Saturday Semis Recap:

If you take a look at the film of Michigan State's game against Louisville and their game against Connecticut you will see two different teams. Tom Izzo did it again, devising a brilliant strategy to beat UConn and advance to the National Championship game. Off every made or missed basket, the Spartans pushed the ball up the court as fast as possible. This allowed them to do two things: score easy baskets in transition and limit the effectiveness of Hasheem Thabeet. While Thabeet was able to score on the offensive end, he had very little impact defensively. And with UConn's best defensive weapon neutralized life was much easier for Michigan State.
This game was back and forth in the first half and for much of the second until the Spartans started to pull away a bit (just like the Louisville game). Connecticut just couldn't hit outside shots, while Michigan State got some great contributions from role players plus an instant YouTube dunk to spark the "home" crowd. What the Spartans have done in this Tournament has been very impressive.

Just like pretty much every other game in the Tournament, North Carolina had little trouble with Villanova, jumping out in front early and not looking back. There was no point in this game after the first minute where I thought Villanova could actually win. They continually threw up 3-pointer after 3-pointer that clanged off the rim and went right to UNC. Dante Cunningham was the only thing that kept Villanova in it in the first half, and he didn't score in the second. UNC did anything they wanted with just about any player they put on the floor.
I know UNC is immensely talented, but as someone who is not a fan of the Tar Heels I have been very frustrated by the lack of competitiveness in their opponents. LSU is the only team that has showed up to play against the Tar Heels. And the ineptitude of the last two opponents (Oklahoma and Villanova) has been embarrassing. If you look at the 3 point percentage of these two teams, it is incredibly low. And it's not because of good defense, it's because of hurried offense and bad execution.

I am fairly confident that Michigan State will show up against North Carolina. They will have a great homecourt advantage plus the fresh memory of a 35 point loss to the Tar Heels. Clearly Michigan State is a better team than they were during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. But the question is: can anyone slow down the Tar Heels? When Green, Ellington and Lawson are all hitting shots UNC is impossible to beat. They just have too much talent. What will be interesting to see is what approach Tom Izzo takes. I think he will go back to the type of game plan he had against Louisville to slow the tempo and force the other team to make mistakes. Whatever he chooses, Michigan State better hope it works or it will be a long night.