Two Old Masters Return to Biggest Stage

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and North Carolina’s Roy Williams have grown accustomed to seeing their teams make deep runs into the NCAA Tournament. The veteran pair, whose teams will face off in St. Louis on Saturday, have now combined to make nine Final Four appearances.Though Izzo’s Spartans were a no. 5 seed, they play the kind of game conducive to the survive-and-advance tournament format. Michigan State doesn’t beat itself with turnovers, plays solid defense, and is one of the top free-throw shooting teams in the nation. In games where every possession counts, those are great skills to have.If Michigan State is something of a surprise Final Four team, North Carolina is not. Before the tournament began, the Tar Heels were a popular pick among college basketball experts to win the championship. Many believe North Carolina’s starting lineup is the best in the college game.This matchup promises to be a great one because both teams play hard and as fast as they can go. Here’s a closer look at both teams, position by position:FRONTCOURTNorth Carolina’s Sean May is one of the country’s best low-post scorers. He’s dominated opponents thus far in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21.5 points and 11.8 rebounds. May’s hard work in the weight room has left him leaner, quicker, and more nimble than ever. He fills lanes on the break, and when he gets his hands on the ball in the paint, it’s almost impossible to stop him from scoring.“It’s hard to just double him,” Izzo said. “If you front him, they throw over the top. He’s got a great body, and he’s got the best hands I’ve seen since Chris Webber. He’s just incredible. As the ball touches his fingertips, it seems he sucks it in like a vacuum.”May’s frontcourt partner, Jawad Williams, was an All-ACC third-team pick after averaging 13.5 points during the regular season. When healthy, Williams is an acrobatic scorer who uses his leaping ability and athleticism to score; he can also shoot the 3-pointer. He has battled knee and hip-flexor problems and hasn’t been himself in the tournament, averaging just 4.5 points.The Spartans’ Alan Anderson, a 6-foot-6 senior, is as versatile a player as there is in the Big Ten; he’s played every position but center in his time at Michigan State. Anderson shoots well (56% from the field, 37% on 3-pointers, 88% from the line) and grabs 5.6 rebounds a game, second on the team.Michigan State center Paul Davis could be the key to this game. Davis has struggled to perform at a consistently elite level, but when he makes major contributions, the Spartans are hard to beat. His 15 points and 11 boards against Kentucky’s rugged front line were huge in the double-overtime victory in the Austin Regional final. Davis is the Spartans’ only true low-post scoring threat, and he’s got a face-up game as well. But he’ll have a hard time stopping May, unless the Tar Heels big man gets in foul trouble.Advantage: North CarolinaBACKCOURTNorth Carolina’s junior tandem of point guard Raymond Felton and shooting guard Rashad McCants is as good as it gets. The key is Felton, who, in addition to leading the Tar Heels in assists (235) and steals (69), has also made himself into a threat from the perimeter with a 43% clip from 3-point range (64-of-148).“Felton is the guy that I think is one of our toughest match-up problems,” Izzo said. “He’s shooting the ball so much better this year than he had been in the past. He can take you off the dribble with his quickness. He can get into the paint, use his strength, and he makes other people better.”North Carolina’s third starting guard is Jackie Manuel, a 6-foot-5 senior who has become one of the better defenders in the country. With his length and agility, Manuel is capable of guarding any position on the floor. Manuel has put in a lot of work on his shot and has a solid percentage from the field (49%),but isn’t much of a 3-point threat (27%) or free-throw shooter (61%).McCants is one of the most feared scorers in the nation. An intestinal ailment slowed him late in the regular season, but he still averaged 16 points and shot 42% from 3-point range. Mc-Cants could average more on any other team in the country, but he’s willingly passed on scoring opportunities to help balance the load.Felton and McCants might be more talented than any MSU guard, but the Spartans have abundant firepower in the backcourt. Freshman Drew Neitzel has ably taken over at the point, solidifying a position that had been unstable the last couple of seasons. Neitzel has great vision, strong instincts, and solid leadership abilities.Starting alongside him are 6-foot-5 senior Maurice Ager, the Spartans’ leading scorer and best all-around shooter, and 6-foot-4 sophomore Shannon Brown. Ager makes 40% of his 3-pointers and 80% of his free-throws.“If you let him catch the ball,” Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said, “you’re at his mercy.”EvenBENCHNorth Carolina has the best frontcourt reserve in the country in Marvin Williams. The 6-foot-9 freshman can score inside and out, as his percentages from the floor (52%) and 3-point range (45%) attest. He’s long and lean and might be the toughest Tar Heel to defend.Melvin Scott and David Noel average about 16 minutes a game apiece as capable backcourt and frontcourt reserves, respectively. Noel, too, is an inside-outside threat, shooting 56% from the field and 37% from downtown. Quentin Thomas averages 6.5 minutes as a reserve point guard, but Williams is hesitant to go too long with the freshman, which means Felton might have to be prepared to play 40 minutes.Izzo doesn’t mind going deep into his bench, as he did in the regional final victory over Kentucky, when 11 Spartan regulars played. Foremost among the Spartan reserves is senior guard Chris Hill, a former starter at point and shooting guard. One of the nation’s most feared 3-point shooters for three seasons, Hill has lost some confidence in his stroke but is still making a respectable 37% of his shots behind the arc.Kelvin Torbert is another one of Izzo’s interchangeable perimeter players, a dependable scorer who shoots 52% from the field and 83% from the free-throw line. In case you haven’t noticed by now, Michigan State is a great free-throw shooting team. The Spartans drain 77% of their foul shots, good for third in the nation.In the frontcourt, 6-foot-6 junior Matt Trannon, who shoots 68% from the field, averages 3.4 rebounds in his 11 minutes per game. Drew Naymick, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, and Delco Rowley, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, also see action.Michigan State has more bodies but none as talented as Marvin Williams. He’s instant offense in the post, and given the Spartans’ lack of size, Williams will be hard to contain.Advantage: North CarolinaCOACHINGBy every barometer of coaching success, Izzo has excelled. He’s guided the Spartans to five Elite Eight appearances in the last seven years and won it all in 2000. Izzo’s teams are well-versed in the fundamentals – rebounding and sticky defense are the main building blocks – and offensively, the Spartans like to get down the floor in a hurry. The system has proven effective, which is why athletic directors from other schools frequently raid Izzo’s staff.Williams has been equally successful, and for much longer. He’s led his teams to 16 straight NCAA Tournament appearances (the first 14 at Kansas).That’s the second-longest active streak in the nation and the third-longest of all-time, trailing only the 23 straight appearances by former UNC coach Dean Smith (1975-97) and 21 straight by Arizona’s Lute Olson (1985-present).His up-tempo system might be the best in the game. Williams-coached teams are always among the top two or three in the country in scoring and field-goal percentage. Defensively, the Tar Heels mix man-to-man and zone.EvenINTANGIBLESMichigan State’s seniors had never advanced to the Final Four nor beaten Duke, two goals that were accomplished in one day in the Austin Regional semifinal. Don’t expect Izzo to let his team rest on those laurels, though. He knows what it takes to win it all.Williams has never won a national championship despite four previous trips to the Final Four. His 1997 Kansas team was widely considered the best in the country before getting knocked off by eventual national champion Arizona in the Sweet 16. This man knows disappointment, and the Tar Heels would love to deliver him that elusive title.Advantage: North CarolinaPREDICTIONNorth Carolina’s advantages in this game are May’s dominance in the post and Felton’s superiour point-guard play. If neither gets into foul trouble, the Tar Heels will advance to the title game.Mr. Dortch is the editor of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Two Old Masters Return to Biggest Stage

Two Old Masters Return to Biggest Stage

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