posted March 30, 2009 at 13:45 EST in NCAA B Articles
The National Championship - Final Four Teams are Set
by Ian James
The higher seeds continued their success on the college basketball betting board on the weekend, going 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS in the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
That doesn’t mean all the No. 1s are going dancing in Detroit. No. 2 Michigan State earned a homecoming by downing overall No. 1 Louisville in the Midwest Regional Final, while East Regional champion No. 3 Villanova trimmed Big East rival and No. 1 Pittsburgh.
The Spartans meet Connecticut (West Regional) in the national semifinals, as the Wildcats draw North Carolina (South Regional) in the second matchup at Ford Field.
Spartans spoil Big East partyTom Izzo knew Michigan State’s only chance of defeating Louisville would be if the Spartans managed to slow Sunday’s game to a crawl. The Spartans did exactly that in their 64-52 upset of the Cardinals in Indianapolis, as MSU cashed as 6.5-point underdogs in the win.
The Spartans are the first team since 1994 to play in the Final Four in their home state, with Ford Field a virtual homecourt advantage for the Big Ten champions. Izzo can thank senior center Goran Suton for Michigan State’s fortunes: Suton went for 19 points and 10 rebounds against Louisville, which came after Suton had 20 points and nine boards in the Spartans’ (-1) 67-62 win over No. 3 Kansas in the Sweet 16.
The Cards ended No. 12 Arizona’s improbable run by pasting the Wildcats 103-64 in the Regional semis on Friday night. Earl Clark dropped 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Louisville, which cruised to the bank as 9.5-point chalk.
Tar Heels too much for Griffin, Sooners
Blake Griffin certainly won his battle with Tyler Hansbrough in the South Regional Final on Sunday. The only problem was his teammates couldn’t account for the rest of No. 1 North Carolina’s roster.
Griffin had 23 points and 16 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting for No. 2 Oklahoma, but it wasn’t enough in the Heels’ 72-60 triumph as 7-point faves in Memphis. The Sooners held Hansbrough to eight points and six boards, but it didn’t matter because UNC’s backcourt ran roughshod over Oklahoma. Ty Lawson drained 19 points, as Danny Green finished with 18 points for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina (-7.5) got to the Regional Final by drilling No. 4 Gonzaga 98-77 on Friday, while Oklahoma (-1) downed No. 3 Syracuse 84-71 behind 30 points and 14 rebounds from Griffin.
Huskies keep rolling
No. 1 Connecticut continued to prove it doesn’t need the injured Jerome Dyson to win a national championship by dispatching No. 3 Missouri 82-75 in the West Regional Final in Glendale on Saturday. Freshman Kemba Walker came off the bench to score 23 points for the Huskies, who managed to cover as 5.5-point chalk.
UConn also earned the payday for backers in its 72-60 defeat of No. 5 Purdue in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. Senior guard Craig Austrie filled Dyson’s sneakers by pouring in 17 points, while Hasheem Thabeet put up 15 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks for the Huskies (-7).
Mizzou surprised No. 2 Memphis 102-91 on Thursday, cashing as 4.5-point pups in the process. J.T. Tiller led the way with 23 points for the Big 12’s Tigers, who got 17 points, six boards, and six assists from DeMarre Carroll. One-and-done freshman guard Tyreke Evans dropped 33 points to prove his worth for the Conference USA champs.
Wildcats take out top seeds
No. 3 Villanova scored a pair of upsets to advance to its first Final Four since 1985 in the East Regional in Boston over the weekend, knocking off No. 2 Duke before taking out No. 1 Pittsburgh in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
Scottie Reynolds’ runner in the lane with 0.5 seconds remaining lifted the Wildcats past the Panthers 78-76, as ‘Nova cashed as 2-point underdogs. Reynolds finished with 15 points, while Dwayne Anderson paced the Wildcats with 17 points and six rebounds.
Reynolds was the high scorer with 16 points in Villanova’s 77-54 pasting of the Blue Devils (-2.5) in the Sweet 16, although it was Duke’s poor shooting that cost it the game. Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer combined to shoot 4-of-32 from the field for the Devils, including 3-of-15 from long range.
The Panthers overpowered No. 4 Xavier 60-55 on Thursday, but it couldn’t cover as 6.5-point favorites. Sam Young scored 19 points for Pittsburgh, with B.J. Raymond netting 15 points for the Musketeers.
