North Carolina, Michigan duel for title

DETROIT – Ty Lawson scored 22 points and Wayne Ellington had 20 more as the North Carolina eased to an 83-69 win Saturday over the overmatched Villanova and into a national title game against Michigan State.

Tyler Hansbrough had 18 points and 11 rebounds to mark a successful return to the Final Four after a remarkable dud last year in a semifinal loss to Kansas.

North Carolina goes for its second title in five years Monday when it meets Michigan State, an 82-73 winner over Connecticut.

Villanova ends a successful season two wins short of its first title since 1985, when Rollie Massimino coaxed one of the greatest upsets in sports history out of his guys – 66-64 over Patrick Ewing, John Thompson and Georgetown.

Thompson was on press row doing radio and Massimino was chomping his gum nervously behind the Villanova bench, part of the record crowd of 72,456 at Ford Field – which was half gone and streaming toward the exits with 5 minutes left.

Last year, in one of the more inexplicable performances in Final Four history, the North Carolina trailed Kansas 40-12 midway through the first half. This time, they led 40-23.

Ellington made five of his first six shots, including a 3-pointer after a perfect crosscourt pass over the top from Danny Green. Nobody had an answer for Hansbrough, who once found himself bodied up with Dante Cunningham, faked left, then turned right to the baseline and saw no more resistance – a way-too-easy layup.

Earlier, Raymar Morgan broke out of his late-season slump with 18 points, Kalin Lucas added 21 and the smaller Michigan State ran roughshod over Hasheem Thabeet and Connecticut.

It’s Michigan State’s first appearance in the title game since 2000, when the Spartans won their second title. (AP)