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A look at the
men's Final Four; Edwards Jones Dome, St. Louis
No.1 Illinois
(36-1) vs. No.4 Louisville (33-4)
Louisville
COACH:
Rick Pitino (20th overall season; 11th
NCAA Tournament)
NICKNAME:
Cardinals
LOCATION
(ENROLLMENT): Louisville, KY. (23,000)
TOURNAMENT
BID: Conference USA champion
TOURNAMENT
HISTORY: 32nd appearance, 53-33, two titles
PREVIOUS
FINAL FOURS (7): 1959,1972,1975,1980,1982,1983,1986
ROAD TO
ST.LOUIS: def. La-Lafayette 68-62; def. Georgia Tech
76-54; def. Washington 93-79; def. West Virginia 93-85
NEED TO KNOW:
Louisville, underseeded at No.4, upended No.1 Washington
in the regional semifinals, then erased a 20-point
first-half deficit in defeating No.7 West Virginia 93-85 in
overtime at the regional final. The Cardinals aren't as
deep as a typical Rick Pitino team, so they play some zone
defense and don't press the whole game. Offensively, they
tend to live and die from the 3-point arc. Rebounding and
reliable low-post offense remain Louisville's weaknesses,
especially with freshman Juan Diego Palacios struggling down
the stretch, but nobody's been hotter than the Cards.
Illinois
COACH:
Bruce Weber (eighth overall season; fourth NCAA tournament
NICKNAME:
Fighting Illini
LOCATION
(ENROLLMENT): Champaign, Ill. (36,000)
TOURNAMNET
BID: Big Ten Champion
TOURNAMENT
HISTORY: 25th appearance, 36-25
PREVIOUS
FINAL FOURS (4):1949, 1951, 1952, 1989
ROAD TO
ST.LOUIS: def. F.Dickinson 67-55; def. Nevada 71-59;
def. UW-Milwaukee 77-63; def. Arizona 90-89 OT
NEED TO KNOW:
Weber’s motion offense clicks with a three-guard lineup, led
by Deron Williams at point guard and Dee Brown as the
one-man fast break. The Illini were 29-0 before a 65-64
loss at Ohio State in the regular-season finale. The Illini
can be exploited by a physical frontcourt. They advanced to
the Final Four with a miracle rally, coming from 15 points
down with four minutes remaining to beat Arizona 90-89 in
overtime. Weber has proven this tournament he can coach.
PICK:
ILLINOIS
No.1 North Carolina
(31-4) vs. No.5 Michigan St. (26-6)
Michigan St.
COACH:
Tom Izzo (10th overall season; eighth NCAA
Tournament, 23-6, one title)
NICKNAME:
Spartans
LOCATION
(ENROLLMENT): East Lansing, Mich. (40,200)
TOURNAMENT
BID: Big Ten at-large
TOURNAMENT
HISTORY: 19th appearance, 40-17, two titles
PREVIOUS
FINAL FOURS (5): 1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001
ROAD TO
ST.LOUIS: def. Old Dominion 89-81; def. Vermont 72-61;
def. Duke 78-68; def. Kentucky 94-88
NEED TO KNOW:
Michigan State’s toughness has been questioned, but the
Spartans proved themselves by defeating No.1 seeded Duke,
then Kentucky in Sunday’s regional final. Paul Davis has
stepped up on both sides of the court, but will have a tough
task ahead of him when he attempts to contain Sean May. Tom
Izzo has his fourth Final Four team, surpassing such
coaching luminaries as Jim Boeheim, Eddie Sutton and John
Thompson, all of whom had three. The Spartans have surprised
many by reaching the Final Four. A Big Ten National
Championship game would be quite interesting, but the
Spartans must first do their part by knocking off the
favored Heels.
North Carolina
COACH:
Roy Williams (17th overall season; 16th
NCAA Tournament, 39-15)
NICKNAME:
Tar Heels
LOCATION
(ENROLLMENT): Chapel Hill, N.C. (24,600)
TOURNAMENT
BID: ACC at-large
TOURNAMENT
HISTORY: 37th appearance, 86-36 three titles
PREVIOUS
FINAL FOURS (15): 1946, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972,
1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000.
ROAD TO
ST.LOUIS: def. Oakland 96-68; def. Iowa State 92-65;
def. Villanova 67-66; def. Wisconsin 88-82
NEED TO KNOW:
North Carolina, which leads the nation in scoring (89.1
points per game), loves to push the ball on fast breaks.
Villanova provided a major scare in the regional semifinals,
but the Tar Heels escaped, 67-66. Freshman Marvin Williams,
the sixth man, averages 11.8 points and 6.7 rebounds. North
Carolina is deep and extremely talented. Sean May is the
best running big man in the country. He gives the Tar Heels
the inside out combination that makes them so tough to
defend. Roy Williams made four Final Four appearances with
Kansas, but is still seeking his first national
championship.
PICK:
NORTH CAROLINA
NATIONAL CHAMPION:
ILLINOIS |
