Superior guard play paves way to victory

If there's one thing that stands out about this year's Final Four it is sheer size. With the court set in the center of monstrous Ford Field Detroit could be the biggest Final Four ever in terms of attendance.

There are big-name coaches at the helm of big-time programs. There are two teams from the Big East. And there are some very big bigs at the center of it all from iconic Tyler Hansbrough to towering Hasheem Thabeet from Dante Cunningham to Goran Suton.

But possibly even bigger in terms of impact could be the little guys. Guard play has long been considered vital to NCAA Tournament success and this year is no different.

In spite of the attention those four frontcourt players garner it was their undersized counterparts who carried the load for their teams.

Take Ty Lawson for example" who averaged 20.3 points and won the South Region's Most Outstanding Player award on a bum toe.

""I'm not nearly as comfortable without him out there" UNC coach Roy Williams said.

And with him" you've got a guy who pushes the ball better than anybody in college basketball.""

The trend doesn't stop with the Tar Heels. Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds hit the most dramatic shot of the tournament so far and was named the East Region's Most Outstanding Player.

Then there's Connecticut's A.J. Price" whose averages of 20 points 4.5 rebounds and 5.25 assists garnered him the same hardware in the West.

It was only in the Midwest that the award didn't go to a guard but Michigan State senior Travis Walton's perimeter defense might have been the key to the Spartans' run.

Some more proof of the importance of guards as the March days are counted down: In all four Elite Eight games the team with the highest-scoring guard was also the team that walked off the court victorious.

North Carolina's matchup Saturday against Villanova will pit the Tar Heels against a historically guard-heavy program. The Wildcats are led by Reynolds" a crafty 6-2 junior who can hit the 3 and take it to the hole.

""Some of us get blessed to have special kids" and that's what brings you to these unique situations Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

You know you look at Tyler Hansbrough with that team in Carolina" and what he's done since he's been there. And that's what Scottie Reynolds has been for us.""

Reynolds has company in the backcourt – four of Nova's top six scorers are pure guards.

The lightning quick Corey Fisher can be a sparkplug for the offense as a combo guard. And at 6-5"" Reggie Redding contributes length and five rebounds per contest.

North Carolina's guards will have their hands full trying to prevent their penetration. But they'll also need some help.

""It's not just one person playing defense on them" Hansbrough said. When they penetrate and things like that" we have to have help-side. And it's going to have to be the whole team that's going to have to contribute defensively.""