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Tar Heels, Spartans advance in Final Four
By Daniel Dullum April 4, 2009 |
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Though the Big East landed two teams in the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four, the championship game on Monday night is a battle between the Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference. In what was in essence a home game for Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit, the Spartans held off a late charge from Connecticut and knocked off the Huskies 82-73. Later, top-seeded North Carolina kept Villanova at arm’s length for nearly the entire 40 minutes as the Tar Heels prevailed 83-69. Michigan State 82, Connecticut 73 The mild upset puts the Spartans (31-6) in the national championship game for the first time since 2000, when they won their second crown. Kalin Lucas paced MSU with 21 points, with Raymar Morgan contributing 18 points and nine rebounds. UConn ended its season at 31-5. The Huskies won the national title in 1999 and 2004 under Coach Jim Calhoun, who was diagnosed with his third bout with cancer amidst allegations of recruiting violations. Hasheem Thabeet led UConn with a quiet 17 points and six rebounds. Stanley Robinson and A.J. Price had 15 each for Connecticut, and Robinson added 13 rebounds. North Carolina 83, Villanova 69 Ty Lawson paced the torrid Tar Heels attack with 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists; Wayne Ellington added 20 points, and Tyler Hansbrough finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. UNC takes a 33-4 record into the title game, while Villanova finishes its season at 30-8. Though the Wildcats outrebounded UNC and committed fewer turnovers, they missed 22 3-pointers, hitting only 5 of 27 behind the arc. Scottie Reynolds topped Villanova with17 points, four rebounds five assists. Dante Cunningham, the Wildcats’ leading scorer and rebounder this season, had 12 points and 12 boards. Reggie Redding had 15 points, and Corey Fisher scored 13 despite 5-for-19 shooting. |
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