After four spectacular Elite Eight games two weekends ago, it looked as though Final Four weekend in St. Louis wouldn't be nearly as dramatic. It wasn't. But it was close.
Final Four:
Illinois vs. Louisville: After Illinois produced a miracle against Arizona and Louisville made an amazing comeback against West Virginia, this game looked to feature the two most clutch teams in the tourney.
The first half was just as exciting as every fan had anticipated. Back and forth the scoring went until Illinois took a slim three-point lead into the locker room, holding a 31-28 advantage.
The second half was a little different. Illinois started playing some serious defense and got offensive help from the shooting of power forward Roger Powell and All-American guard Luther Head. Powell nailed two three-pointers and shot nine for 13 from the field overall, giving him 20 points for the game. Head made his first four three-point field goal attempts in the second half, giving his Illini a much-needed boost; he also finished with 20 points.
The Louisville sharpshooters couldn't seem to find their touch in the game. Taquan Dean, revered by many as the best shooter in the country, went four for 15 from the field and knocked down two treys, while Larry O'Bannon went four for 10 and notched 12 points. Francisco Garcia, the Cardinals' best all-around player, was held to just four points thanks to the stifling defense of Illinois guard Deron Williams.
The second half run proved too much for Louisville and the Cardinals couldn't find a way to pull off another miraculous comeback. The Illini took the game, 72-57, bringing them to the national championship game.
UNC vs. Michigan State: The second Final Four game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Michigan State Spartans looked much like the first Final Four game. The game was tight in the first half but outstanding play in the second half put one team on top.
Michigan State turned plenty of heads in the first half when they took a 38-33 lead into the locker room. The Spartans looked sharp and appeared to be keeping up with UNC's run-and-gun style of basketball. But UNC coach Roy Williams apparently gave his players a halftime speech they would never forget.
The Heels came out roaring in the second half, making 11 of their first 15 field goal attempts and putting themselves back on top. UNC big man Sean May, held to just four points in the first half, hit seven of his 10 shots in the second half. Senior Jawad Williams poured through 20 points, while Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants combined for 33 points.
The Heels' defense also improved from the first half. The Spartans were held to just 10 for 34 from the field in the second half, despite finishing with 33 second-half points.
UNC took the game by a score of 87-71, a convincing victory that set them up for a date with Illinois in the national championship game last night. With Illinois finishing the season ranked number one in the nation and UNC finishing as number two, this would be the first one-two championship match-up since UCLA and Kentucky in 1975.
Championship Game:
UNC vs. Illinois: This game was the one that everyone was hoping to see; and it lived up to all the hype.
The first half was all UNC. The Heels' offense was unstoppable and their defense stymied Illinois' potent scoring attack. At halftime, UNC took a comfortable 40-27 lead.
But the Illini had been in a similar position before, namely against Arizona. The "Never-Say-Die" Illini had some tricks up their sleeves in order to get back into the game. The second-half three-point shooting of the Illini guards was what kept them alive. After poor first-half shooting, the Illini came out of the locker room and seemed to be hitting shot after shot after shot. In all, Illinois attempted 40 three pointers (a championship game record) and made 12 of them.
North Carolina had to be worried when Illinois started making the strong comeback. So they did what they always do when they need quick points: Go to big man Sean May and let him work in the paint. May ended up with 26 points and 10 boards on 10 for 11 shooting. He also forced Illinois big man James Augustine to foul out after playing only nine minutes.
With the Heels up 72-70 and less than a minute remaining, UNC's Raymond Felton made a great steal, forcing Illinois to begin fouling the Tar Heels. Felton's clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch sealed the deal for North Carolina, as they went on to win 75-70, in the process earning Roy Williams his first title in his 17 years of coaching. Sean May was named Most Outstanding Player.
