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: Tim Floyd, four years at USC, three years in NCAA tournament.

How they got here: Automatic bid (Pac-10 tournament champion); Midwest first round: def. No. 7 seed Boston College 72-55.

They'll keep winning if ...: They can all get along. Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis were involved in a confrontation after a Feb. 21 loss to Washington, and it appeared USC's season was going to end in dysfunction. The Trojans lost two games after that to fall to 16-12, but then won five in a row before the NCAA tournament. "It was a big misunderstanding," Hackett said of the incident. "It's something we're ashamed of." Now that USC appears to be one happy family again -- and finally playing to its potential -- they are as dangerous as any Pac-10 team in the NCAA tournament.

Memorable moment: Almost certainly needing a victory to qualify for the NCAA tournament, USC was down 15 points at halftime to Arizona State in the Pac-10 tourney final. An 11-2 run to start the second half cut the deficit to single digits, but the Trojans still trailed by five, 62-57, with two minutes left. The Trojans roared back with a 9-1 burst to end the game. Daniel Hackett's two free throws with 43 seconds left gave USC a 64-63 lead -- its first since early in the game -- and then post player Taj Gibson made what might be the Trojans' most important play of the season. Guarding 6-foot-5 All-American James Harden, the 6-9 Gibson used his huge wingspan to reach across Harden and block a driving left-handed attempt. Gibson grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He made one free throw and then helped disrupt Harden's off-target 3-pointer with a few seconds left. USC, the sixth seed in the Pac-10 tournament, won 66-63 and grabbed the league's automatic berth to the NCAAs.

Taj Gibson

Go-to guys: USC is a four-man team. Taj Gibson, forward DeMar DeRozan, guard Dwight Lewis and fiery point guard Daniel Hackett each average more than 33 minutes a game. They combined to play all but three possible minutes in the Pac-10 final against Arizona State -- and similar yeoman performances are expected in the NCAAs. There's not one go-to guy on offense, as the quartet averages between 12.5 points (Hackett) and 14.3 points (Gibson), with each able to carry the load on a given night. Hackett and Lewis are just about the only 3-point shooters on the team. DeRozan, one of the most hyped freshmen in the country, took a while to find his rhythm, but he has it now, being selected the most outstanding player of the Pac-10 tourney, which included 25 points in the final. His obvious strength is his athleticism, and he used that to his advantage later in the season, being aggressive on the offensive glass and coming off screens to quickly elevate for jumpers. Just don't ask him to shoot 3-pointers. Gibson is expert at cleaning up messes near the basket.

Strengths: Top-line talent has not been this team's problem. As Arizona interim coach Russ Pennell said, "They look the part." Said Oregon State coach Craig Robinson: "At least two of those guys are pros and will play in the NBA, and at least two more will play either in the NBA or Europe." These future pros aren't in it just for the offensive highlights. The Trojans play a Tim Floyd-brand of basketball, which means man-to-man pressure defense and all-the-time intensity. USC allows opponents to hit just over 40 percent from the field, and any drives to the basket have a chance to be swatted by Gibson, who plays bigger than his 6-9 height. He averages 2.8 blocks per game. USC is big and long at every position. Lewis and Hackett are each 6-5 backcourt starters.

Weaknesses: USC is the worst 3-point shooting team in the Pac-10, with no threat outside of Hackett and Lewis, neither of whom convert better than 39 percent. Neither DeRozan nor Gibson is a great free throw shooter, and the Trojans rank ninth in the Pac-10 with a 66.6 percentage from the line. There is barely any scoring punch in reserve; consider that USC got a total of 14 points off the bench in three Pac-10 tournament games. The Trojans' Big Four is going to have to be healthy and avoid foul trouble for USC to advance far.

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.