North Carolina-Michigan State: 5 things to watch

Just one win separates North Carolina from its second NCAA title in five seasons and the realization of a lifetime goal for seniors Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.

Here are five things to watch in the championship game as the Tar Heels meet Michigan State at 9:21 p.m. Monday:

1. The pace. Michigan State got Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers out on the fast break to speed past Connecticut in an 82-73 win in the NCAA semifinals. Lucas said he wants to do the same thing against North Carolina.

“I want to push the ball up the floor every time,” he said. “We have some good wing players that can really run, and bigs that can get up and down the floor as well. . . .It’s going to be a track race.”

The Spartans had better hope it’s not so much of a track meet, because they don’t have anybody fast enough to keep up with North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson. If there’s a wide-open opportunity to run for an easy basket, Michigan State needs to take it. But it would be a mistake for the Spartans to just run for the sake of running.

2. Hansbrough vs. Suton. North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough should be strong enough to overwhelm Michigan State’s Goran Suton in the post.

Suton didn’t play in the teams’ first meeting because of a knee injury, but he is not an incredibly effective post defender. If he is going to hurt the Tar Heels anywhere, it will be when Michigan State has the ball.

“Suton I think is a guy that, you know, is capable of shooting the 15-foot jumper and is a pretty good shooter outside,” Hansbrough said. “So it adds a little bit different aspect than some guys down low banging all the time. I understand he goes to the boards, is a good rebounder, but you also have to contest him outside.”

3. Banging on the boards. Three times in the last four games, North Carolina has been outrebounded by its opponent.

That includes Saturday night’s NCAA semifinal, when a smallish Villanova team posted a 53-48 rebounding advantage that worried the Tar Heels even though they won 83-69. Michigan State, which leads the nation in rebound margin at plus-9.4 per game, fought a huge Connecticut team to a 42-42 standstill on the boards.

“Every time I looked up, they’re getting an offensive rebound,” said North Carolina coach Roy Williams. “The announcer started saying, ‘That’s 14, 15, 16,’ So it is a huge concern, but it’s a concern any time you play Tommy’s teams.”

4. Spartans’ depth. Injuries have prevented North Carolina’s bench from being a strong point this season.

Michigan State, on the other hand, has outstanding depth. The Spartans got 33 points from their bench against Connecticut in the semifinals.

“When you can go 33 points off the bench, you’re probably a very, very deep basketball team,” said Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun.

5. Heels from three. North Carolina is shooting an astounding 46.3 percent from 3-point range in five NCAA Tournament games.

Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson all are over 40 percent, with Lawson hitting at a 60 percent clip. If the Tar Heels shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range against Michigan State, it will be nearly impossible to defeat them because they do so many other things well.

- Ken Tysiac