Top coaching masterminds set to meet in Final Four

by Matthew Rappaport, 1L
Law Weekly
April 1, 2009

So much for your friendly neighborhood Law Weekly prognosticator: after going three-for-eight in a positively brutal Sweet Sixteen, all four of my Motown darlings were eliminated by the conclusion of the weekend. My pick for national champion, Louisville, was upset by Michigan State in our latest reminder that Tom Izzo is a top five coach in college basketball. John Calipari, mastermind behind the Memphis Tigers, could not get his team to show up in the first half of their game against the talented Missouri Tigers, and it cost them a trip to the Elite Eight. Gonzaga committed too many ill-advised fouls against a sharpshooting North Carolina team, and we all know what happened to poor Clemson in the first round against Michigan.

Since all of my potential picks to advance to the national semifinals fell flat, it's hard to muster the confidence to attempt to pick a national champion from the four teams left in the field, but I will nevertheless attempt to do so; I know there are dozens and dozens of Law Weekly disciples who cannot continue with their lives unless I pump out a preview of the competition that will ensue at Ford Field.

Introducing the Final Four

Connecticut: Winners of the Western bracket, UConn is led by coach Jim Calhoun, who is undefeated (4-0) in his career at the national semifinals. His squad this year is an exquisite combination of experience and talent, bringing strength and depth at every position on the floor. UConn excels in both the half-court offense and half-court defense because of their behemoth in the middle, Tanzanian import Hasheem Thabeet. He dominates the lane on both ends of the floor, using his height and bulk to excel at both posting up and delivering help in defending the dribble-drive. Thabeet often receives the ball from experienced point guard A.J. Price, who possesses excellent floor vision and an effective long-range shot. Key supplemental players for the Huskies include small forward Jeff Adrien, who has a nice all-around game; power forward Stanley Robinson, who plays excellent defensively; and freshman guard Kemba Walker, who really emerged in the Elite Eight matchup.

Michigan State: Tom Izzo's squad emerged from the Midwest bracket in spite of being paired with defending champion Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen and number one overall seed Louisville in the Elite Eight. I greatly underestimated Michigan State's depth when first analyzing the field; a testament to that depth was the fact that star swingman Raymar Morgan went scoreless in the Spartans' victory against the Cardinals. Big man Goran Suton has a positively deadly mid-range game that is only part of his sound all-around fundamental skill set. Point guard Kalin Lucas is quick and responsible, and he drove the lane quite well against a tenacious Louisville defense. Michigan State's game is a slow and methodical one, focusing on developing the half-court offense; however, they do have the capability to run the floor. Raymar Morgan is a dynamic player, and he has yet to awaken in the tournament.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels had to deal with a potentially devastating injury to point guard Ty Lawson, but after sitting out of the first round game against Radford, Lawson came back strong to lead Carolina to Motown. The Tar Heels have depth reminiscent of their last title squad, which had the most talented seven players in the country at the time. Besides Lawson, their roster includes power forward Tyler Hansbrough, who can only be characterized as a man-child in the college game; small forward Danny Green, who oozes all-around talent and athleticism; shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who has the sweetest stroke in Division I; and forwards Deon Thompson and Ed Davis. They round out the regular rotation for the team from Chapel Hill, which will look to avenge a thrashing at the hands of Kansas in last year's Final Four. North Carolina has not struggled thus far in the tournament, winning each of the games in its region by double digits.

Villanova: The unlikeliest of the four remaining contestants, Villanova is led more so by coach Jay Wright than by any of its individual players. Scottie Reynolds, the point guard, overcame bouts of irresponsibility to turn in good performances against Duke and Pittsburgh. Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham are the other marquee players for the boys from Philadelphia, who are competing in their first Final Four since Rollie Massimino's team famously upset Georgetown in 1985 to win the national title. In a tournament where free throw shooting sinks teams time and time again, Villanova comes off a performance in which it shot 22-23 from the line against Pitt.

The Matchups

Connecticut vs. Michigan State: This epic matchup features two of the top coaches in college basketball today: Jim Calhoun of Connecticut and Tom Izzo of Michigan State. Calhoun already holds a place in the basketball Hall of Fame; Izzo will probably make his way there sooner rather than later. Calhoun's roster is bigger, quicker, and more talented, but Izzo's team is more defensively cohesive and fundamentally sound. Michigan State already upset the team I considered the most talented and well-coached in the tournament; if Goran Suton turns in a repeat performance, the Spartans can sink the Huskies. Suton will bring Hasheem Thabeet out of the middle, forcing the African big man to defend him at the top of the key. That will open things up for Raymar Morgan and Kalin Lucas to operate. On the Connecticut end, A.J. Price will commandeer a well-oiled machine that will make its best attempt to break Michigan State's suffocating man-to-man defense for which they have become known. The difference between Louisville and Connecticut is that Price can dribble-drive and force the defense to collapse around him, thus creating open space for the shooters. Connecticut is so tough inside that it will be hard for State, who lacks bulk and strength, to prevent them from relentlessly pounding the ball inside of ten feet from the basket.

The Pick: Connecticut

North Carolina vs. Villanova: I am still surprised to see the Wildcats make it this far, considering their point guard play has not been optimal. Their size overpowered Duke and their quickness sank Pitt, but Carolina is the first team they will face that possesses a good amount of both. It will not be as easy to deny Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough as it was to deny Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair. Villanova can win this game if their guards play excellent defense. North Carolina is not invincible, and if Lawson and Wayne Ellington are limited, their offense stagnates. North Carolina should be heavily favored, though, considering they have favorable matchups in the frontcourt and better depth. If the game comes down to free throw shooting, Villanova is much better at it than North Carolina; however, that requires a close game, and Carolina has already squashed a deep Gonzaga team and an Oklahoma team that had the best player in the nation.

The Pick: North Carolina

So who wins the championship? If the national championship is between Connecticut and North Carolina, I would choose Connecticut. If any team can match Carolina's depth and talent, it's the Huskies; additionally, I think Jim Calhoun is a more seasoned and cerebral coach than Roy Williams. Williams has had immensely talented teams thwarted by good coaching before, and this harkens back to his days at Kansas.