FINALS PREVIEW

I think by now everyone knows this game is being played 92 miles from East Lansing, in the biggest site ever to host a Final Four. The crowd will be crazy, and the Spartans will be ready. The Tarheels will still be the heavy favorites, and deservedly so. They have been at the top for a long time, and are led by Seniors. This should be a title game not to be forgotten for another 30 years or so (this is the 30th anniversary of Magic vs Bird in the NCAA Finals).

BL and CP are going to discuss the game in full detail, position by position and even further.

We will Start with a dandy. The Point Guard Battle. Big Ten POY Kalin Lucas and ACC POY Ty Lawson.

BL: Ty Lawson is the best PG in America. He has controlled the game for season's now. When you play Carolina you know that you have to get back and be focused on every possession or Lawson will either be laying it in, or will be dishing off to a big man for a layup. Kalin Lucas is trying to be everything that Lawson is, and to be honest he is close. Lucas' game is further along at this stage of his career than Lawson was as a Sophomore. Lucas not only runs the ball up the court and gets easy buckets, but from time to time plays off the ball and runs around screens like he is RIP Hamilton. His game is more diverse than Lawson, but that doesn't necessarily mean better. This matchup will be crucial in this game, and I think the edge goes to Lawson, but that doesn't mean that Lucas cannot lead the Spartans to victory. EDGE: Carolina, but barely.

CP: Most experts agree that to win the NCAA tournament you must have great guard play. These two teams are led by two of the best point guards in the nation. UNC's Ty Lawson averaged 15.9 points and 6.5 assists while being voted ACC POY. He combines A sweet shooting stroke with unparallelled ability to get to the basket. Kalin Lucas was the Big Ten POY while averaging 14.8 points and 4.4 assists per game. He is the player in the country most often compared to Lawson. EDGE: Carolina.

Now to the play of the wing players (SG/SF)

BL: First lets identify the players being considered by both teams. For Carolina, Ellington and Danny Green. The Spartans have Travis Walton and Raymar Morgan starting, and Durrell Summers and Chris Allen backing them up.
The TarHeels have the names, in fact most casual fans around the nation have no idea who Travis Walton is, and Morgan has been sick/injured for the 2nd half of the season (producing very little before Final 4 explosion). The Spartans from time to time are led by a backup, at many points in this season the offense of MSU has been ran for Summers to get open looks from the outside, and ask Louisville how he has done with those shots. For Carolina, this team is tremendously talented, but moves to a special team when Ellington is on. When Ellington is UNC's best player, they are at their best. Tomorrow will not be one of those days. Travis Walton is the NCAA's version of Bruce Bowen or Ron Artest. Players have nightmares about facing him. Sharon Collins was shut down after Izzo switched assignments at halftime, then T-Will of Lville was next (made 1 FG all game). AJ Price shot 5/20 for Uconn. Travis Walton is amazing, and I have a hard time thinking that it will be any different, even with the talent level of Wayne Ellington. Raymar Morgan makes plays off pick and roll and early offense, Summers hits big 2nd half shots, and Travis Walton plays his normal amazing defense. EDGE: for tomorrow MSU.

CP:On the wing UNC is led by Wayne Ellington and Danny Green. These two talented Tar Heels average a combined 28.5 points, 9.5 boards, and 5.5 assists per contest while playing the type of defense demanded of the by Coach Roy Williams and logging major minutes.MSU is led by Raymar Morgan and Travis Walton on the wing. Morgan is probably the Spartans best athlete, but had been struggling with injuries. He showed why he is considered by many to be the key for the Spartans by putting up 18 points and 9 boards against UConn on Saturday. Travis Walton is a three All Big-Ten defensive player and was the defensive POY this year. He routinely shuts down the oppositions best player. His scoring has exploded in the tournament, but can be considered extra. MSU holds a considerable advantage in depth on the wing in Durrell Summers and Chris Allen who average a combined 17.4 points a game. EDGE: Spartans, but not by much.

Now to the Big Men of the two teams (and there are no shortage)

BL: Once again Carolina has the names (although Goran Suton is getting a lot of love lately). Tyler Hansbrough is one of the most decorated college players of all time. He is at the top of the ACC scoring list, and has made more FT than any player ever. He is also near the top of the scoring list in the NCAA Tournament. Hansbrough has help in fellow forwards Deon Thompson and Ed Davis. The Spartans have more big men that see the floor than any team in the nation. Playing 4 bigs 10+ minutes almost every night, and 5 on occasion (not to mention their 6'8 SF R Morgan). Goran Suton leads the way in order of production and is very versatile. He sets great screens, shoots the ball very well and defends in the post. Freshman Delvon Roe and Dre' Green have been great in the final month of the season, and seem to always have fresh legs with Izzo's substitution patterns. I love the Spartans big men, and even more how Izzo uses them. The problem for the Spartans lies in history. Hansbrough has dominated the Spartans in the past. I have no reason to think there will be anything different in Hansbrough's last game as a TarHeel. EDGE: Tarheels, although the Spartans bigs will produce as well

CP:On the inside UNC is led by 2008 national POY Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson. Hansbrough followed up his POY season by averaging 21.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while getting to the free throw line almost 9 times per game. Thompson is a solid defender and chips in 11 points and 6 boards per contest. The Spartans are led by senior Goran Suton and freshman Delvon Roe. Suton is averaging a double double in the tournament so far. Solid depth is provided by Flint native Marquise Gray and Saginaw native Draymond Green and Coach Izzo knows exactly how to use them all. EDGE: The Spartans are deeper but the edge goes to UNC.

All the little things (You know little, like usually game deciding)

BL: There are many things other than the starting lineups and how they look on paper that decide basketball games. This game will be no different. Both teams are led by tremendous coaches, I will consider that a wash. The environment tomorrow will be that of legend, there has never been a crowd like this one, and it will be predominantly GREEN. This crowd will have an impact as long as the Spartans don't get down early. Probably the biggest advantage in the game will be the Spartans bench, and how they use it. They will have bigs run in and out of the game all game long, and they will stay attacking Hansbrough and Thompson throughout. UNC has dealt all season with teams with better depth, and it has rarely effected them. The Tarheels have 3 players who could have been 1st round picks last season, and all 3 of them came back to be a Championship team in 2009. Although I think that there are ways for UNC to attack all these disadvantages, the advantage in these categories has to go to the Spartans. EDGE: Spartans.

CP:There are many things in favor of the Spartans; the crowd, their depth, and an underdog mentality being the three biggest. Coaching is a definite wash between these two future Hall of Famers. State must keep it close and keep the crowd in it while getting the bench involved to overcome the edge in top end talent that the Tar Heels hold. UNC's season will be a failure without a National Title. They were the favorites as soon as the three first round picks returned. All the pressure is on them. EDGE:MSU



Final Thoughts and Game Winner

BL: This should be a game that will be talked about for a very long time. The Spartans were over-looked throughout the season as they did nothing but win road games all year long. The Tarheels have been on top for what seems like a decade now. Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough may be the two biggest names in the NCAA outside of Blake Griffin. Kalin Lucas has a chance to be just as special, but at this point has not quite made it there. MSU appears to be on a mission, but so does Carolina.

The actual game: There are a few keys to WHAT I BELIEVE WILL DECIDE THE GAME. First is the fact that Carolina is their best when Ellington is going strong. I believe that Walton (and his teammates) will make things very difficult for him on the perimeter. I also believe that the Spartans will attack Hansbrough on the interior early on, and hopefully for the Spartan faithful they will pick up some early fouls on Mr. Perfect. Ty Lawson will be himself, but the options of kicking out to Green and Ellington should not be as open as they usually are. On offense the Spartans will need to push back on the Tarheels some, as the old theory of those who run don't like to guard teams that run against them. But as they did vs both Louisville and Uconn the Spartans will need to be very efficient when they run, because if they miss they will be quickly inbounding the ball as UNC will turn those mistakes into points. Carolina likes to swarm and pressure defensively anywhere inside of the three point line, and the Spartans have been terrific with the extra pass in this NCAA tournament.

I predict that the Tarheels will get 20+ from Hansbrough, but he will be tested on defense. Ty Lawson will be forced to prove he really is a 40% 3pt shooter, and Green and Ellington will be forced to shoot their jumpshots with a hand in their face unlike vs the rest of the teams they have played so far in this tourney. Kalin Lucas will have to show that he is the player that Spartans fans think he is, and WALTON HAS TO BE the defender he has been.

I think the Spartans will do all the needed things to pull out the game, and they will do so, and win the game in the last 7 minutes of the game. Spartans bring home the title and more people call into work Tuesday in Detroit than ever before. (BL)

CP: UNC has been considered the elite team this year. Led by NBA level talent in Lawson, Hansbrough, and Ellington the Heels have been rated near the top all season. MSU has been considered to be the top team in the Big 10 all year, but this is a year that the conference has been considered to be weak. They had struggles with injuries in the middle of the year, but once they got healthy they began to show the nation who they are. They have a coach who is able to motivate them for any opponent and can use the "Us against the World" mentality as literally no "expert" in the country has picked them to be anything other than the sacrifice in another UNC coronation. The Spartans have defeated two number one seeds in the tournament and will make it three tonight..... MSU 74 UNC 69