Michigan State beats Tennessee. Michigan St. barely escaped against the Volunteers. But the Spartans did enough to advance to the Final Four for the sixth time in the last 12 years.

Michigan State constantly switched their defense from zone to man-to-man. But after the Volunteers hit a couple of shots from downtown, the Spartans stuck with man-to-man defense to smother J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism. Because of injuries to their key players, Michigan St. had a small lineup on the floor for the majority of the game.

You’d think that Tennessee would take full advantage of Michigan State’s smallish lineup inside, but the constant swarming and collapsing of the Spartans countered the Volunteers size advantage. Unable to score some easy baskets inside, Tennessee forced a ton of shots off isos. Meanwhile, Michigan State’s Draymond Green keyed some great entry passes for easy scores. With Green out of the lane, guard Korie Lucious was able to drive inside and create opportunities for his teammates.

Butler upsets Kansas State. It’s pretty obvious that Butler’s defense has been the key in the tournament. The Bulldogs perimeter defense forced Kansas St. into a dismal night of shooting.

They key to beating Kansas St. was shutting down their two primary scorers Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen – and boy did Butler do exactly that. Kansas State’s dynamic duo combined for only 32 points on a 11 for 30 shooting. Against Xavier, Pullen and Clemente combined for 53 points. Even K-State’s Curtis Kelly couldn’t score inside.

Butler’s Gordon Hayward continued his good performance in the tournament and the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 24 games.

Butler vs Michigan State keys to the game

• Defense will dictate who wins the game. Butler has great offense, but it is generated by aggressive defense on the other end of the floor.
• Michigan State’s Durrell Summers needs to explode for Michigan St. to have a chance at winning.
• Gordon Hayward will wreck havoc on the Spartans small lineup.

Butler will extend their winning streak to 25 games.

Show your unwavering support for the Spartans by checking out our Michigan State Spartans merchandise and Michigan State Spartans bedding. Or display your support more emphatically with Michigan State Spartans watches and Michigan State Spartans jewelry.

Show your school spirit even if your team didn’t make it to the final four with some NCAA merchandise and NCAA bedding at MySportsDecor.com. Or wear your school pride by checking out our NCAA watches and NCAA jewelry at MyTeamBling.com.

After losing in the Final Four last year, North Carolina seemed to be on a mission to redeem themselves for that loss. Many predicted they would go all the way this year, including our readers in our NCAA Basketball Championship Poll. By winning every game during the 2009 NCAA tournament by double digits, including the Title Game, the Tar Heels fulfilled that mission.

Michigan State had a good run through the tournament, but with 21 turnovers in the Championship Game, not even the mostly Spartan crowd could help them take the victory away from UNC.

Celebrate their 2009 National Championship with some great decorative North Carolina Tar Heels merchandise at MySportsDecor.com or North Carolina Tar Heels watches at MyTeamBling.com.

Photo by Beau B, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

To make it to the title game, Michigan State defeated the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday afternoon by a score of  82-73.  Although they allowed the Huskies to cut their lead down to 3 with a minute to go, the Spartans were able to hold on for their victory in front of a mostly home crowd.

The North Carolina Tar Heels easily beat the Villanova Wildcats with a final score of  83-69.  The outcome of this game was never in doubt as the Tar Heels rolled right by the Wildcats with solid play by Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Tyler Hansbrough.

On Monday night, North Carolina will be seeking their 2nd title in five years, while Michigan State will try to win their first title since 2000.  In an earlier meeting this seaons, the Tar Heels embarrassed the Spartans with a 35 point victory.

Will history repeat itself and North Carolina get the easy win on Monday night to take home the title, or can Michigan State use the home crowd as an advantage and get the big upset victory?  Take our quick poll and let us know what you think the outcome will be.

If you’re a Tar Heels fan or Spartans fan, don’t forget about our large selection of North Carolina Tar Heels merchandise and Michigan State Spartans merchandise.  We also offer unique North Carolina Tar Heels watches and Michigan State Spartans watches for fans who want to bring their team spirit with them wherever they go.

Photo by meadorni, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Celebrate these teams’ great accomplishment with some NCAA Merchandise.

You can decorate your office, game room, bedroom, or bathroom with North Carolina Tar Heels merchandise and Michigan State Spartans merchandise.

You can also bring your team spirit with you wherever you go by shopping our great selections of Connecticut Huskies watches, Michigan State Spartans watches, and North Carolina Tar Heels watches.

Congratulations to the hard-working coaches and players and to the devoted fans of all the Final Four teams.

Photo by Sonnett, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.