The Michigan State Spartans fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels 89-72 on Monday night in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game. This is North Carolina’s fifth men’s basketball championship.

The Tar Heels ran up an amazing 55 points in the first half of the game. In [...]]]> It was a game that wasn’t close from the start.

The Michigan State Spartans fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels 89-72 on Monday night in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game. This is North Carolina’s fifth men’s basketball championship.

The Tar Heels ran up an amazing 55 points in the first half of the game. In addition to incredible shooting accuracy, they showed a knack for being in the right place at the right time, controlling rebounds and managing a swift transition game, which had the Spartans on their heels (natch) all night.

Our Spartans had an amazing run this year and were simply overpowered by a more mature, poised and athletic team.

Up until the fifth minute of the second half, both teams were evenly matched, exchanging the lead several times. With 16 minutes left in the second half, the game was tied. At that point, MSU broke away and gained [...]]]> Tom Izzo’s MSU Spartans rolled through the University of Connecticut Huskies tonight, winning a hard-fought game 82-73.

Up until the fifth minute of the second half, both teams were evenly matched, exchanging the lead several times. With 16 minutes left in the second half, the game was tied. At that point, MSU broke away and gained control of the game, forcing Jim Calhoun’s Huskies into bad shots while making the most of their opportunities.

With 3:18 remaining in the game, the Spartans had established an 11-point lead and though the Huskies put up a fight, they did not come close enough. The Spartans bench was remarkably productive and helped provide the speed and energy needed to defeat a talented Connecticut team.

The championship game is Monday night at Ford Field. MSU will play the winner of tonight’s Villanova-North Carolina game.

USA Today reports that ticket sales for this year’s NCAA Final Four are down 30 to 40 percent from last year’s [...]]]> The sputtering economy, and the sheer size of Detroit’s Ford Field (71,000 seats), have taken their toll on one of the country’s last great sources of entrepreneurial greed, our nation’s benevolent sports ticket brokers.

USA Today reports that ticket sales for this year’s NCAA Final Four are down 30 to 40 percent from last year’s prices.