NCAA Basketball Tournament

Hansbrough's Legacy Comes in Focus

Greg Couch — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST

DETROIT -- He's overrated. He's awkward. He will be a role player, at best, in the NBA. He cost himself lots of money by coming back to college this year. He's credited as working harder than everyone else, and that's entirely unfair to everyone else, maybe even with a racial hint to it.

I'm pretty sure I still feel all of those things about Tyler Hansbrough, who has touched a nerve to half of college basketball's fans, rubbed it raw. Also, national analysts just never stop forcing him down our throats.

But watching him in the national championship game Monday night, watching him go through his usual annoying things, it all started to come together.

Hansbrough is a national champion now, as North Carolina beat Michigan State, 89-72. His legacy is set, and he gets to move up several notches in Carolina lore, onto the same plane with all the greats. Yes, including Michael Jordan.

It all makes sense now. All of those criticisms about Hansbrough might be true, but at the same time, they also fit together into what truly made him the ultimate college basketball player. It took until his final game for some people -- yes, me -- to realize that.

"This is what I wanted to accomplish,'' he said on the court, just after the game ended. "All the hard work, all the tough practices, all the weight room. That's what Carolina's all about. There's nothing better than this.''

It had something to do with the celebration. They blew off indoor fireworks, and confetti rained everywhere. Hansbrough stood there, and he kept jumping and hugging everyone, and his Dad and brother watched from the front row. His Dad, Gene, thought about him as a little kid, and talked about his young boy growing up to reach his dreams.

"It wasn't a money decision to come back,'' Gene said.

And Tyler's brother, Ben?

"Some people are very rough on Tyler,'' he said. "You stand up for your family. Leave it at that.''

Leave what at that? Apparently, Ben, who will play for Notre Dame next year after transferring from Mississippi State, was in a casino in Detroit the other night when people started giving him a hard time about Tyler. Ben responded. The story goes that security came to stop him.

"I told you I come from a tough family,'' Tyler said.

NCAA Tournament Action

GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 21: Wayne Ellington #22 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives against Garrett Temple #14 of the Louisiana State University Tigers during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 21, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Wayne Ellington;Garrett Temple

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PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: A Washington Huskies cheerleader performs during a break in the action against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Manny Harris #3 of the Michigan Wolverines jumps to the basket for a lay up against Taylor Griffin #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Harris

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Zack Novan #0 and Zack Gibson #32 of the Michigan Wolverines vie for the loose ball with Blake Griffin #23 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Zack Gibson;Zack Novak;Blake Griffin

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Willie Warren #13 of the Oklahoma Sooners makes contact as he goes to the basket with Zack Gibson #32 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first hafl during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Willie Warren

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Taylor Griffin #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners goes up for the short jump shot against DeShawn Sims #34 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Taylor Griffin;DeShawn Sims

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PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: JaJuan Johnson #25 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a shot over Jon Brockman #40 of the Washington Huskies in the second half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** JaJuan Johnson;Jon Brockman

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Taylor Griffin #23 of the Oklahoma Sooners and Zack Novak #0 of the Michigan Wolverines vie for position to the loose ball in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Zack Novak;Taylor Griffin

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Head Coach Jeff Capel of the Michigan Wolverines yells from the sideline during their game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Capel

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PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: Lewis Jackson #23 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a layup as Quincy Pondexter #20 of the Washington Huskies looks on during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lewis Jackson;Quincy Pondexter

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Hansbrough is still overrated. He doesn't have much of a jump shot. He was national player of the year last year, and would have gone in the middle of the first round of the NBA draft. Now, he'll go toward the bottom of that round. And the "work hard" thing? Well, he really does hustle every second and clobber everyone. But it just seems that that label always hits white players.

But try not to judge him as an NBA player. Worry about that later. When you see him in the national championship game, with all the extra emotion that comes in college, you see what a great fit he is. In fact, he's the ideal. Judge him as a college player, which is what he has been the past four years.

Oh, the hell he took on the road from hecklers. Another great thing about college sports: the crazed passion. It focused on Hansbrough for a reason.

"I love to hate him is what I do,'' Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said the other day. "I hate him because he knocks you on your tail. He's tough as nails. He loves contact.

"There's two kinds of players: seekers and avoiders. He's a seeker. I mean, if you're there, he's going to hit you.''

He's what every college coach wants.

When I connect him to Jordan, don't take that wrong. He wasn't even the ACC's player of the year this year. His teammate, Ty Lawson, was. But Hansbrough has been an All-American in some publications four times, yet there was a sense that this game was make-or-break for his career. At North Carolina, it takes national titles.

For someone to be an All-American four times in this era, well, that's almost a negative. Truly great talents don't stay in college that long.

But he's tied together now with all of the Tar Heels greats because he was the leader of this era, and he's a national champ. If he didn't do it as beautifully as it has been done in the past, then that really doesn't matter.

Hansbrough's title and the whole North Carolina lineage came together so early Monday night. With eight minutes left in the first half, when the blowout was on, I got an elevator heading back to the court. A couple kids were there in North Carolina shirts, and their father in a Michigan State shirt.

And who got on the elevator? Jordan. He told one kid, "Nice shirt,'' looked at the father and said, "You've got a problem, man. Take that shirt off.''

"Yeah, Dad,'' the boy said.

Jordan was already giddy. One kid asked for a photo and Jordan grabbed him lightly on both shoulders, looked him in the face and teased, "You're going to be arrested if you do.'' Then he asked the kid how old he was and whether he played basketball.

Ten and no.

"It's all right,'' Jordan said. "I started when I was 12. Left hand. Work on the left hand.''

So it was a Carolina moment. It was a Roy Williams moment, too, as he won his second title as North Carolina's coach. He used to be known as a choker. Now, he's a legend.

But mostly, I think this was Tyler Hansbrough's moment. He didn't win the game by himself, but scored 18 points, had seven rebounds and did everything he could possibly do every second of the game. It's what you want from your college basketball stars.

Psycho-T, they call him for his effort.

I used to roll my eyes at that.

Championship Routs

By the time they were midway through the first half, the Tar Heels were playing only against history. Their 17-point blowout of Michigan State is tied for the ninth largest margin of victory in championship game history. Click through the gallery to read about the other nine one-sided romps.

Paul Sancya, AP

1992: Duke 71, Michigan 51 The Fab Five's first trip to the Final Four was a bit of a Cinderella story, but it ended in a rout as the Blue Devils become the first team to win back-to-back titles since John Wooden's UCLA dynasty

Jim Mone, AP

1990: UNLV 103, Duke 73 But the Blue Devils knew intimately what it was like to wind up on the wrong side of a laugher. Two years earlier, a UNLV team led by Anderson Hunt, Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon routed Duke by 30, far and away the biggest romp in finals history.

Eric Risberg, AP

1976: Indiana 86, Michigan 68: The last undefeated national champion in college basketball history did it with an exclamation point at the end. Even more impressive, the Hoosiers actually trailed by six at the half. This would be the second title game rout for Indiana, which drubbed Kansas 60-42 in 1940.

1973: UCLA 87, Memphis 66 How could it not have been a runaway victory when UCLA star Bill Walton was this good? The center score a still championship game record 44 points as the Bruins won the last of seven straight titles and the ninth of John Wooden's career, humbling relative upstart Memphis State.

1969: UCLA 92, Purdue 72 Not only could no one stop the UCLA dynasty with Lew Alcindor in the center, no one could even come close. The Bruins won three title games with Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, by an average of 19 points. Alcindor score 37 in his farewell in 1969.

1968: UCL8 78, North Carolina 55 This time, the Tar Heels finished on the wrong side of a historic drubbing. Dominated by Alcindor, who scored 34 points in his junior season, Dean Smith's second Final Four team trailed by 10 points at the half and gave up 46 in the second stanza.

1960: Ohio State 75, Cal 55: The Jerry Lucas-led Buckeyes jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead in this halftime drubbing. The best seat in the house belonged to a future coach. Reserve Bob Knight missed his only field goal attempt for the Buckeyes and picked up a single foul.

1952: Kansas 80, St. John's 63: Led by Clyde Lovellette, one of the great big men in NCAA history, the Kansas Jayhawks won their first national time in dominant fashion. The 6-foot-10 tower Lovellette scored a then-record 141 points in the tournament. But despite the rout, Jayhawk reserve Dean Smith didn't register a single field goal attempt.

Hansbrough's Legacy Comes in Focus originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carolina's Blue Is Gold Standard

Jay Mariotti — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:45:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, South Region

DETROIT -- They celebrated together, arm in arm, bouncing and hugging and laughing and ultimately crying as the confetti buried them. It isn't the best time for traditional brand names in America, with even the surest things reduced to chilling vulnerability in a volatile, wacky world. But the North Carolina basketball name, a constant for ages in this country, remains safe and secure.

You might have been bored by it all Monday night, driven to beddy-bye by one of the most lopsided national championship games ever. You might have been bummed that Michigan State, backed by 60,000 fans in a geographically convenient love-in, didn't complete the mission of soothing the collective psyche of a battered city and state. You might have been worn down by the familiar sight of Carolina Blue prevailing again -- ho hum, ad nauseum, bring on baseball and Tiger Woods at the Masters -- and annoyed by the thought of President Obama trash-talking that he picked the champion in his Barack-O-bracket.

Me? I was mesmerized, gobsmacked, blown away.

In a sport of stretched-out parity, no one should dominate a title game the way the Tar Heels dominated a 89-72 romp, minimizing the partisan noise to a shellshocked whisper. "The perfect storm,'' marveled Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who was rendered helpless. Carolina had me at the opening tip, which had to be re-done when Tyler Hansbrough -- the all-encompassing symbol of this tale -- tied up Michigan State's Travis Walton for a loose ball and jumped right back up as if possessed. It was obvious, then and there, that no one was beating Psycho-T and the Heels. "He got his nose busted two years ago, when blood was coming down his face,'' Walton recalled. "So me and him tying up for a basketball and falling to the ground, I'm pretty sure he's gonna jump up real fast. It's the national championship game.''

If you blinked, you missed all the drama. Ty Lawson, playing with a jammed toe the last month, attacked Michigan State for seven first-half steals en roue to 10 for the night. Hansbrough was his physical, efficient self. Wayne Ellington was open and draining jumpshots. The first man off the bench, freshman Ed Davis, played like a force who might be an NBA lottery pick, which is all you need to know about this team's amazing depth. Barely four minutes into the game, Carolina had scored 17 points against an Izzo-coached defense. Soon enough, it was 24-8 ... then 32-11 ... then 43-20 ... then 55-34 at halftime, a gap punctuated by 14 MSU turnovers.

"Stage fright,'' said a disappointed Michigan State guy, Magic Johnson.

"I did feel a little deer-in-the-headlights look,'' Izzo admitted.

Actually, this was about Roy Williams accumulating the nation's elite talent, coaching the dickens out of it -- to use one of his corny words -- and overcoming injuries and doubts from the national peanut gallery to win Carolina's second national title in five years. If anyone doubted it last year, when the Tar Heels laid an egg in the semifinals against Kansas, this is the gold standard of college hoops programs. Everyone else hopes to reach the Final Four. North Carolina expects it. "You've got six NBA players who could be drafted in the first round or early second," said Walton, who committed four turnovers while teammate Kalin Lucas was committing six. "You're really looking at a team that could probably beat the worst team in the NBA."

Championship Routs

Paul Sancya, AP

Jim Mone, AP

Eric Risberg, AP

And while Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington, Danny Green and maybe Davis skip off to the NBA, be fairly certain that Carolina will be back soon. Williams simply reloads because top players want to play in Chapel Hill. Duke? It's no coincidence that Williams has won two national titles and reached three Final Fours in his six years while Mike Krzyzewski hasn't been to a Final Four in the last five years. Roy has defused the power of Coach K, though he wasn't about to take much credit after midnight in his aw-shucks mode. Never mind that he becomes only the fourth active coach to win multiple championships, joining Krzyzewski, Jim Calhoun and Billy Donovan.

"Somebody told me if I won, I'd be the 13th coach (ever) to have more than one. I have a hard time believing that,'' Williams said. "I mean, I really do. Roy Williams is not that good. But, boy, old Roy has got some big-time players, and that's what it takes.''

The legendary Dean Smith had even better players, including a certain fan in the stands named Michael Jeffrey Jordan. And Williams now has as many titles as Smith in a much shorter time span. Is it possible Roy is better than Dean? Do we dare suggest it? "Roy Williams and Dean Smith don't fit in the same sentence,'' he said. "I really believe that. I'm not being humble. I just don't believe that. I've got an unbelievable staff. I mean, we've been to five Final Fours in the last eight years (including Kansas). When I'm about to mess up, they take care of me. They give me great suggestions, and I get to make decisions.''

Williams isn't the romantic figure here. What's impressive about Carolina is how Hansbrough and others who could have opted for the NBA last spring, as the vast majority of good players do, chose to reunite for one final try. "As I walked off the floor, I told Hansbrough that it was really nice to see a bunch of guys that stayed in school and put winning above everything else,'' Izzo said. "Even though we did have a cause -- we had a bunch of causes -- they had a cause, too, and I was pretty impressed by that.'' In Hansbrough's case, he may have lost money because his pro stock has dropped somewhat this season, but no one was more emotional during the celebration than the most-maligned player in the land. Why people don't like him, I really don't know, but you don't have a heart if you didn't take a look at his tears and smile.

"Sounds like I made a pretty good decision. This is the best feeling in the world,'' Hansbrough said. "It's the greatest way to go out. I mean, what we've been through as a team? But we stuck to it and climbed, and we did it.''

Old Roy loves all his players. But he has a special affection for Hansbrough, a self-made player who has ignored the taunts and crank phone calls to become the quintessential college basketball player. Williams almost broke down and wept when talking about him, but he somehow kept his emotions together. "I can say this, and you guys can choose to believe it or not,'' he said. "I wanted this championship for Roy Williams, yes. And I'm extremely, extremely satisfied. But I desperately -- and it's not war and it's not the economy or anything -- but I desperately wanted this championship for that young man. I know that's corny. But, hello, that's who I am. Let me explain it this way. Yes, I earn a good salary, but if you put $10 million in a pile, and say, 'Roy, you can have that $10 million, but if you take it, you'll forget that feeling you had when that big rascal came over and hugged you,' you guys can split that $10 million because I wouldn't give $10 million for the feeling I had at that moment.''

Latest Tourney Cheerleader Photos

DETROIT - APRIL 06: A cheerleader for the North Carolina Tar Heels performs against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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DETROIT - APRIL 06: The North Carolina Tar Heels cheerleaders perform during a break in the game against the Michigan State Spartans in the first half during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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DETROIT - APRIL 06: A cheerleadeer for the Michigan State Spartans performs against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on April 6, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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The Connecticut cheerleaders perform during the first half between Connecticut and Stanford in a semifinal of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Final Four on Sunday, April 5, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Stanford cheerleaders perform in the first half of Stanford's semifinal against Connecticut in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Final Four on Sunday, April 5, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The Oklahoma mascot performs with the cheerleaders in the second half of a semifinal against Louisville at the NCAA women's college basketball Final Four on Sunday, April 5, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Louisville cheerleaders entertain the crowd in a semifinal against Oklahoma in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament Final Four on Sunday, April 5, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

DETROIT - APRIL 04: A cheerleader for the North Carolina Tar Heels supports her team against the Villanova Wildcats during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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University of North Carolina cheerleaders cheer for their team against Villanova during their NCAA men's Final Four semi-final basketball game in Detroit, Michigan, April 4, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: A North Carolina Tar Heels cheerleader gets thrown in the air against the Villanova Wildcats during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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For a program known as a stoic blueblood, it's remarkable how many tear ducts were tortured. At haltime, when the public-address announced barked, "One of the most recognizable figures in the world ....'' most of the 72,922 fans in Ford Field began to roar. In a shock of unprecedented proportion, Jordan's election to the Basketball Hall of Fame had been announced earlier in the day. He waved to the crowd with the others in his class, including John Stockton and David Robinson, but if you looked closely, you could see his eyes filling up with tears. For most, the Hall of Fame election is a joyous occasion. For Mike, the ultimate competitor, it's killing him.

"This is not fun for me," Jordan said. "I don't like being up here for the Hall of Fame, because at that time, your basketball career is completely over. That's the way I look at it. I was hoping this day was coming in 20 more years, or that I'd actually go in when I'm dead and done. Because the way you always look at it, you can always go and put shorts on and play. Now you get into the Hall of Fame, what else is there to do?

"Look, it's a great accomplishment. It's great the respect everyone is paying. But for me, I always want to have you thinking that I can always go back and play the game of basketball. As long as you have that thought you never know what can happen. You never know what my abilities can do.''

Please. God, no. He wasn't thinking about coming back again, was he?

"No," Jordan said. "But I'd like for you to think that way.''

It was a milestone day in his life, His youngest son, Marcus, committed to play at Central Florida weeks after winning an Illinois state championship. In Chicago, Jordan was shown on a video used by 2016 Summer Olympics organizers to sway visiting members of the International Olympic Committee. Yet all he could think about was playing ball again. Hey, why not a one-on-one, Carolina vs. MSU warmup between Jordan and Johnson?

"You really think he can beat me?'' Jordan shot back. "He couldn't beat me in the (NBA) Finals at all.''

Soon enough, deep into the night, His Airness was celebrating with Old Roy, the current players and former greats like Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison. If it felt like North Carolina is the essence of college basketball, the class of the sport, reality simply was sinking in. Accept it and move on to next year, when, surely, the Tar Heels will be ready to win again

Carolina's Blue Is Gold Standard originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spartans Lose Handle on Everything

Chas Rich — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, Midwest Region, South Region

There's no real secret as to what did in Michigan State in the NCAA championship game. Yes, there was the superior talent on North Carolina. The Tar Heels shot really effectively in the first half. North Carolina could actually make free throws. The issue for Michigan State, though, was their inability to hold onto the ball.

The Spartans turned the ball over 21 times in the game. The poor ball-handling made it easier for North Carolina to go on runs big runs and stopped Michigan State attempts to come back cold.

North Carolina's Ty Lawson, was a big reason for the Michigan State turnovers with eight steals, but Michigan State had plenty of self-inflicted damage. They found themselves unable to control the pace for the first time in the Tournament and threw the ball away numerous times trying to outrun North Carolina in transition.

In their two previous games against UConn and Louisville the Spartans turned the ball over a total of 23 times. They nearly equaled that facing North Carolina. In the first half, the turnovers absolutely killed any chance of Michigan State's chances to stay close with North Carolina. The turnovers continued in the second half, preventing Michigan State from ever closing the gap with the Tar Heels. Even as the Spartans tried to come back, they could not consistently hold onto the ball.

NCAA Tournament Action

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Spartans Lose Handle on Everything originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tar Heels Dominate in Detroit

Dan Graziano — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:50:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, Midwest Region, South Region

This certainly wasn't the same Michigan State team we watched the past two weekends. But it was the same North Carolina team we all thought, back in November, was the best team in the country by a mile.

If ever a national championship game felt like a coronation, it was 2009.

There were reasons, over the past three months, to doubt these Tar Heels. There was Ty Lawson's bum toe. There was that weird and inexplicable loss to Boston College. There were memories of the way they went out, too soon, in the tournament the past two years. The 2007 collapse against Georgetown. The 2008 pasting by Kansas.

But really, this was something we should have seen coming.

This North Carolina team has been building to this all along. It's the same basic core of guys that gave up the game against the Hoyas two years ago in the regional final, and got run out of the building by the eventual champs in last year's Final Four. But what's different now is that all those ways North Carolina used to lose to seemingly inferior teams...they no longer show up.

Gone are the days when the Tar Heels didn't seem to care on defense, when there was no team they wouldn't let hang around. When they'd get out 20-8 on, say, Georgia Tech and then all of a sudden be down 31-30. These Tar Heels played defense as if they were crime scene tape, and they didn't lapse. A Spartans team that tried, foolishly, to run up and down the floor with the more athletic Heels couldn't find a decent shot in the whole first half.

Gone are the days when the Heels would be out-toughed on the boards. If there was a team that should have been able to do that tonight, it was this Michigan State team, which rebounded all tournament as if it were starving and the ball was made of ground beef. But UNC closed off that potential option, first by not missing any shots and later by boxing out and using its superior size and strength to win the board battles when they still mattered.

Gone are the days when the Heels would go six minutes without scoring. Now, when that starts to happen, Lawson makes a play. Or Wayne Ellington or Danny Green makes a shot. Or Ed Davis, who looks like the foundation of a title defense no matter who leaves for the draft, shows off some game and makes you wonder if there are any weak spots.

Gone are the days when Roy Williams seemed overwhelmed by the talent he had at his fingertips -- almost as if he were afraid to coach these incredible athletes for fear of messing something up. Williams now watches with the calm eye of a man who knows it's going to turn out right, because the holes of the past couple of years have been closed. He's always known, since he got to UNC, that his teams would be unbeatable if they played their best for 40 minutes. What he didn't know in 2007 or 2008 or even back in January of 2009 was whether they would.

NCAA Tournament Action

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The past three weeks, they did it every game. They never let up. They played like a team that knew it was better than any it was going to face -- a team that had already answered every question to itself and now was going through the formality of answering those questions in public.

They played like national champions. And it's hard to remember the last time anybody claimed that title quite so convincingly.

There used to be doubts about North Carolina. But not anymore.

Tar Heels Dominate in Detroit originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Championship Chat

Chas Rich — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:43:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, Midwest Region, South Region

This is it. The last game of the 2008-09 basketball season. Whether you're rooting for Michigan State or North Carolina join is for a live chat at 9 PM ET and stick with us through the night. We'll be talking about the game, how the teams got here, the Arizona and Memphis quests to find someone to take their job, and anything else that comes to mind.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=cdaf773ac0" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;NCAA Title Game 09&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

NCAA Championship Chat originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Repeat Performance on Tap?

Ray Holloman — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:18:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, Midwest Region, South Region

In life, you may never get a second chance to make a first impression.

But if you bomb it as badly as Michigan State did in its 98-63 loss to North Carolina in December that was godawful embarrassing even by the standards of a stadium that hosts the Lions, you'll get months, if not a lifetime, to explain exactly what went wrong.

And if you're the Spartans, you get a second chance to make it right.

At least after you explain. And explain. And explain.

"We're a lot different," said Raymar Morgan, noting that Goran Suton didn't play and Delvon Roe wasn't healthy. "We just had a lot of ups and downs."

"We were a little beat up," offered coach Tom Izzo, in his most optimistic post mortem of the game. "That's the truth. We came off that three games in four days. Even Roy [Williams] said to me after the game, we're hanging in there with five, six minutes to go."

"It was hard watching these guys play and not being there that time," Suton said. "But we have got a chance. I think it's going to be a totally different game."

But Suton might be as much of a minority as those who only buy American cars. North Carolina is the favorite tonight, should be the favorite tonight and has probably already choreographed a little "One Shining Moment" dance.

Somewhere between truth and good coaching, Izzo has blown enough smoke over the Tar Heels to set off fire alarms all across the Midwest.

When asked how he could beat North Carolina, he joked about getting Magic Johnson's final two years of eligibility restored.

When asked how the result would've been different if everyone was healthy, he said blankly that they might've lost by 20 had they played as they did with a full roster, instead of losing by 35.

And when asked about the Tar Heels and their former national player of the year, their reigning ACC player of the year and their other pair of scorers capable of posting a back-snapping stat line, Izzo was blunt..

"I keep saying one-on-one, we're not as good as North Carolina," he said. "I don't feel bad about saying that. I don't feel like I'm demeaning my team. I'm realistic. I'm semi-intelligent. I've watched enough film.

"If we play good and they play good, we're losing."

And Izzo is probably right. Monday night's championship game could be different than the ACC-Big Ten Challenge debacle, but probably only in margin and date. It's just as likely Michigan State ends up in a world of hurt even the Big 3's accountants would wince at.

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Yes, Suton is back. But will it matter in any way other than an extra name in the stat sheet? North Carolina has 28 feet of interior presence to rotate on Suton. The Heels locked down Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt in the Sweet 16, and when Oklahoma's Blake Griffin turned the Heels interior defense into a pile of light blue kindling wood, North Carolina still won. By 12.

Is Suton going to do better than Griffin? Is he going to do a better job of drawing North Carolina's big men out of the paint than Duke's Kyle Singler did when the Tar Heels twice bounced the Blue Devils?

Can he defend Ty Lawson, the point guard whose sneakers seem to run on the same stuff they put in fighter planes?

And then there's home court advantage, the fight for Detroit.

"It's a storm in the city," said Kalin Lucas, making his point meteorologically. "So we're trying to bring sunlight in."

But is home-court advantage going to matter to a team that's gone into Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, kicked its feet up, enjoyed a hot dog and beat the Blue Devils four straight times for dessert? Will 72,000-ish fans add anything more than the 9,314 at Cameron except longer lines in the rest room? The 25,000 or so that showed up for the first event definitely didn't help.

"You know if we're playing against the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan, they out number us," Williams said. "We don't have as good a chance at that one. ...So for us, we're playing Michigan State. I do realize they have a cause. Well, we also have a cause. We want to win a national championship, period."

Will Roe's health matter? The freshman played the first game not long after coming off a nine-month layover following a knee injury suffered in December, 2007. Roe, heavily recruited by these same Heels, is a superb offensive rebounder, but Villanova gouged North Carolina on the offensive boards in the Final Four and still lost by 14. Rebounding alone won't change the outcome.

And there's the idea that Michigan State has improved much more than North Carolina since their meeting, which may be true. But the Heels had the kind of head start that would let Barkley beat Bolt in a 100-meter dash.

And these Heels have improved. Don't think so? Check out the way their defensive efficiency has improved this season, like a steady climb inverse your stock portfolio. They're 16th in the nation now, plenty respectable for a national champion. And that perimeter defense which was cut to ribbons by Tyrese Rice, Jeff Teague, Toney Douglas and Greivis Vasquez at points this season is now sea-worthy tight. Look at those horrific shooting percentages by Villanova and Oklahoma's guards. Look at that fat zero in Matt Bouldin's assist column in the win over Gonzaga.

Of course, in a one-and-done environment, anything is possible and like everyone outside of the Tar Heel state, we'll be hoping the Spartans' moment shines another night.

But Michigan State has to play just about perfectly. And perfect is North Carolina's game plan.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. But you always get plenty of chances to re-affirm it.

Repeat Performance on Tap? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Talks to Coach John Wooden

Will Brinson — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, Tourney Coaches, Tourney Fans

John Wooden is, without question, one of the greatest college basketball coaches to ever set foot on the hardwood. A (seriously) spry 96 years old, Coach Wooden was kind of enough to take some time out of his Championship Monday to speak with FanHouse. From his upcoming Gatorade commercial (it debuts tonight, you can get a sneak preview of it here), to how he feels about the money and attention that college coaches receive, to who he has pegged to win Monday night's big game, Coach Wooden had plenty to say. Hit the jump to read the full interview.

Will Brinson: Good afternoon, Coach Wooden, this is Will Brinson, with FanHouse.com, how are you today?
Coach John Wooden: Fine, Will, good to talk to you.

WB: Well, Coach, first of all, I just wanted to ask about the inspiration behind the poem in your new commercial, "The Little Chap That Follows Me," and the background behind it.
JW: It was given to me when my son was born, and I liked it so much that I had it framed immediately and it's been on the wall where I will see it whenever I'm home every day since then. I just like the thought that is expressed. [Coach Wooden recites the entire poem by heart at his point.] But it represents, I think, what a parent should be thinking about as far as their children are concerned, and it made quite an impression on me.

WB: I know that Gatorade is trying to pinpoint - with the new commercial - kind of a one moment, a "G Moment," do you think that sums up your "G Moment" pretty well?
JW: Yes, I think it does, very much so. And certainly, that's extremely important.

WB: I was curious to know, Coach, what college coaches in the game today do you admire - there are a lot of good ones including Tom Izzo and Roy Williams in the championship game tonight ...
JW: This may surprise you, but this is the first year that I can remember - usually when the brackets are chosen I go all the way through and pick a winner. This year, I said, "I'm only going to pick a winner." And I picked North Carolina, and, now they certainly have a chance to do that. I like Roy Williams very much. I've known him when he coached other places, I've talked with him often. I like his approach to the game, I like the way he works with his players and he's the type of person I think we need working with our young people.

WB: Excellent. Does anyone strike you the same way as Coach Williams does?
JW: I've been very impressed with Michigan State, particularly their half-court play. They're well-disciplined, fundamentally sound and certainly they're a very tough team. You can't take them for granted. I still would go with North Carolina against them because I think they have a little better overall balance and outside shooting.

WB: Sure thing. How about in terms of when you were coaching: who are the best player and coach you ever went against?
JW: Well, there are certainly so many good coaches. I would say the most valuable player that we ever went up against - and I think he became the most valuable player that the NBA has ever had - is Bill Russell. Although I know we played against many other great players too ... I like particularly Jerry Lucas of Ohio State; he's one of the best we ever went up against. And I think I can name many others too. And there were so many outstanding coaches; to pick one over another would hardly be fair.

WB: That certainly seems reasonable. John Calipari recently signed on to coach Kentucky and he's getting a huge amount of money to do that; do you think the amount of money coaches make today has changed the way they do their job?
JW: I think so. I think they're doing it for money -- or the hopes of money -- a little more than they were in the past. And I think that takes a little away from the purpose that they're there to begin with. And I'm not pleased with it, but I don't blame the coaches for changing at all, but it seems out of line.

WB: Kind of along those same lines, do you think the media makes too much out of coaching searches these days?
JW: Oh, I definitely think so. There's just much more emphasis put on it, and it makes it more difficult to live up to it, and I think too much is ... It's still a game. It's not education, it's a game.

WB: Right, exactly. I'd also be curious, when you picked your winner this year, to know how far you had Purdue going?
JW: I had Purdue going the exact amount of time going as they did ... in my own mind. But as I told you, I didn't pick at all, I just had North Carolina going all the way. My daughter, she picked Purdue going all the way. [Mutual laughter]

WB: That's okay, coach, I picked Wake Forest going all the way ...
JW: Oh well, they were good. Wake Forest, they certainly showed it throughout the year.

WB: Speaking of Wake, they have several young players who might be leaving after this year. Do you think the one-year rule is good for college or do you think more college should be required?
JW: I personally think it should be more time. I personally think it should be all the way, for four years. It's not going to be that, I know, but I don't think one year is nearly enough and I'd like to see them extend that.

WB: Well, Coach, I wanted to find out who your pick tonight was, but since you've got Carolina winning, is there anything you're expecting to see out of tonight's game?
JW: I don't think I can expect anything different from the style of play of both. I like the style of Michigan State -- their soundness, their half-court offense and defense I think is outstanding and they're extremely fundamentally sound. But I also feel that North Carolina and Roy Williams' teams have shown that they fast break a little better and they also are sound fundamentally. I believe they have a little better shooting than Michigan State, but we'll find out tonight.

WB: We definitely will ... Coach Wooden, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to talk to FanHouse and for working up a great commercial with Gatorade. Thanks for talking to us.
JW: Well, thank you, Will, and take care.

FanHouse Talks to Coach John Wooden originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tom Izzo Spins a Genuine Tale

Greg Couch — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:48:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten, Tourney Coaches

DETROIT -- It's the phoniness of it all that usually is so annoying.

Teams rally around their trumped-up idea that they don't get respect.

They live for respect. They've got to have their respect.

It's the most shallow of motivational tools, as if winning for winning's sake, or for reaching potential, isn't enough. What matters is that others think you're good?

Please. So I've been studying Tom Izzo the past few weeks, trying to figure out why his naked plea for respect isn't bothering me. Somehow in this case, it seems like something worth cheering for.

Maybe it's this: For Michigan State and for Izzo, it's something real.

The Spartans have been to five Final Fours in the past 11 years, and yet they're the little guy in Monday night's national championship game against North Carolina. They stand for the little guy, too. They represent him in a way that North Carolina just can't in this economy and this time.

Michigan State is coming off as Team Grit, arriving at the mountaintop by work ethic more than skill. Also, it is playing as a home team here in one of America's most depressed cities, and has come to symbolize hard work and survival.

"I do realize they have a cause,'' North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "Well, we also have a cause. We want to win a national championship, period , the end.''

Sorry Roy. Not good enough.

"I said yesterday I love what they're doing, the positive feelings they're putting across this state,'' Williams said. "I love the people of North Carolina, and the positive feelings we can put across that state, too.''

Nope. That doesn't make it either, not here, against this team. North Carolina is here because it is North Carolina's birthright, a program and coach that come closer to perfection than any other. Tyler Hansbrough needs a title to truly be one of North Carolina's all-time greats.

In normal times, that's a fine tale. But Tom Izzo is telling a very real story here, and not just about a team's social symbolism. It's about Izzo himself.

Izzo is just now moving to the top line of the coaching hierarchy.

He'll never realize he's here.

Last week at the NCAA regional in Indianapolis, Michigan State was about to face Louisville and Rick Pitino, and it was clear how much this tournament meant to Izzo. It was a game about his own perceived shortcomings against maybe the biggest name coach. It was about the champ of the Big East, the best and most-promoted conference, against the champ of the Big Ten, which no one considers an athletic conference.

It was about Izzo's hard-feelings toward Dick Vitale and toward Digger Phelps, who he felt, rightly so, had pushed an East Coast bias for ESPN at the expense of the Midwest. They had all but ridiculed Michigan State, giving it no chance. Vitale had said that if Michigan State got a No. 1 seed, he would grow hair.

But Michigan State does not fit its Big Ten image of a hulking, slogging team. These guys are athletes and are tough, too.

"I think sometimes we anoint a league... '' Izzo said. "I'm giving my normal hurrah for the Big Ten because I think too many people, especially some on TV, have abused it.''

Well, Izzo won that game, then beat another Big East No. 1, Connecticut, to get to the title game. Imagine what it would mean to Izzo to take down North Carolina, maybe the biggest college basketball icon of all.

"I've known Roy for quite a while now, since he was an assistant for Dean (Smith) at Carolina,'' Izzo said. "When he got the Kansas job, I kind of watched his career, saw him.

"I was dreaming of, 'Could I ever get a big job?' He was going to Kansas. I was thinking of going to Northern Michigan. It was a little different because he had that pedigree behind him and everything.''

NCAA Tournament Action

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The pedigree. I don't want to play amateur psychologist here, but I wonder how long he has been trying to measure up. I mean, he claims to be 5-9, which can be true only if he's standing on a phone book. He talks about starting his career years ago at the bottom at Michigan State, with one responsibility being to unlock the gym door for Magic Johnson. They became friends. That seems like a fine pedigree, really.

But apparently, it doesn't to him.

"What keeps me at Michigan State?'' he said. "They gave me a chance.

"I have so much more to build. I love the Dukes, Carolinas, Kentuckys, Kansas. I'm not going to see that (level at Michigan State) in my lifetime because they've done it for so many years, but I love aspiring to be those.''

Each team takes on its coach's personality, and what Izzo has brought to Michigan State is a toughness, a team that seems more real world, somehow. It's a dirt-under-your-fingernails type of team playing here in a town that matches.

Izzo is known in the Midwest for his War Drill, a grueling rebounding drill that sees everyone crash the boards without rules, and sometimes with football pads.

So that's the guts of this story. When this party leaves this city, the empty storefronts will emerge again. But for a few days, Michigan State gives hurting people something to cheer for. Izzo has taken his players to see some of the downtrodden area and people, to let his players know they're real.

"We're not carrying them on our shoulders like we're trying to save the world,'' Izzo said.

"We're carrying them on our shoulders because we care, and it's our state...

"But I think it's a cause. Every coach is going to use every single motivational tool you can use. And yet, this is one cause that isn't manufactured.''

No, nothing fake here.

Tom Izzo Spins a Genuine Tale originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Conquer Sparty

Matt Snyder — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten

With Michigan State looming, the Tar Heels look to avoid being the third No. 1 seed toppled by the Spartans. Conventional wisdom would state that all UNC has to do is play their game in order to win -- seeing as they have superior talent -- but Michigan State is humming right now. So, we'll examine five ways to beat the Spartans, though none of them are surefire ways. After all, we know how tenacious Spartans can be. Check here for how Michigan State can beat UNC.

1. Play a Zone

I'm normally not a huge proponent of playing zone, but I've seen too many teams burned by Michigan State's execution in the half-court recently. They screen well, they pass well, they never stop moving, they slash to the basket, and they don't shoot the three too often (less than 15 attempts per game this season).

Playing a 2-3 zone would eliminate much of the offensive movement which allows the Spartans open looks inside, and force them to take more perimeter shots. Don't get me wrong, they can hit the outside look, but it's not as much a strength as the slashing-and-ball-movement game.

2. Keep Them Off the Offensive Glass

North Carolina is a great rebounding team, but so is Michigan State. After collecting 16 more Saturday night against UConn, the Spartans upped their average to 14.1 offensive boards a game. That's a lot of extra shots for a team who plays such suffocating defense. If you are UNC, there's no reason to allow the Spartans so many second chance looks.

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats walks off the court after losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels 83-69 during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jay Wright

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: Corey Fisher #10 of the Villanova Wildcats goes up for a shot against Ed Davis #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Corey Fisher;Ed Davis

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Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (1) can't move the ball inside against North Carolina's Danny Green (14) and Tyler Hansbrough (50) during the second half of play in a Final Four game at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, Saturday, April 4, 2009. North Carolina defeated Villanova 83-69. (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough (50) looks to move against Villanova's Shane Clark (20) in the second half of a Final Four game at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, Saturday, April 4, 2009. North Carolina defeated Villanova 83-69. (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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Bracket shows matchups for the Final Four in the 2009 NCAA menâ€[TM]s Division I Basketball Championship

Bracket results for Saturday night's games in the 2009 NCAA menâ€[TM]s Division I Basketball Championship

DETROIT - APRIL 04: Reggie Redding #15 of the Villanova Wildcats drives for a shot attempt in the second half against Bobby Frasor #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. North Carolina won 83-69. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Reggie Redding

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: Scottie Reynolds #1 of the Villanova Wildcats drives against Ty Lawson #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. North Carolina won 83-69. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ty Lawson;Scottie Reynolds

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: Scottie Reynolds #1 of the Villanova Wildcats drives for a shot attempt against Wayne Ellington #22 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. North Carolina won 83-69. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scottie Reynolds

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: Scott Reynolds #1 of the Villanova Wildcats drives against Wayne Ellington #22 and Deon Thompson #21 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. North Carolina won 83-69. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Scottie Reynolds;Wayne Ellington;Deon Thompson

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3. Take Care of the Basketball and Move It Around

Michigan State's aggressive defense forced 16 UConn turnovers, compared to only 8 assists. That's just awful. In the previous game, Louisville managed 12 assists to go with their 12 turnovers. In order to beat such a strong defensive-minded team -- who is also great at rebounding -- you have to avoid the turnover while finding open looks via ball movement. UConn didn't do it, and we'll see if Ty Lawson and company can change the tide Monday night.

4. Get Back on Defense

When the Spartans push the fast break off a missed basket, there's almost no way to stop them. Between Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan -- to only name a few -- they have players who can run with anyone in the nation while also being excellent finishers around the hoop. Getting back on defense and forcing Michigan State into a half-court offensive set is paramount for the Tar Heels.

5. Keep Everyone Fresh

Tom Izzo used 11 players Saturday night against Connecticut, with only Lucas playing more than 30 minutes (32). This enables them to maintain their lightning pace on both offense and defense. They never turn down the energy level. The Tar Heels basically use a 7-man rotation. Those guys are awfully talented and in shape, but will MSU be able to tire them down with a frenetic pace? If so, Roy Williams may have to use his bench a bit more early in the second half to ensure his big guns are fresh for the last five minutes.

How to Conquer Sparty originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Heel the Heels

Ray Holloman — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big Ten

Sure, the only thing you'll get better odds on than North Carolina winning Monday night is Roy Williams dropping a frick or two on the sideline, but the Heels can be beaten. How? From tracking Ty to cleaning the glass, here's Michigan State's five-point plan to topple North Carolina.

More Coverage: How to Stop Sparty | Greg Couch on Tom Izzo

1. Know Where Ty Lawson Is at All Times

If we've learned anything in this tournament, it's that, short of handcuffing him to the comparatively plodding Tyler Hansbrough, there's no way to stop Ty Lawson in transition.

The point guard plays like his sneakers run on jet fuel. So you're not going to beat him in a sprint, but if you can simply know where he is at all times, you'll already be ahead of Oklahoma and Villanova. Seemingly every time the Sooners or the Wildcats hit a bucket, Lawson had taken a pass at halfcourt and already whizzed into the paint while his opponent was checking out the replay on the jumbotron. No one has the wheels to stay in front of him, but the Spartans have to have the discipline to know where he is at all times, particularly on out of bounds plays. If you're not sure where he is, follow Clark Kellogg's breathless trail of possibly nonsensical compliments.

2. Take Advantage of North Carolina on the Glass

Don't get confused by the 28-some feet worth of post players North Carolina can run in its four and five spots; the Heels are not a great defensive rebounding team. They rank 118th in the nation in defensive rebound percentage, while the Spartans are fifth in offensive rebounding. Villanova grabbed 19 offensive boards against North Carolina and the Wildcats are borderline church league compared to the way Michigan State rebounds. The Spartans likely won't beat North Carolina on a per-shot basis -- the Heels are the nation's most efficient offense by far -- and they're not great at turning teams over on the perimeter, but they can extend possessions here by taking a page out of the Red Wings' playbook and throw shots at the net until the scrum in front punches it in. On the defensive glass, they'll have a tougher time fending off the Heels' aggressive board-crashers, but if they can, this is where Michigan State will fire up its transition game.

3. Put a Hand, Arm and Anything Else in the Faces of Ellington and Green

If you leave Wayne Ellington open, he will hit as surely as this sentence will end with a period. Ellington, in particular, is a lethal shooter when left wide open while Danny Green has developed into a surprisingly competent long-range shooter despite a slightly awkward looking shot. Villanova left the duo open again and again on the perimeter and the junior and senior lit up against the Wildcats, hitting 9-of-17 from long range. But while both can drive, neither is as dangerous putting the ball on the floor as they are shooting. Ellington, in particular, will take contested jumpers. He's taken between nine and 17 shots in every game since early January with varying levels of openness. Play both to drive and hope someone can rotate over in the lane if they blow past. The only way letting them shoot open 3-pointers works for you is if you've already set up a North Carolina souvenir table outside.

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4. Beat Hansbrough to the Spot and Do Not Foul Him

The only way to defend Tyler Hansbrough is to force him to the bench with foul trouble. Failing that, the best you can hope for is to keep him off the line, if at all possible. Hansbrough is an excellent free throw shooter and has an uncanny ability to contort his body like it's made of pipe cleaners and still get off a shot even if you hit him with a baseball bat. Make him take his chances from the floor, and, as best as you possibly can, beat him to the blocks on defense. Hansbourgh has a nice jumper from the elbows, but if you can beat him to the low block and force him to face up, he's a much less efficient scorer than if he can turn, draw contact and score.

5. Drive, Drive, Drive

North Carolina's defensive inefficiencies are overrated, but the Heels don't block shots and they don't create turnovers on the perimeter, which means if you can spread them out, you should be able to get to the basket. When North Carolina has been beaten this year, it's been by teams with guards who blew past a napping defense. Ellington, in particular, is guilty of the occasional defensive siesta, so drive at him as much as possible. North Carolina's guards can be beaten off the dribble, and if you get lucky, you'll get a few cheap fouls on Lawson or Hansbrough. North Carolina, for all its talents, does not have great depth on the perimeter and the difference between the Heels with Lawson in control or Bobby Frasor or Larry Drew is the difference between you on a bicycle and Lance Armstrong on two wheels. The idea is the same, but the results aren't. Get a few cheapies on the man with the most famous toe in sports and you've got a good chance at slowing the Heels.

How to Heel the Heels originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tough Carolina Digs Its Heels In

Kevin B. Blackistone — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:29:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, South Region

DETROIT -- If you really think about it, to call the North Carolina basketball team Tar Heels has always been more of an oxymoron. Michael Jordan. Walter Davis. Bob McAdoo. Vince Carter. James Worthy. On and on. You think of them and you think smooth. You think finesse. You think of a pretty way of playing.

It isn't that Jordan and Carter and lots of other North Carolina basketball players weren't tough, but you don't think of them as the 19th century North Carolinians who burned trees into black muck, or tar, that they then spread on the bottom of boats. You don't think of them as part of that North Carolina Civil War lore -- the wrong and losing side, by the way -- where a Confederate troop leader pleaded with his boys to fight with the toughness of those North Carolinians he'd heard about, those Tar Heels.

At least not until now.

North Carolina 83, Villanova 69: Recap | Box Score

There are a lot of reasons the current edition of the Tar Heels' basketball team advanced Saturday night, with a relatively easy 83-69 win over Villanova, to Monday night's national title game in Ford Field against Michigan State. They have an outrageously efficient point guard in the nifty Ty Lawson. They have last season's player of the year, Tyler Hansbrough, manning the middle. They have shooters galore including Danny Green and Wayne Ellington. They have depth at every position and plenty of height.

And they are tough, resilient when need be.

Their toughness is embodied mostly in Hansbrough, a player whose prodigious production is anything but pretty to watch. He is about as fluid as a rock slide but just as destructive to whatever is in his way.

NCAA Tournament Action

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But the Tar Heels' toughness is born out in a most-overlooked aspect of their game: defense.

With all their fine shooters and their high-octane offense, it is understandable that most of us don't notice North Carolina's desire and success at shutting down their opponents, but they've done just that as well as anybody the past few weeks. Guarding shooters. Rebounding. Getting loose balls.

"When I watched Villanova's tapes of the Pitt game, the UCLA game, the Duke game, they had tremendous sense of urgency and chased down everything," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said after beating Villanova. "There was one play in the UCLA game where they were up 23 with like six minutes to go, and [Dwayne] Anderson came from behind and dove and slapped the ball loose. I showed that to my team [Friday] night. That's the way we've got to play.

"We talked about it [Friday] night ... about we can't allow somebody to outcompete us on this stage."

They haven't. No team has come close.

Look at what Williams' Tar Heels did Saturday night to Villanova. Look at what they did to Oklahoma last weekend.

Once would be an aberration. Twice is a trend.

Villanova was known for the marksmen it employed from beyond the three-point line, like guards Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. All told, Villanova made five of 27 attempts from beyond the arc. A weekend ago, Oklahoma came into its game against North Carolina after having shot the lights out against Syracuse. Against the Tar Heels, they shot as if the lights actually were out.

Villanova on Saturday was held below its averages in almost all offensive categories. The same was true of Oklahoma a weekend ago.

Offense isn't the reason these Tar Heels are the first Tar Heels tournament team ever to beat opponents by an average of at least 12 points. Defense is the reason.

Case and point: After the Wildcats quickly clawed out of a double-digit hole they'd been in most of the game early in the second half, the Tar Heels responded most pointedly with their defense. They forced a turnover from Wildcats guard Reggie Redding, successfully contested a layup by Reynolds and allowed the next few shots the Wildcats got off to come from no closer than the three-point line. They all went astray.

The next thing the Wildcats knew, they were staring up at a mountainous lead the Tar Heels had built again. They never mounted another challenge.

"What it really came down to is we got stops and got the lead back up to where we wanted it to be," Ellington said of halting the momentary bleeding.

There was some real blood from the Tar Heels on Saturday, too. Hansbrough -- who most famously bled two seasons ago after a flagrant elbow from Duke's Gerald Henderson broke his nose -- left the game briefly to have a cut hand treated. It was amazing he didn't suffer more such injuries from the times he was knocked or tossed down. Still, he finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high four steals. Eight of his points came from trips to the free-throw line, something he's done more than anyone in the country this year. That's tough.

The Tar Heels couldn't be drawing on this resolve at a more opportune time. It isn't just that they are doing so in the tournament. It is that they are doing so as they prepare to go into the ultimate game against a team that may be the toughest of all, Tom Izzo's Spartans, which Izzo happily calls a blue-collar team than represents their blue-collar state where this Final Four is being held.

We already knew the Tar Heels were talented enough to win this whole thing. They've proved now they are tournament-tough enough, too.

Kevin B. Blackistone is a panelist on ESPN's Around the Horn, the Shirley Povich Chair in Sports Journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, and a former award-winning sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News. He lives in Silver Spring, Md.

Tough Carolina Digs Its Heels In originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Can't Hit 3-Pointers

Chas Rich — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:43:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East, South Region, East Region

Whether it was an off night, the size and length of North Carolina's defense bothering the smaller Villanova guards, it all added up to the same thing: a crate load of bricks. When the Wildcats shoot a hideous 5-of-27 on 3-pointers (18.5 percent), they do not have much of a chance. There is not much to decipher.

Villanova gave up size all over the court, so they needed to hit some of their jump shots to have a chance, to open up lanes for penetration to the basket and to give Dante Cunningham a little space inside to work.

It never happened.

Scottie Reynolds was 3-of 11 on 3-pointers. Dwayne Anderson, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes combined to miss all 13 of their attempts from the outside. The Wildcats were held to their lowest shooting performance of the season, going 26-of-79 from the floor (33 percent).

Instead, it was UNC that jumped all over Villanova on the perimeter. Wayne Ellington for North Carolina drained several threes in the first half, and that only accelerated the need by Villanova to shoot threes.

The Wildcats had to get some offense to stay with North Carolina. That never occurred. The longer the game went, the more desperate Villanova became to get some scoring. That never happened. But the bricks certainly did. Again and again.

Villanova Can't Hit 3-Pointers originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do the Heels Have Any Holes?

Dan Graziano — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:33:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East

As discussed here earlier in the week, there was a way for Villanova to beat North Carolina. They had to do it on the perimeter, where they were supposedly strong and the Tar Heels were supposedly weak. They had to do it by exploiting Carolina's suspect three-point shooting defense and driving against the Heels' weak help-side interior defense.

This was all feasible. Anybody who's watched Carolina play for the past couple of years has seen the Heels go through scoring droughts and fritter away leads while they ignored defense entirely for large chunks of the game.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Ford Field. It looks as if North Carolina doesn't do that anymore. In fact, with a healthy Ty Lawson and an improved 40-minute focus, it looks as if North Carolina might not have any flaws in its game at all.

North Carolina 83, Villanova 69: Recap | Box Score

First things first -- North Carolina beat Villanova soundly and controlled this game by dominating the perimeter. They hit their three-point shots, in large part because of the way the Wildcats seemed to fall asleep on defense and play too far off shooters like Danny Green and Wayne Ellington. And Villanova missed its own three-point shots, in large part because Carolina played a smothering blanket defense on the perimeter, and Nova wasn't patient enough to find uncontested shots.

Villanova was outmanned in this game, which everybody knew they'd be. They're not as deep or as big or as athletic as North Carolina is, and if they were going to win, they were going to have to make their shots. Lots of shots. They were going to have to make shots the way Rollie Massimino's team made them 24 years ago in the title game against Georgetown.

And they did not. Not even close.

But the Wildcats didn't shame themselves. They fought. They got back into the game. Got the lead down to five points at one point in the second half. Scottie Reynolds did that thing where he takes over the game, and for a while it looked like his driving, dishing and scoring might be enough to bring Villanova back into it.

But it was not, because these are not the 2007-08 North Carolina Tar Heels. This is not the team that got smoked by Kansas in this very round a year ago. This team pays attention on defense. This team avoids those long scoring droughts, mainly because Ty Lawson always comes up with a way to end them before they get too serious. Maybe the emergence of Lawson as a co-superstar to go with Tyler Hansbrough was enough to elevate this team from 2008 Final Four loser to 2009 national champion. Lawson is that kind of player, and he's had that kind of year.

Can they win one more and send Hansbrough out with a title? They'll be favored, of course, and for good reason. They were the best team in the country in November, the best when 2009 started. And the only reason they weren't considered the best when this tournament began was that we didn't know how healthy Lawson was. He's obviously fine, and that's enough to make Michigan State the underdog Monday night.

Michigan State may have what it takes to win. They'll have the fan support. And their rebounding could be a huge help, especially on offense. Outsized Villanova did very well on the offensive glass tonight against Carolina, and it's easy to point to defensive rebounding as a Tar Heel weakness that the Spartans could exploit.

But as this event has unfolded, and all of the preseason hype about the unbeatable Tar Heels has begun to look more and more accurate, you have to start to wonder if Carolina has any weaknesses at all. Or if they're just going to go ahead and take this thing they've always believed would be theirs.

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Do the Heels Have Any Holes? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 23:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Four Live Blog

Chas Rich — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:10:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Midwest Region, West Region, South Region, East Region

This is what we have been waiting all week for, through non-stories like Ty Lawson legally playing craps, through analysis beaten into the ground, through the cycling of the coaching carousel. Well, Michigan State and UConn tip off at 6:07 PM EST. We will start the live blog at 6 PM ET. Join us after the jump.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=117bd8c793&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;FinalFour09&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Final Four Live Blog originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Four Final Questions

Ray Holloman — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:46:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East, Big Ten

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.

NCAA Tournament Action

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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.

Four Final Questions originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lawson's Luck Continues at Craps Table, Don't Expect NCAA to Congratulate Him

Ray Holloman — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, South Region

The way North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson is playing -- not to mention that he's turned a whole nation of sportswriters into an army of armchair podiatrists -- maybe you can't fault him for figuring his luck knows no bounds.

And apparently, it doesn't. The Tar Heel point guard told the Detroit Free Press he won $250 playing craps in Detroit's Greektown Casino.

"Actually, I already played," Lawson said this afternoon. "We got in last night, and Coach gave us a curfew of 1:30 (a.m.). I went over to Greektown and won about $250. So I already had my time there. It's probably the last time I go there before the games start."

Somewhere, NCAA president Myles Brand's blood must've run just a degree or two chillier.

The NCAA has long wrestled with gambling , from the point-shaving scandals that dominated the 1950s and have continued to re-appear, to the infamous photo of three members of UNLV's basketball team in a hot tub with convicted game fixer Richard Perry during the 1989-90 season. Avoiding the influence of gamblers has always been the first commandment of the NCAA, as one scandal could put the whole multi-billion dollar enterprise flat on its butt faster than you can say Duke ref conspiracy.

And with the Final Four in Detroit this year, the NCAA made specific arrangements so players wouldn't stay in hotels with casinos.

So while Lawson broke no rules (the NCAA is much more concerned with wagering on sports and joining your bracket pool), you can bet the organizing body won't be sending a congratulatory card on his winnings

And maybe they should have a word with his coach. Craps, after all, seems to be something of a tradition with this North Carolina team.

In a press conference between the opening weekend and the Sweet 16 in Chapel Hill, Roy Williams debated whether he'd continue his tradition of shooting craps rather than the more colorful practice of spitting in the Mississippi River.

"I shot craps in Detroit, and we beat Michigan State [in the ACC-Big Ten challenge]," Williams said. "I shot craps in Reno and we won. Tunica is only 30 miles south of Memphis [site of the South regional]. So I've got to decide that. Somebody will say, 'Oh, you shouldn't be doing that.' But I don't sleep anyways, so I might as well do something. "

And while there's nothing wrong with a coach passing over the pack-line defense for the pass-line bet, it is, in the least, tone deaf to the NCAA's great boogeyman.

Lawson's Luck Continues at Craps Table, Don't Expect NCAA to Congratulate Him originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Heads for Detroit, a Year Older, Wiser and Better Prepared

Dan Graziano — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:41:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East

PHILADELPHIA -- Detroit's Ford Field is the place where Villanova's NCAA tournament ended last year, with a Sweet 16 loss to eventual champion Kansas. The site of this year's Final Four, it's the place where the Wildcats' 2009 tournament will end as well. This time, they're hoping they can win a couple of games before that happens.

This time, they think they'll be better prepared for the unique challenge of playing a basketball game in a converted indoor football stadium -- in particular the unusually long walk from the locker room and a raised floor that apparently shakes a bit when you play on it."It definitely impacted us last year," coach Jay Wright said Wednesday, before his team's practice at Villanova's Davis Center. "I think it impacted our shooting. There's a unique depth perception there because you're above the crowd. The elevated floor makes you feel like you're on a stage. It's different, but I think we'll be better off for having played there last year."

The Wildcats' semifinal opponent, North Carolina, was thinking ahead. Knowing that this year's Final Four would be at Ford Field (and planning on being there), the Tar Heels and Michigan State scheduled their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at the venue.

"Which was smart," Wright said.

On Dec. 3, North Carolina beat the Spartans 98-63 in front of a crowd of 25,267. The crowd Saturday is likely to be almost three times that size, but at least Carolina will have some sense of what it's like to play on that elevated court.

"It's definitely a help to have played there," VIillanova forward Dante Cunningham said. "It's unusual. I remember when you'd move side to side, you felt the floor vibrating a little bit. So I think it's good that it's not our first time."

A couple of other assorted notes from Villanova's final practice before they boarded their flight for Detroit:

-- By now, the story about Rollie Massimino giving Scottie Reynolds shooting tips in the lobby of the team hotel on the morning of the team's regional final victory over Pitt is well known. Massimino, who coached the 1985 Villanova team to a famous upset of Georgetown in the tournament title game, has been hanging around the games and practices, giving everybody a good feeling.

NCAA Tournament Action

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"He's completely passionate about everything that's good and Villanova, which we think are the same," Wright said. "It's been a joy to have him around and to be such a presence."

"It's great, because it reminds us that it's possible," Reynolds said. "Seeing him around, you immediately think about 'Villanova won the national championship.' And nobody thought that team could do it either."

-- Asked if his team faced any team comparable to North Carolina this year, Wright thought for a while and then said, "No."

"There's no one like them," Wright said. "Maybe a little combination of UConn and Louisville, but there's no one that can go up and down and bring the depth that they can."

Wright said the rapid tempo at which Carolina plays will pose a strategy problem for his team.

"We like to play that way, but we don't like to play that way against North Carolina," Wright said. "They're better at that. So we've got to be smart. We've got to pick our spots, when we play that way and when we slow it down. That's the challenge for us."

Villanova's regional final game was against a familiar conference opponent, and it was played at a familiar pace. Saturday's game against the high-octane Heels will be more difficult to control.

"A Big East game has fewer possessions and it's more of a grind-it-out game," Wright said. "North Carolina, that's what their system is built on -- never getting into that. Any coach I've talked to who's played against them has said the same thing: 'Don't try and run up and down the floor with them.' So we've been talking a lot about that, and we'll continue to."

-- Cunningham said he's had an additional role as one of the team's seniors this week.

"It's been important for us to talk to the younger guys just about not getting too much into the hype," Cunningham said. "Just make sure everybody's staying focused and not getting too caught up in all the excitement that's going on around here."

For that reason, Wright was looking forward to getting on that plane to Detroit on Wednesday afternoon.

"I think it'll be best for us right now to get away," the coach said. "It's really strange, being around here with all the media here, all the friends and family here. We don't come to practice every day during the season and have media like this, students waiting outside, people talking about us...it's just not normal around here."

The Cats said being on the road would make it feel more like the regular season, and to stay focused on their task instead of the buzz.

"This is going to be a business trip for us," Wright said. "You don't work all season to get to this point and just go there to enjoy yourself. We're going out there to work."

Villanova Heads for Detroit, a Year Older, Wiser and Better Prepared originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Too Much Drive for the Heels?

Dan Graziano — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East

Is Villanova this Final Four's unwelcome guest? Its square peg? The one of these things that's not like the others; the one of these things that doesn't belong?

Maybe. The Wildcats are certainly the most surprising entrant. Plenty of people wrote Connecticut and North Carolina into that big box in the middle of their brackets two weeks ago. A few people (and yeah, you're looking at one of em) even wrote in Michigan State. But if you picked Villanova to win it all, you were in the minority, and you probably still are.

Villanova isn't even being given much of a chance to win a game in Detroit. The big, bad Tar Heels are the Wildcats' semifinal opponents, and popular opinion is reverting to the increasingly justifiable preseason preception that North Carolina is the clear-cut best team in the country -- that there's nothing anybody can do to stop them.

Maybe. But look a little deeper, and you realize Villanova might have exactly what it takes to stop them.

North Carolina has lost just four games this season, and those games have something in common. In all four of them, an opposing guard went absolutely bonkers. To wit:

March 14 vs. Florida State: Toney Douglas, 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting, 3-for-8 three-pointers.*
Feb. 21 at Maryland: Greivis Vasquez, 35 points on 13-for-24(!) shooting, 5-for-10 three-pointers.
Jan. 11 at Wake Forest: Jeff Teague, 34 points on 9-for-17 shooting, 3-for-4 three-pointers.
Jan. 4 vs. Boston College: Tyrese Rice, 25 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 2-for-6 three-pointers.**
(* - Ty Lawson did not play in this game.)
(** -- Fellow guards Rakim Sanders and Reggie Jackson also had huge games in UNC's surprising first loss of the season.)

This is no coincidence. Ever since they lost Marcus Ginyard to injury, Carolina's main weakness has been perimeter defense. Hot-shooting guards are potential kryptonite for the Tar Heels, and the problems aren't limited to the three-point line. Carolina's interior help-side defense is also vulnerable to quick, penetrating guards because it's so geared toward keeping Tyler Hansbrough out of foul trouble.

Villanova has no fewer than four guards who can light it up from outside and/or slash their way to the basket. If they get a big game from Scottie Reynolds, Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher or Dwayne Anderson, that could be enough to get Carolina off its game. And if two of them had big games, Villanova could go off and run away with the thing.

Blasphemy, you say! North Carolina has no weakness. The Heels have sealed the cracks in their perimeter defense. They smothered Oklahoma out there Sunday. And besides, Lawson is playing way too far out of his mind for any of this to be a factor. It doesn't matter how well or how tough Villanova plays. There's nothing they can do. They're just outmanned.

Maybe. But Villanova was a hot-finishing fourth-place team in the toughest conference of all time. They've played the best and most consistent defense of any team in this tournament. (Due respect to the rough-and-tumble Spartans, with whom we're sticking, by the way.) If you had to make a pick right now, which team is going to play better defense in this game Saturday, you'd pick Villanova, if you've been watching all year.

Carolina has the horses to make the Final Four a rout. A coronation, even. But when you take a deeper look at this matchup, you start to get the feeling that it the Tar Heels' semifinal game might not be a pale blue cakewalk after all.

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Too Much Drive for the Heels? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Calipari Recruiting Ripple Possible, Where Will John Wall Go?

Matt Snyder — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:53:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, C-USA, SEC, Tourney Coaches

With the seemingly inevitable move of John Calipari from Memphis to Kentucky, there promises to be a scramble of young talent in the wake. Not only will there be obvious upheaval at both Kentucky and Memphis -- again, assuming Calipari takes the job -- but the move has the potential to reverberate throughout the nation.

John Wall, the top-rated point guard in the nation, has previously expressed plans to attend Memphis and play for Calipari. With the coaching status of Memphis currently a bit in limbo, however, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke has swooped right in.

"He told me the program had not had a point guard in a while that could penetrate and create," Wall said. "Duke has lots of great players and players who can really score. I would be surrounded by great players there."

For the record, Wall's list of potential teams has never changed. Duke was always in the running, but Memphis had been the leader in the clubhouse for quite some time. Wall, however, needs to know who the coach is going to be.

"I talked to Memphis [Sunday], and they said it was too early to know what will happen," Wall said. "I'm waiting."

As are all of us, John. This possible coaching move would send a ripple effect through college basketball's balance of power. Memphis already has the top-ranked recruiting class without Wall. Keeping Calipari and adding Wall would make them the most talented team in the nation in 2010. If Calipari goes, though, they could be left clinging to some scraps.

John Calipari Recruiting Ripple Possible, Where Will John Wall Go? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Final Debate

Matt Snyder — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:05:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Tourney Coaches, Midwest Region, West Region, South Region, East Region

All eyes are on Detroit as we're less than one week away from crowning the national champion and moving on to 2010. So with only four teams still standing in the Big Dance, NCAA Basketball FanHouse got together for a FanHouse Roundtable to discuss what we can expect. Find out why the only thing we love more than the Heels are the head coaches.

Matt Snyder: I don't think anyone can handle North Carolina right now. They didn't even need a decent game from Tyler Hansbrough to stomp a very tough Oklahoma team. Ty Lawson appears to be healthy, and he'll get some additional rest this week. They are easily the team to beat, and it would appear Roy Williams is going to do something for the second time that he couldn't do once at Kansas.

I do think Michigan State will take down UConn in the semifinals -- obvious Big Ten bias plays a role. They can adapt their game to win at any tempo, as they showed against Kansas and Louisville. Plus, they have a dude named Idong Ibok. That alone gives them an advantage at something.

If the Spartans and Tar Heels do advance, we'll get to see a rematch of the 35-point massacre from the ACC/Big Ten Challenge -- in the same venue. This time, though, Goran Suton will suit up for Michigan State. He can't make a 35-point difference, but perhaps the Spartans have improved enough over the course of the season to close the gap a bit and give us an exciting championship.

Dan Graziano: I have a Big East bias, and a memory of a really good-looking North Carolina team that showed up at last year's Final Four and got obliterated by Kansas. So I'm thinking Carolina's next game is no pushover. Villanova may not win, but I think they'll do more than anybody else has so far to make UNC earn it, and the result may be a worn-out bunch of Tar Heels two nights later.

Biases aside, though, my pick before this tournament started was Michigan State, and I see no reason to go off of it now. I agree with Matt's assessment that they can adjust their game to win in any style. The reason is rebounding. They're better at it than anybody in the country, and it's one of the few consistents in this game. Hasheem Thabeet's banged up, and on top of that MSU is the kind of team that will probably frustrate and annoy him -- and he doesn't play well when annoyed; he kind of gets moody and disappears a little, like in the last game, when Stanley Robinson had to take over inside on defense.

I give Michigan State the rebounding and coaching edge over everybody left in this tournament, and that's why I think they'll beat UNC in the title game. Suton is playing like a guy who won't accept losing, and I think MSU has the toughness edge over UNC too.

Plus, as Snyder mentioned, they have Ibok, who's bound to make an impact before it's all said and done.

Chris Burke: I've been reluctant to give Tom Izzo heaps of praise in the past because MSU went through a longer-than-it-should-have-been conference title drought, but it's pretty clear that he's right up there in terms of the best tournament coaches in the country. Still, to assume that the Spartans have a coaching advantage now is kind of a disservice to Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams and even Jay Wright. I don't know that Rick Pitino got outcoached, so much as his team got out-toughed, and those are two different things.

Michigan State's probably not going to go in and bully Connecticut, and it certainly won't push around North Carolina or Villanova. At least the Tar Heels and Wildcats are as mentally tough as MSU, though it is fair to debate if UConn can match State in that regard. Certainly, playing in Detroit will play to State's advantage.

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Thabeet can go into one of his shells, sure, but he could also completely force Suton and Michigan State's guards to the perimeter. Suton's been red hot, but UConn will take its chances with him shooting from the the outside all day. In the other semi, I just think Carolina's going to have way too much for Villanova. I thought Pitt would be a difficult matchup for Carolina because of how Pitt can get after it on defense sometimes, but I'm just not sure that 'Nova can slow UNC down enough to win that game. They might match the Heels basket-for-basket for a long time, but not over 40 minutes.

I personally think UConn and Carolina are going to the finals, with Carolina taking that one by 7-10 points. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see Michigan State in there, though I can't imagine the Spartans being good enough to beat UNC -- Villanova, maybe, but not North Carolina. So the Tar Heels are the pick here.

Ray Holloman: I still like North Carolina, but I think Villanova will give them one heck of a test in the Final Four. The big question about the Tar Heels all year has been how well can they hold together their perimeter defense without Marcus Ginyard available, and thus far in the tournament they've done pretty well. They did a great job against Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin (albeit Pargo had three fouls midway through the first half) with Gonzaga and they sealed up Oklahoma, after a few consecutive lapses against Willie Warren after the Heels initial burst in the first half anyway. Oklahoma helped by missing a lot of open shots in the second half, but North Carolina did a good job in the first 20 minutes. Almost every look was contested in the first half.

But Villanova doesn't just have one guy that can penetrate and hurt you, they've got four on the court at any given time. And they've got Dante Cunningham, who can work inside or outside and will be a tough matchup problem. If you've got both Deon Thompson and Hansbrough in the game, one of those guys will be getting driven by. Villanova is also a much better rebounding team than they're given credit for. The Wildcats are a better team on the offensive glass than the Heels are on the defensive glass, so don't expect to see Jay Wright's team be one-and-done every possession. They're also a great free throw shooting team and really get to the line. (In fact, Villanova gets there more than North Carolina as a percentage of field goals attempted). They shoot 76.5 percent from the charity stripe and against both Duke and Pitt those free throws were a killer.

But the Heels just have so much going for them. Ed Davis may be the best big man NBA prospect left in the tournament and he's third in the rotation behind Hansbrough and Thompson (and gives up minutes to Tyler Zeller, too). And yeah, they got staggered last year, and I suppose it's valid to question why Roy Williams does what he does at times, but I don't think its necessarily fair to hold the sins of last year's team against this one. They really talk about that collapse against Georgetown two years ago and Kansas last year as learning experiences. Williams talked about it going into the Sweet 16, Ty Lawson and Danny Green talked about Kansas after beating Oklahoma. But that transition offense is just so unstoppable. How many times Sunday did Oklahoma score what felt like a pivotal bucket in the first half only to have Ty Lawson dart down court before the scorer's name was announced and draw a foul or find Danny Green for a dunk? I think Villanova will break out that 1-2-2 press to disrupt the timing of the Heels offense, but I just don't know that the Wildcats will be able to do it.

Michigan State and UConn, I like the Huskies, but I'm buying stock in Johnson & Johnson before that game starts. One team is going to have to bleed to win that game. And I like North Carolina to run from Connecticut in the final, but those are going to be two dog-tired teams by the time Monday night wraps up.

Adam Papagiorgio: I had Michigan State winning the tournament in all of my pools. Mainly because of Izzo and what he brings to the table. I agree that maybe Izzo didn't necessarily out-coach Pitino, but Michigan State is certainly playing some of its best hoop.

That being said, I don't know what more can be said about North Carolina. I didn't realize that the Heels were that good. Make no mistake, Gonzaga is a really good team. And that butt-whooping was more about how good Carolina is, and not an idictment on the Bulldogs. I was actually relieved that the Heels punked the Sooners so soundly because that helped to take away some of the sting of the Gonzaga game.

So right now, I have to figure that North Carolina wins this thing going away.

Jacob Wheatley-Schaller: I'm normally more of a stats-based guy, but man, whenever I watch this UNC team play with Lawson in there, and I'm rooting against them (almost always), it's just such a helpless feeling. It's really come full circle from the preseason, where they were clearly the best team, to the second half of the season where that title changed from week to week, to now where it's pretty obvious that you'd have to expect them to win a game on a neutral floor against any team in the country. That offense ... well, it's as good as you would've expected when everyone announced they were coming back, and that's really saying something.

They could lose, of course. Really, if Oklahoma had shot even competently from three (they finished 2-for-19, and I believe they were 0-for-14 at one point), that could've been a game on Sunday. I think I figured if they were shooting 33 percent from deep at halftime, the game probably would've been tied, or at least within one possession. I think if 'Nova is going to have a chance, they'll need Stokes to get hot, and Scottie Reynolds to be hitting his shots. And they'd better hope that Lawson and the rest of the perimeter guys go cold, because when they're shooting like they were on Friday night it's game over. Gonzaga is pretty good. They obliterated Gonzaga.

I like UConn in the other game, although not nearly as much. That's a great defense, obviously because of Thabeet, but they never turn you over. And there's always the chance you get Thabeet out of the game with fouls, which really changes the whole dynamic; it actually didn't in the Mizzou game, since the Tigers never bothered to go to the rim even with him out of the game (they much preferred shooting 15-footers, always a good strategy), but in general it makes a big difference. Anyway, I think UConn probably takes it, Walker really adds a whole new dimension to their offense.

Shane Bacon: I just can't see North Carolina losing this Final Four. They are hitting their stride at the most opportune time, playing some incredible basketball against a really tough run through their bracket. Gonzaga was sneaky tough, Oklahoma might have been able to take down any of the other three teams heading to Detroit and UNC wiped the floor with them.

It's all about who is playing the best basketball at the end of March and right now the Heels are (get ready for it) head over heels better than the rest of the field.

Chas Rich: I'm very torn on the MSU-UConn game, beyond any obvious Big East bias. There is no question that Tom Izzo is a fantastic coach who finally has this team healthy and contributions going deep into the bench.

But I like the starting talent on UConn better and the Huskies don't play a pace too differently from what MSU plays, so that won't be an issue of frustration. Plus, Jim Calhoun is not exactly a slouch in preparing his team for big games.

On the other side, it will be closer than expected (I think UNC is favored by eight right now), but Villanova will just not be able to beat UNC. Again, as important as depth can be, in games at this point, it's about the starting five and only a couple players off the bench. That is so clearly in favor of UNC.

The Final Debate originally appeared on NCAA Basketball Tournament on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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