Izzo Savors This Final Four Experience

April 1, 2005

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Tom Izzo wanted to take it all in.

Sure, he had already been to three Final Fours, even won a national championship. But the Michigan State coach never really savored the moment, never really appraised what it meant to reach college basketball's promised land.

"The others went so fast," Izzo said. "I'm not sure I took even a minute to enjoy them."

So, after the Spartans had completed an unlikely run through the regional to get back to another Final Four, Izzo did something unusual.

He found a chair at courtside.

And he sat.

"I just kind of looked around and said to myself that I'm going to take a couple of minutes here to enjoy," Izzo said. "If the stars are on the right line, I think I could find a minute or two on Monday night."

But between now and then, there's a lot of work to do. First, Michigan State (26-6) must get by North Carolina in the national semifinals Saturday night.

If that happened, the Spartans would face either Illinois or Louisville in the title game.

No matter what happens, it's been a season to cherish.

"I appreciate this group," Izzo said. "It's been a unique group. I think there will be some memories that will come from this that will last a lifetime."

North Carolina's Roy Williams is back for the fifth Final Four of his head coaching career. He's yet to experience the ultimate - a national championship - but insists he's not consumed by the quest.

Someone raised the possibility that he might jump off a building if he comes up short again. If the coach did meet an unfortunate fate, it wouldn't be because of anything that happened on the court.

"One, check Wanda (his wife), because I'm worth more to her dead than alive," Williams quipped. "And two, somebody investigate, because I was pushed."

North Carolina (31-4) has been near the top of the rankings all season, a deep, talented team that was penciled in as a Final Four contender right from the first day of practice.

Williams has tried to mold this group along the lines of the reigning NBA champion Detroit Pistons, who happen to be led by another product of the Tar Heels' deep coaching lineage, Larry Brown.

The Pistons didn't have a true superstar, but that didn't stop them from routing Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers last summer.

"(Williams) showed us clips of that team and he asked us before we went in there, `Who is the best player on that team?"' center Sean May said. "Everyone had their difference in opinions ... and he just said, `You can't tell who the best player is, because they don't care. Everyone just plays together. That's what it's about. That's the epitome of a team."

Last season, Williams' first with the Tar Heels after he was lured away from Kansas, Rashad McCants was the center of attention. He averaged 20 points a game, but North Carolina was knocked out in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

This year, McCants' scoring average has dropped off four points, but those around him have stepped up. May (17.1) is the team's top scorer. Jawad Williams (13.0) and Raymond Felton (12.7) have improved their numbers. And freshman Marvin Williams (11.7) has made a huge contribution off the bench.

"The team is the one who shines," May said. "This team has totally turned around from what we were last year, the way we play and the way we do things. I think you can just see in our play. On any given night, you don't know who will be the leading scorer. It could be Marvin off the bench or it could be Raymond or Jawad.

"It doesn't matter to us. We just want to win."

Michigan State is cut from a similar mold. Maurice Ager leads the way at just 13.8 points a game, but three of his teammates are in double figures and two others just below that cutoff.

The Spartans have a bunch of swingman types, all between 6-foot-3 and 6-6, who defy attempts to pigeonhole them in conventional positions. Size-wise, they might have trouble matching up with North Carolina, which can put out a front line that's 6-9 all the way across (May, Jawad Williams and Marvin Williams). Michigan State also appears vulnerable at the point, where freshman Drew Neitzel is the starter but Chris Hill and Alan Anderson help out with the ball-handling duties.

"You look at most of the teams in it, whether it be Illinois or Louisville or North Carolina, all of them have very well-established point guards," Izzo said. "We're probably the only one that's still up for grabs."

Williams sees that scenario as a potential advantage for the Spartans. North Carolina doesn't have much at the point beyond Felton.

"We're a little vulnerable when Raymond gets in foul trouble or has to be given a rest," Williams said. "I like it where you have more than one."