NCAA Men’s Tournament Final Four

Saturday: Detroit, Michigan

Semifinal 1: No. 3 Michigan State (30-6) vs. No. 1 Connecticut (31-4)

5:07 p.m., CBS

Michigan State

How They Got Here: Beat No. 15 Robert Morris 77-62, No. 10 USC 74-69, No. 3 Kansas 67-62, No. 1 Louisville 64-52

About the Spartans: Coach Tom Izzo has done it again, with another group of team-minded players that were hell-bent on getting to play in Detroit. UConn’s athleticism could cause the Spartans some trouble, but MSU is capable of getting scoring from anyone in their starting five. With Kalin Lucas leading the team in scoring at a mere 14 points per, no other starter averages less than eight.

Key Player: Goran Suton; Sr., Center, 10.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg

Connecticut

How They Got Here: Beat No. 16 Chattanooga 103-47, No. 9 Texas A&M 92-66, No. 5 Purdue 72-60, No. 3 Missouri 82-75

About the Huskies: UConn is ready for its third run at a national title in 10 years. UConn plays only about eight deep, but seniors A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien keep the motor running while 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet fends off anything within his range in the lane. Adrien’s tenacity and Price’s competitiveness have been enough to get them this far, though swing-man Jerome Dyson will still be on the bench with a knee injury.

Key Player: Jeff Adrien; Sr., Forward, 13.7 ppg, 10 rpg

Semifinal 2: No. 1 North Carolina (32-4) vs. No. 3. Villanova (30-7)

7:47 p.m., CBS

North Carolina —

How They Got Here: Beat No. 16 Radford 101-58, No. 8 LSU 84-70, No. 4 Gonzaga 98-77, No. 2 Oklahoma 72-60

About the Tar Heels: The athletic, deep Tar Heels are lead by Ty Lawson, led inside by Tyler Hansbrough, and helped in scoring by players on the wings. North Carolina hasn’t had any problems scoring this season, but proved it can play lock down defense, holding Blake Griffin and the Sooners to a season-low 60 points in the Elite Eight. The spread attack gave the Heels problems earlier this season.

Key Player: Ed Davis; Fr., Forward, 6.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 bpg

Villanova —

How They Got Here: Beat No. 14 American 80-67, No. 6 UCLA 89-69, No. 2 Duke 77-54, No. 1 Pittsburgh 78-76

About the Wildcats: The Pitt game proved the Cats were human after destroying perennial powers UCLA and Duke. Scottie Reynolds saved the day to get them to the Final Four with his floater, and now Villanova and coach Jay Wright is ready to remake 1985 and snag anotwher National Title. The inside play has been much improved for a team that is supposedly run by guards. Reynolds is only 15-for-42 for the tournament, though. 

Key Player: Corey Stokes; So., Guard, 9.5 ppg, 42.5% 3PT FG