March Madness 2009 Final Four Preview
A Look Ahead at the Final Weekend of the NCAA Tournament 2009
Apr 3, 2009 Sebastian Egerton-Read
The Final Four is finally here this weekend as March Madness reaches its climax in Detroit. Some have commented that this year’s tournament has lacked major upsets or a ‘Cinderella’ story; however March Madness 2009 has undoubtedly provided more than its fair share of excitement and entertainment over the last two weeks. Michigan State faces Connecticut while Villanova takes on North Carolina in two highly-anticipated matches on Saturday night.
Michigan State vs Connecticut
Few predicted that it would be Michigan State who would advance to the Final Four from a Midwest Region that included the likes of defending champions Kansas and pre-tournament favorites Louisville. Their tournament looked in serious jeopardy when they fell behind Kansas by as many as 13 points in their regional semi-final but were able to over-turn the deficit in an impressive second half performance. However, Tom Izzo’s team put in a near flawless performance in their dismantling of #1 ranked Louisville in the regional final. MSU plays a tough and disciplined brand of basketball relying upon the strong play of a deep group of guards led by talented scorer Kalin Lucas.
Connecticut is in search of a third title in a decade and their performance in reaching the Final Four suggests that they are more than capable of achieving it. Jim Calhoun’s team has strong inside out balance with a trio of guards led by A.J Price and a dominant front court presence with Jeff Adrien’s scoring and Hasheem Thabeet’s shot blocking, not to mention the excellent performances of Stanley Robinson so far in the tournament.
It is impossible to rule out Michigan State after their performances so far in this competition, and they will enjoy heading into the match as heavy underdogs. However, the underdog tag is more than deserved against a Connecticut line-up that boasts a combination of excellent size and speed. As with any team trying to over-come UConn, MSU will need to try and move Thabeet out of the paint to nullify his defensive presence, if Thabeet gets into foul trouble once again that may be Michigan State’s best chance.
Verdict:Michigan State will compete harder against Connecticut’s size than Purdue or Missouri but UConn’s talent should prove to be just a little too much in a game that will almost certainly go right down to the wire.
Villanova vs North Carolina
Villanova finished the first half of the first round 41-31 down to American in what could have been the biggest upset of March Madness 2009. They were able to over-come that poor start and since then the Wildcats have gone from strength to strength dismissing UCLA and Duke before securing their place in the Final Four with a dramatic victory over Pittsburgh in the final seconds. Villanova play an aggressive hard-working defensive system and is arguably the best team remaining at not giving up many uncontested shots. They run an efficient all-round offense led by Dante Cunningham on the inside and the speedy Scottie Reynolds penetrating from the perimeter.
At the start of the season many suggested that this North Carolina line-up could be one of the best in NCAA history, an up and down season ensured that they won’t be remembered in that way, but this Tar Heels team is still the most talented in College Basketball. North Carolina cruised through the opening rounds and ended Blake Griffin’s Oklahoma run comfortably in the regional final. Tyler Hansborough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Deon Thompson make for a fearsome starting line-up that plays solid defensively as well as being an offensive juggernaught.
Villanova’s have improved dramatically from round to round so far in the tournament, however North Carolina is a very different proposition from Pittsburgh as their many offensive options will stretch Villanova’s defense severely. The Wildcats will need to rely upon their own speed if they are to outpace the Tar Heels in what is likely to be a high-scoring encounter.
Verdict: North Carolina has to like the matchup with Villanova and should end up winning with only a little difficulty, although that’s not to say that Villanova are totally incapable of causing an upset.
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