Michigan St

2009 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Highlights

Familiar Foes: In addition to meeting in the 2009 NCAA Championship Game and last year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Michigan State and North Carolina played in the first two Challenges (1999 and 2000) with the Spartans winning both games. North Carolina won both games last year.

First-Ever Meeting: Minnesota and Miami will square off in the first meeting between the two programs.

Writers Predictions: 2010 Top 15 Teams

 

A lot of talk surrounding Monday night's national championship game surrounded Michigan State, a team that had many uttering the word "destiny" in regards to their run through the tournament. That word was properly used...just for the wrong team. With the first seeds of their championship run planted in San Antonio last spring, the North Carolina Tar Heels completed a dominant run through the tournament with a sparkling performance on college basketball's biggest stage.

After #1 North Carolina (33-4, 13-3) defeated #2 Michigan St. (31-6, 15-3) by 35 in early December, it seemed somewhat absurd to suggest that we might see a rematch of that game in Detroit. Four months later, though, that's exactly what we'll get, as the ACC and Big Ten champions will face off in the national championship game.

Season Rewind: North Carolina's closest game in the tournament thus far came against Oklahoma, a 12-point victory; the Tar Heels have cruised through all of their games, and not faced any kind of close finish.

There were questions in regards to just how much of a factor the pro-Michigan State crowd would be in the first semifinal. While the majority of a record 72,456 people was heard throughout the Spartans’ 82-73 victory, Connecticut had a much tougher time boxing out the five eligible players on the floor. Although the teams tied with forty-two rebounds apiece, the Spartans took advantage of their eighteen offensive caroms and controlled the flow of the game in the second half.