NCAA Basketball Final: North Carolina Tar Heels v Michigan State Spartans

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 05 April 2009 / 1 Comments

North Carolina are the heavy favourites but they may find going tougher than expected, says Nick Shiambouros.

The Michigan State Spartans will play the North Carolina Tar Heels in the national championship game on Monday.

Michigan State put up a huge effort to beat the Connecticut Huskies 82-73 in a pulsating encounter on Saturday night. The Spartans, led by Raymar Morgan and Kalin Lucas came up very big when it mattered, with the pair scoring 39 points between them.

Michigan matched Connecticut shot for shot in the first half and went in to the locker room at half time with a two point lead 38-36. In the second-half the Spartans really began to turn the screw with superb transition offence. The smaller Spartans ran roughshod over the great Hasheem Thabeet who was on the verge of collapse towards the end of the game.

Thabeet led the Huskies with 17 points and six rebounds but in reality he had a poor game by his standards. This loss was a bitter blow to the Huskies who have been dealing with distractions in recent weeks about alleged recruiting infractions. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun was naturally disappointed but the Spartans thoroughly deserved this victory.

In the other semi-final the North Carolina Tar Heels spanked Villanova 83-69 in a one sided affair.

The Tar Heels really showed their class in this contest with outstanding play inside the paint and solid shooting from the outside. Ty Lawson scored 22 points, Wayne Ellington had 20 more as North Carolina marched up and down the field to victory. The great Tyler Hansbrough scored 18 points and had 8 rebounds in another huge effort from this senior.

Villanova ran their hearts out in this game but in truth they were totally outclassed against a team that looked more like it belonged in the NBA rather than in this tournament. The Villanova Wildcats lost nothing in defeat but simply put North Carolina simply had too much talent.

The championship game on Monday has all the makings of a classic David versus Goliath match up. Nothing short of a victory will do for the Tar Heels and they are the heavy favourites trading at [1.25].This team has shown all year long that they are the most gifted team in college basketball and they will be hard to deny on Monday.

Michigan State are coming good at the right time and will give North Carolina plenty to think about. This team has beaten Louisville and Connecticut to make it to the final so they know they can beat a top ranked team.

If the Spartans are to cause the upset then they must start the game well. The crowd could play a big part in this game if the Spartans can get their heads in front early in the match.

I believe North Carolina will beat Michigan State but I think this game will be a lot closer than some people are suggesting. All the pressure will be on the Tar Heels on Monday to deliver the victory so Michigan State should be able to relax and play.

As previously reported I have backed North Carolina to win the NCAA championship at the beginning of the tournament. They should win on Monday but they are no certainties.

Comments (1)

1. correspondence courses | 06 April 2009

   This site is so useful.