Michigan State's guards, UConn's big men have the edge in Final Four

Michigan State (30-6) vs. UConn (31-4)
Saturday, 6:07 p.m.
Ford Field (78,000)

Click here for a breakdown of the UNC vs. Villanova game

This Final Four trip seems more than a little fitting for Michigan State. With Detroit a mere 90 miles from East Lansing, there should be no shortage of Spartans green in Ford Field and on top of that, it's the 30th anniversary of Magic Johnson's historic showdown with Larry Bird. Whatever cosmic forces seem to have carried the second-seeded Spartans to Motown, there's no debate a team that had its share of skeptics opened more than a few eyes with their dismantling of Louisville, the tournament's No. 1 overall speed, in the Elite Eight.

But while the Spartans were able to take the Cardinals' athletic group out of their game with a mixture of stifling defense and Goran Suton's inside game, UConn presents a far different challenge.

The top-seeded Huskies have had their share of distractions this season. There was Jerome Dyson's season-ending knee injury, Jim Calhoun's confrontation with a blogger over his salary, his brief hospitalization and a Yahoo! Report that UConn allegedly violated NCAA recruiting rules -- and still, the Huskies have maintained their focus in winning their tourney games by an average of 25.3 points per game. The Huskies have been getting 20.0 points a game in the tourney from A.J. Price, but the frontcourt of 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien have feasted on opponents en route to Detroit.

Michigan State's Kalin Lucas
Soph., 6-feet, 180
Stats: 14.6 ppg, 4.6 apg

Despite being Big Ten Player of the Year, Lucas continues to be somewhat underrated. He showed his ability to take over a game in the last two minutes against Kansas and was impressively turnover-free against Louisville's vaunted press, completely controlling the pace of the game. Lucas is at his acrobatic best driving the lane, which could be a problem considering what UConn has inside.

UConn's A.J. Price
Sr., 6-2, 181
Stats: 14.7 ppg, 4.8 apg, .403 three-point percentage

Price has been the Huskies' most prolific offensive threat in the tournament, earning West Regional most outstanding player honors, but more defensive attention has taken its toll on his shot (he hit just 34.3 percent against Purdue and Missouri). Despite the D, Price has still managed to come up with big shots when UConn has needed it. He'll see another round of aggressive defense with Tom Izzo likely designating Travis Walton to shadow him.

EDGE: Michigan State