1 Illinois Illini
+ 13-0 on neutral court
+ 10-3 ATS when favored by 12 points or less
+ Total has gone under in 8 of their last 9
+ One of nation?s stingiest defenses, allowing just 60 points per game
+ Protects ball: Allow 41% fewer steals than NCAA average (4.8 compared to 7.1)
+ Success key: The Illini's 3-point D has been worse than the NCAA average over the season, but sigificantly better during the tourney.
+ Home away from home: The Illini have not had to travel more than 3 hours from Champaign during the NCAA Tournament with St. Louis being the farthest at just under 3 hours
+ Under-rated Big Ten: 1 of 2 Big Ten teams left in the Final Four, most of any conference
+ Trying to become first team with less than two loses to win it all since Indiana in 1976
+ Responded impressively as small fav: Illini were favored by less than 5 points just twice this season, winning 81-68 at Michigan State as a pick on February 1st and 75-65 at Wisconsin on January 25th as 3-point favorites
Vs.
4 Louisville Cardinals
+ Hottest team in the country with 13 straight SU wins
+ 9-1 SU on neutral court
+ 3-point barrage: 20-0 when they hit 10 or more 3-pointers; Takes 26% more 3-pointers than NCAA average (42% compared to 33%); Makes 52% more 3-pointers than NCAA average (nearly 4 more per game); Shooting a blistering 44.2% from beyond the 3-point arc in their last five games
+ Head coach Rick Pitino is only coach ever to take three different schools to Final Four (Kentucky and Providence previously) and has made five Final Four appearances overall, winning 1996 national championship with Kentucky
+ Won SU twice only two times as underdog: The Cards won 69-66 at Cincinnati on January 15th as a 2-point dog and 74-70 at Florida on December 11th as a 3-point dog
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5 Michigan State Spartans
+ 12-2 ATS in their last 14
+ Under-rated Big Ten: 1 of 2 Big Ten teams left in the Final Four, most of any conference
+ Sucess key: Shoot 77% from free-throw line - third-best in the country - but only 67% in losses
+ Premier coach: Tom Izzo has the highest winning percentage of active coaches in NCAA Tournament history at .789 (23-6). Fourth Final 4 appearance in seven seasons; 1-2 in previous three trips to national semifinals, winning national title in 2000. One of only two coaches to make the Final Four at least four times in his first 10 seasons (Ohio State?s Fred Taylor was the other).
+ Deepest team in Final Four: They have six players averaging at least 9 points per game and eight Spartans played at least 14 minutes in 94-88 double-overtime win over Kentucky
Vs.
1 North Carolina Tar Heels
+ 2-7 ATS as favorite of less than 10 points
+ 1-7-1 ATS in their last 7
+ Blistering offense: Average 88.4 points per game, tops in the country, and shoot nearly 50 percent from the field, tops among NCAA survivors
+ Rebounding force: Average 20% more rebounds per game than NCAA average (37.6 compared to 31.4) and have out-rebounded 10 of last 11 opponents
+ Force and give up turnovers: Averages more than 3 steals per game over NCAA average (10.2 compared to 7.1) but also gives up over 2 more than average
+ Best scoring margin: Outscore opponents by 18.5 points per game
+ Hot from beyond the arc: Hitting nearly 40% of their 3-point attempts in their last five
+ Head coach Roy Williams still chasing his elusive first national championship; this will be his third Final Four appearance in four years, the first two coming with the Kansas Jayhawks
+ Lost SU twice only two times they were small fav: The Heels were favored by less than 6 ? points just twice all season and lost 71-70 at Duke as 1 ?-point favorites on February 9th and 95-82 as 2 1/2-point favorites on January 15th
+ 13-0 on neutral court
+ 10-3 ATS when favored by 12 points or less
+ Total has gone under in 8 of their last 9
+ One of nation?s stingiest defenses, allowing just 60 points per game
+ Protects ball: Allow 41% fewer steals than NCAA average (4.8 compared to 7.1)
+ Success key: The Illini's 3-point D has been worse than the NCAA average over the season, but sigificantly better during the tourney.
+ Home away from home: The Illini have not had to travel more than 3 hours from Champaign during the NCAA Tournament with St. Louis being the farthest at just under 3 hours
+ Under-rated Big Ten: 1 of 2 Big Ten teams left in the Final Four, most of any conference
+ Trying to become first team with less than two loses to win it all since Indiana in 1976
+ Responded impressively as small fav: Illini were favored by less than 5 points just twice this season, winning 81-68 at Michigan State as a pick on February 1st and 75-65 at Wisconsin on January 25th as 3-point favorites
Vs.
4 Louisville Cardinals
+ Hottest team in the country with 13 straight SU wins
+ 9-1 SU on neutral court
+ 3-point barrage: 20-0 when they hit 10 or more 3-pointers; Takes 26% more 3-pointers than NCAA average (42% compared to 33%); Makes 52% more 3-pointers than NCAA average (nearly 4 more per game); Shooting a blistering 44.2% from beyond the 3-point arc in their last five games
+ Head coach Rick Pitino is only coach ever to take three different schools to Final Four (Kentucky and Providence previously) and has made five Final Four appearances overall, winning 1996 national championship with Kentucky
+ Won SU twice only two times as underdog: The Cards won 69-66 at Cincinnati on January 15th as a 2-point dog and 74-70 at Florida on December 11th as a 3-point dog
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5 Michigan State Spartans
+ 12-2 ATS in their last 14
+ Under-rated Big Ten: 1 of 2 Big Ten teams left in the Final Four, most of any conference
+ Sucess key: Shoot 77% from free-throw line - third-best in the country - but only 67% in losses
+ Premier coach: Tom Izzo has the highest winning percentage of active coaches in NCAA Tournament history at .789 (23-6). Fourth Final 4 appearance in seven seasons; 1-2 in previous three trips to national semifinals, winning national title in 2000. One of only two coaches to make the Final Four at least four times in his first 10 seasons (Ohio State?s Fred Taylor was the other).
+ Deepest team in Final Four: They have six players averaging at least 9 points per game and eight Spartans played at least 14 minutes in 94-88 double-overtime win over Kentucky
Vs.
1 North Carolina Tar Heels
+ 2-7 ATS as favorite of less than 10 points
+ 1-7-1 ATS in their last 7
+ Blistering offense: Average 88.4 points per game, tops in the country, and shoot nearly 50 percent from the field, tops among NCAA survivors
+ Rebounding force: Average 20% more rebounds per game than NCAA average (37.6 compared to 31.4) and have out-rebounded 10 of last 11 opponents
+ Force and give up turnovers: Averages more than 3 steals per game over NCAA average (10.2 compared to 7.1) but also gives up over 2 more than average
+ Best scoring margin: Outscore opponents by 18.5 points per game
+ Hot from beyond the arc: Hitting nearly 40% of their 3-point attempts in their last five
+ Head coach Roy Williams still chasing his elusive first national championship; this will be his third Final Four appearance in four years, the first two coming with the Kansas Jayhawks
+ Lost SU twice only two times they were small fav: The Heels were favored by less than 6 ? points just twice all season and lost 71-70 at Duke as 1 ?-point favorites on February 9th and 95-82 as 2 1/2-point favorites on January 15th
