VILLANOVA MEETS NORTH CAROLINA IN NATIONAL SEMIFINAL

April 3, 2009


The 2009 NCAA Final Four is finally here. After 60 games of March Madness excitement, we are down to the final three games as we crown the national champion for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Saturday's nightcap at Ford Field in Detroit will feature the Villanova Wildcats, coached by Jay Wright, of the Big East against Roy Williams' North Carolina Tar Heels squad of the ACC. North Carolina was the overwhelming preseason favorite and here they are in the Final Four. Expectations that can make some teams wilt, have been welcomed by coach Williams this year.

"Well, first of all, I love that because that means we've been winning a lot," Williams told gathered media on Friday about how he feels of the overwhelming pressure as the season-long favorite. "So I like that part of it. I like that idea
of people expecting you to be pretty good because you are good."

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While this is a return trip for the Tar Heels, who fell in the semifinals a year ago against eventual champion Kansas, this is a new experience for coach Wright and his Wildcats. Villanova last made it to the Final Four in 1985 when an 8th seeded Rollie Massimino coached team upset Georgetown in the classic championship finale.

While the Wildcats are not quite the monumental underdog as they were in '85, they are still a 7-point underdog according to the latest college basketball betting odds posted. Coach Wright does not believe the underdog mentality will work so well with this particular Villanova team.

"Coach Mass was great at creating that atmosphere," said Wright. "He loved being the underdog. I'm not as good at that. Our players believe they can win. We use a term, we don't have to play perfect, we just have to play together."

In '85, it was near a perfect performance that Villanova used to slay mighty Georgetown in the finale, shooting 78% from the field. Wright compares this current UNC squad favorably to that Hoya team.

"That year, Georgetown was just incredible, intimidating," Wright said. "Carolina is probably just as good as that Georgetown team."

However, he also feels his current team, led by junior guard Scottie Reynolds and senior forwards Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson are pretty good as well and will not need the underdog speech about knocking off the mighty Tar Heels.

"You know, they were an 8-seed," Wright said of the '85 Wildcats. "With this group...they just have a confidence about them. They have a belief in what we do."

The Villanova path to the Final Four has been impressive. After rallying from a 14-point deficit early in the second half at the Wachovia Center against American, they hit their stride by punishing both UCLA and Duke. Their Elite 8 win over Pittsburgh was one of the tournament's all-time classics as the Wildcats averted a near collapse down the stretch when Reynolds scored with .5 second left in a 78-76 win over their conference rival.

The Tar Heels have been dominant in the NCAA Tournament, winning their four contests by an average margin of 22.5 points. They did find themselves down in the second half in Round 2 against LSU, but a closing run helped UNC win going away, 84-70.

North Carolina really enjoys a game where they can get out and run in an attempt to outscore their opponent. Villanova will try and be physical, but smart, and play both ends of the court, hoping that a balanced effort will key an upset.

Guards Corey Fisher, Reggie Redding and Reynolds will have to do their best to force the Carolina offense out of their rhythm, similar to the dominating defense effort they employed against Duke in the Sweet 16. If they can disrupt passing lanes and limit the touches of Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson, that will help neutralize UNC's interior edge. Against Pitt, 'Nova was able to limit DeJuan Blair to nine shot attempts, although he made all nine, it was the quantity that was the key.

North Carolina will likely handle the pressure better with Ty Lawson as the point guard compared to Duke and Pitt. The Panthers were hurt by Levance Fields never being fully healthy, a worry with UNC as Lawson has a bad toe, but he has looked his super-quick self throughout the tournament.

With Lawson able to break down the defense, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green will get some open looks. Their ability to make these shots in a pressure situation will open more of the interior. The UNC experience in this situation, having been in the Final Four a year ago, should be their key to victory.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

North Carolina 79
Villanova 71