Sunday 04/05 (Very) Quickie

And the real champion of the Big East is... Michigan State.

For all the talk of how good the Big East was this year, the Spartans dispatched the league's regular-season champ/tournament champ and arguably its 2nd-best team in back-to-back games.

And if they can beat the best of the ACC, they will be national champs.

It was minor consolation for me that I predicted MSU's win over UConn -- I also picked Nova over UNC, and the way UNC thumped the Wildcats, I couldn't have been more wrong.

UNC is very very good. But the way Michigan State has been handling "superior" teams over the last two games, there is no reason to think they can't beat the Tar Heels.

I'd like to see it, but I don't think they will.

Great stat: Only 3 teams since '85 have won their 5 tournament games by 10 points or more -- they all went on to roll in the title game.

Folks will be analyzing the game that UNC and Michigan State played at Ford Field back on December 3 -- the Tar Heels won by 35, one of the worst beatings of Tom Izzo's career.

There is one big difference: Goran Suton didn't play in that game. Is he worth 35 points? No, but combined with four months' seasoning -- including the remarkable 5-game Tournament run -- the Spartans are a different team. Again: 35 points better?

A Spartans upset wouldn't be quite Nova-over-G'town '85, but it would be as big of a title-game upset since Arizona over Kentucky in '97.

It's going to be a big night on Monday for Tyler Hansbrough -- this game will define his tremendous college career.

-- D.S.