The Edge

Coach: Roy Williams, six years at North Carolina, six years in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: At-large bid; South first round: def. No. 16 seed Radford 101-58; South second round: def. No. 8 seed LSU 84-70; South regional semifinals: def. No. 4 seed Gonzaga 98-77; South regional final: def. No. 2 seed Oklahoma 72-60; National semifinal: def. East No. 3 seed Villanova 83-69.

They'll win the title if ...: They don't go cold against Michigan State. The Spartans have won just three games all season in which they allowed more than 70 points. North Carolina has scored less than 70 points just once. Since returning the lineup, Ty Lawson has been even better than he was pre-toe injury. Lawson is averaging 20 ppg and has just six turnovers in four tournament games. Wayne Ellington is playing better than at any other time this season and with no hesitation in his game. Tyler Hansbrough is averaging 21 points and eight rebounds on the season. Danny Green, something of a Swiss Army knife for the Tar Heels, can play at least three positions for extended minutes and has played terrific on-ball defense.

Ty Lawson

Go-to guys: Lawson beat out teammate Tyler Hansbrough for ACC player of the year honors even though Hansbrough led the Tar Heels in scoring in the regular season and will be the first Tar Heel to lead his team in both scoring and rebounding for four consecutive seasons. Lawson scored in double figures and led the league in assists. Danny Green, who played a marvelous "sixth man" role for the last three years, stepped into the starting lineup and gave the Heels instant firepower from 3-point range. He's another double-figure scorer along with Lawson, Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington.

Strengths: The Tar Heels have quickness, one of the best starting fives in the country, and a killer instinct that can lead to big scoring runs if an opponent stumbles at any point in the game. They can shoot the three as well as the two, are relentless on the boards, and are unselfish, ranking second in the country in assists and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio. They also get to the free-throw line a lot and convert their chances.

Weaknesses: Without the injured Marcus Ginyard, the Heels lack a real shutdown defender on the perimeter and can be vulnerable against a 3-point bombing team. Duke showed that by leading the Heels at halftime of both meetings. Hansbrough, with all his aggressiveness, is a not a particularly strong defender inside. Ginyard's absence also affects depth, though the unexpected return of freshman Tyler Zeller from a wrist injury has helped depth up front. Turnovers have been a problem at times, but not in the tournament, where Lawson has been almost perfect with the ball.

Coach: John Thompson III, four years at school, three years in NCAA Tournament.

How they got here: At-large bid; Midwest first round: def. No. 15 UMBC 66-47

They'll keep winning if: Unlike Davidson, which is reliant on sophomore Stephen Curry to score 25 a night -- or 40, as he did in a narrow first-round win over Gonzaga -- the Hoyas don't need Roy Hibbert to go for 20 and 10 every night to dominate. It's a good thing, because Hibbert is not that kind of player. The Hoyas have good depth and the guard play is better than most credit Georgetown for, not to mention the Hoyas play a style that will bother most teams in the bracket, unless they meet Wisconsin in the Sweet 16. If the Hoyas keep playing strong defense and making all the key plays in the final four minutes, as was typical in the regular season, Georgetown might challenge for a Final Four seat. The Hoyas aren't a team that blows out top opponents, but when the time comes to hit a shot or get a stop in the final seconds, Georgetown's veterans come through.

Memorable moment: Georgetown seemed to sleepwalk through the early season, and lost early tests against Memphis and Pittsburgh. But the team followed the Pitt loss by blowing out Notre Dame by 19 points in one of the few Georgetown games that didn't come down to the final few minutes. It's victory over Louisville in the Big East regular-season finale was more typical, as the team clinched the title with a three-point win.

Roy Hibbert

Go-to guys: Roy Hibbert is the All-American at center, and the player sure to be in the NBA next year. But Jonathan Wallace has been the guy who's taken most of the big shots for the Hoyas this season. He's such a good foul shooter that the ball is usually in his hands late in games.

Strengths: Georgetown is a veteran team that knows exactly what it has to do to win and exactly where everyone is supposed to be on the court. Jesse Sapp runs a solid, efficient point, and Jonathan Wallace and Austin Freeman can both score points in bunches. The Hoya defense pressures opponents into turnovers and bad shots, and usually controls the paint with Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing Jr. They rarely panic and always find the open man, and the Hoyas aren't going to beat themselves.

Weaknesses: The Hoyas sometimes struggle to score, particularly when Hibbert is less involved in the offense. The center can still get taken out of the game by determined opponents and has times when he's less inclined to be aggressive. Jonathan Wallace has been hot and cold from beyond the arc this season, and apart from Austin Freeman and DaJuan Summers, nobody is going to score on offense based on athleticism alone. The Hoyas also keep their opponents in the game most of the time, so every game seems to come down to the wire.

Even as a No. 2 seed, Michigan State hasn't received a whole lot of respect. They've relished the underdog role and snagged impressive victories over Louisville and Connecticut the past two rounds. The Spartans will need to pull off their biggest upset of all against a North Carolina team which walloped them 98-63 at this same stadium back in early December. Can Goran Suton, who did not play in the earlier game, be a difference maker for Michigan State? The Spartans defense has been suffocating throughout the tournament, but the talent-laden Tar Heels, who entered the tournament as the odds-on favorite to capture the championship, are on a mission after coming up short a year ago and have beaten all five of their tourney opponents by double digits. Because they've performed so well offensively, North Carolina's defense has been undervalued.