After the Madness that was March, the dust has begun to settle. Slowly but surely, determined individuals have begun to scurry through the ruins of Hurricane Bracket Buster, only to find the once-promising remains of Wake Forest, Memphis, and Utah left piled under more-resistant Cleveland State, Missouri, and Arizona clubs. Gone, too, are prohibitive title favorites Louisville and Pittsburgh, lost at sea in the wake of insurmountable defensive lapses. Other casualties include the Oklahoma Blake Griffins, the defending national champions (Kansas), and my GPA.
Remaining, then, are four survivors who have withstood injuries, deficits and doubts to reach the Mecca of college basketball. Villanova, North Carolina, Michigan State and Connecticut each pushed aside the pressure of March with no shortage of excellent guard play, timely shooting, and lockdown defense. In order to rise to the top, though, the Final Four must get outstanding efforts from the following players, each of whom hold a key to their team's chances of cutting down the nets in the Motor City.
Villanova: Dante Cunningham, senior forward
In a game where the Wildcats desperately need to defend the paint, Cunningham has to be the man. Going up against North Carolina's loaded frontcourt led by All-American Tyler Hansbrough is no easy task, so Cunningham will have to use his array of post moves to get deep into the Tar Heels' bench. Though freshmen Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis have performed serviceably thus far in the tournament, getting Hansbrough into early foul trouble either forces UNC to use a small lineup or stick a lesser-experienced post player on the blocks. This would give Cunningham a better chance to control the boards, an advantage Villanova needs to prevent junior point guard Ty "Big Toe" Lawson and the Heels from running away with this one.
North Carolina: Wayne Ellington, junior guard
Lawson and Hansbrough may dominate the headlines for the Tar Heels, but the key to UNC's potent offensive attack is the three-pointer. Not many marksmen have a shot like Ellington, who has made almost 40 percent of his attempts from three on the season and drastically improved his ability to penetrate off the dribble. Thus, if Lawson and Hansbrough can draw the defense into the lane as effectively as usual, that leaves Ellington plenty of room to "make it Wayne" from downtown and carry the Tar Heels to another NCAA title.
Michigan State: Goran Suton, senior center
Never heard of Suton? You weren't alone before the sharpshooting center took his game to a new level against Kansas and heavily-favored Louisville, scoring a combined 39 points in the two contests while knocking down four threes in the process. It's no secret that UConn center Hasheem Thabeet is significantly less effective when defending away from the basket, so Suton's ability to hit from long distance could determine the pace and outcome of this one. Hence, if Suton keeps up his unexpected pace and continues picking up the slack for AWOL forward Raymar Morgan, the Spartans may live to fight another day.
Connecticut: Jeff Adrien, senior forward
With Thabeet's propensity to garner significant defensive pressure and, at times, self-induced foul trouble, Adrien can been called upon for consistent production, a trend set to continue Saturday. Averaging a double-double on the season (13.7 points, 10 rebounds), the senior will be counted on once again as an alternate to Thabeet, whose 7-foot-3-inch frame occupies most of the opposition's attention on both ends of the floor. A standout performance by Adrien would allow for open looks by senior guard A.J. Price, a must for UConn to advance.
National champion: UNC
Even if the aforementioned players bring their A-game, the Tar Heels at their best are nearly impossible to stop. Lawson and Hansbrough will end their collegiate careers on a high note, with Coach Roy Williams finding a way to squeak past the field with this year's best collection of talent.
