Suton has hit 5-of-10 from behind the arc in the tournament, so when Suton catches the ball outside of the paint, Thabeet, if he's guarding him, will have to follow him out. And without the 7-foot-3 basket lid in the paint, Connecticut will be much more vulnerable to Lucas or Travis Walton penetrating, or Morgan scoring in the paint one-on-one. And if Connecticut opts to leave Thabeet in the paint, will another Connecticut defender be able to disrupt Suton's shooting touch?

Is Kemba Walker This Good?
Or more precisely, is he this good right now? A blue-chip talent, Walker's ceiling has always been high. But the freshman singlehandedly blew through Missouri's pressure defense and posted a career best 23 points to help the Huskies into the Final Four. Walker is a one-man fast break who can do everything from one end to the other except physically flip the numbers on the scoreboard. If he plays like he did against Missouri, UConn will have another gear to its game.

Can the Huskies Dominate the Free Throw Battle?
The Huskies are eighth in the nation in free throws attempted per field goal attempt and first in fewest free throws given up per field goal attempt. That's padding the Huskies need against all those misfires from the charity stripe. Three of Connecticut's biggest contributors, Thabeet, Robinson and Jeff Adrien, might as well be shooting at a coffee cup instead of a regulation hoop. Each shot between 60.3 percent and 62.4 percent from the line this season. But if the Huskies can get to the free throw line at a markedly higher rate than Michigan State, also a mediocre free throw shooting team, quantity may matter over quality. Still, as Memphis proved last year, nothing is more important than making free throws down the stretch, so don't be surprised if Izzo's shoulder-pad tendencies come out in a Hack-a-Husky philosophy in the interior.

Is This Jeff Adrien's Night?
The senior power forward isn't the attention-grabber Thabeet is, or a highlight reel like A.J. Price, but he's as dependable as an old pickup truck and might be this weekend's best player. Adrien is something from another era, a 6-foot-7 bruiser of a forward who has no interest in the 3-point shot or anything that doesn't involve a toughness test. But he's been the Huskies' most reliable offensive performer and a matchup dilemma for every team he's faced. The Spartans will be no different, and must decide whether to worry about Adrien's interior prowess or his mid-range game. Adrien has carried this team on his sizeable shoulders for the past three seasons and has all the feel of a player on the edge of an unforgettable senior farewell.