The Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels will hit the hardwood at Detroit's Ford Field on Monday night in the championship game of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers currently have the Tar Heels listed as 7½-point favorites versus the Spartans, while the game's total is sitting at 153.
Kalin Lucas netted 21 points and dished out five assists on Saturday as Michigan State defeated Connecticut 82-73 in the Final Four. Michigan State won the game as a 4.5-point underdog, while the 155 points sailed OVER the posted total of 134.5.
Raymar Morgan tossed in 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds in that win for the Spartans.
North Carolina jumped out to a nine point lead at the half and ran to a 83-69 victory over Villanova in the Final Four. North Carolina easily covered the 7.5-point spread, but the combined score fell UNDER the posted total of 160.
Ty Lawson led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Tar Heels. Tyler Hansbrough added 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double in that win.
Team records:
Michigan State: 31-6 SU, 21-13 ATS
North Carolina: 33-4 SU, 17-19 ATS
Michigan State most recently:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
After playing Connecticut are 1-1
After a win are 9-1<\/p>\n
North Carolina most recently:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
After playing Villanova are 3-0
After a win are 8-2
A few trends to consider:
Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Michigan State is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing North Carolina
Michigan State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing North Carolina
North Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
North Carolina is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Michigan State
North Carolina is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Michigan State<\/p>\n