STF's Final Final Four Breakdown.....Finally

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} Wait, there is still some basketball left to be played? I thought we just called it quits after the Elite Eight and just morphed into three months of the coach carousel? While the coaching news in Kentucky and Arizona may have begrudgingly dominated the headlines over the past week, there is still a fabulous Final Four that is weekend in Detroit. College basketball's marquee event may not be the most glamorous location (hey, at least they have casinos) or even have the line-up of teams (that would be last season), but any time you throw in a plucky hometown underdog, a team that is under NCAA investigation and pays the perfect villain role, another underdog team with an underdog history, and the preseasons's greatest team in the history of forever, you've got a good Final Four. Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} And as STF's proclaimed "grand poobah" of predictions after owning the beard bet, I'll take the reigns for STF's official breakdown and predictions. UCONN vs. Michigan State Frontcourt: Goran Suton has been playing out his mind this tournament for Spartans. If he can establish something from the perimeter early on (like he did against Louisville and Kansas) and either draw Thabeet from the middle or no one at all, that could spell problems for UConn. Still, the edge goes to the Beet; he affects the game in so many ways by just standing there. Slight Edge: Huskies Backcourt: A.J. Price has been UConn's go-to guy late in games, and Kemba Walker really came to life against Missouri, but Travis Walton and Kalin Lucas are the heart and soul of the complex Spartan offense. As they go, so goes MSU's chances for an upset. Edge: Michigan State. Defense: Izzo's clubs are known for their defensive intensity, particularly in the NCAA Tournament (ask Louisville), but the presence of the Beet in the middle is like playing against six defenders. Edge: Push Mojo: Uconn's got the "us against the world mentality" while, Michigan State's got 50,000 fans that saying "it's us against the economy." Edge: Feel the green crush! Coaching: Two Hall of Famers = Push Consensus: 70/30 UConn, with MSU's 30 percent coming from the anti-Calhoun crowd and the underdog crowd. STF's Pick: Cinderella is wearing a tire rubber crown, and Goran Suton's size 17 shoes......Michigan State 67, UConn 64.NORTH CAROLINA vs. NOVA Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} Frontcourt: Dante Cunningham is the slam-dunk, most improved player in college basketball and the major reason that Nova is where they are today, but I've got a funny feeling that after a slightly-disappointing season (just based on the first three season) Hansbrough comes to life in the Final Four. Slight Edge: Heels Backcourt: Maybe the best match-up of the entire Final Four. Lawson may the MVP of college basketball (if that existed) and navigates the quickest back court in America. But Nova - behind Reynolds, Fisher, Stokes and guard-forwards Clark and Anderson - the Wildcats will not be run out of the gym by Carolina's quickness like 99% of college basketball teams. Slight Edge: Heels Defense: Nova's toughness on defense was the difference against Pitt and Duke, while Carolina still plays defense when it's in the mood. Edge: Nova Mojo: It may have been Carolina's destiny to reach Detroit from the very beginning of the season, but the 1985-to-2009 Nova comparisons are just too strong to ignore. That, and Rocky has threaten to come to my house from the Art Museum and punch me in the face. Edge: Nova Coaching: Jay Wright would win the style award, but since this is his first trip to the Final Four, the edge goes to Ol' Roy. Consensus: 90/10 UNC, which makes no sense to me after what Nova has done throughout March. STF's pick: Carolina doesn't come this far to lose in the semis again......Carolina 92, Nova 82.