Spartans

AUSTIN, Texas - From the national championship ring on the fingers of the respective coaches to the number of players that are used off the respective benches, Kentucky and Michigan State take many similarities into today's NCAA tournament regional final at the Erwin Center. But the most intriguing parallel between the second-seeded Wildcats and the fifth-seeded Spartans could determine which team advances to the Final Four later this week in St. Louis: which starting freshman point guard has the biggest impact.

WASHINGTON - In today's BB&T Classic championship game, Maryland will play an opponent that is aggressive, balanced and hungry. That was supposed to be Michigan State, but the 11th-ranked Spartans were pummeled by George Washington in yesterday's second semifinal, 96-83. The Colonials (4-1) took control with a 10-0 run late in the first half and led by as many as 15 early in the second half. Fourth-year coach Karl Hobbs' rising team went inside for 23 points from junior center Pops Mensah-Bonsu, while senior guard T.J. Thompson got half of his 18 points on three-pointers.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Morgan State took a step up in class yesterday and got hammered for it in a 47-28 loss at San Jose State. The Division I-AA Bears (1-2) hung with the Division I-A Spartans (1-1) early and were tied 14-14 until late in the second quarter. Then the hosts took control, burying the Bears with 10 points in 55 seconds to all but seal the win. "We knew we had our work cut out coming in here," said Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley. "The talent we saw here we won't see in our conference all year.

When he did Wag the Dog, David Mamet parodied the lengths to which modern-day politicians will go in pursuit of power. In Spartan, he's made that pursuit the stuff of nightmares. At its essence, Spartan is the story of a kidnapping, with the president's daughter as the victim. Charged with finding her is Robert Scott (Val Kilmer), a career military man of extreme toughness and force of will -- he's one of those guys who'll do anything he's ordered to do, from mop a floor to murder a civilian, and worry about the moral implications never.

Josh Gross is known around North Carolina-Greensboro as an electrifying basketball player. The 6-foot-5 junior forward from Long Reach High can be counted on to give Spartans fans at least one spectacular dunk every game, and he's considered one of the most athletic players in the Southern Conference. The 2001 Howard County Player of the Year may be just what UNC-Greensboro needs, as the team went into a seven-game tailspin after starting the season 4-2. One of those seven losses came Dec. 23 at Comcast Center, where Maryland waltzed to an 85-58 victory.

COLLEGE PARK -They played with a lack of smoothness befitting a team performing for the first time in nine days. But the No. 24-ranked Maryland Terrapins did not have to worry for long last night. Maryland used enough of its quickness and height advantages, produced a strong defensive effort for most of the way and got a nice lift from its bench. It was all too much for UNC-Greensboro to handle as the Terps blew open a slightly uncomfortable game early in the second half and rolled to an 85-58 victory before an announced crowd of 17,950 at Comcast Center.

Tom Izzo surely didn't think the nonconference schedule he put together for his Michigan State team would turn the Spartans from national championship contenders into the biggest bust in college basketball this season. Was it a lack of humility or foresight that caused Izzo to book trips to Kansas, UCLA and Syracuse on top of home games against Duke, Oklahoma and Kentucky? "I've learned a lot, I can see why some guys schedule some ways," Izzo said this week on the Big Ten teleconference.

SAN ANTONIO - Order was restored to the NCAA tournament yesterday at the Alamodome, where Texas upheld the honor of college basketball's No. 1 seeds. The Longhorns attempted 30 free throws in the second half and subdued Michigan State, 85-76, in the South Regional final. With top-seeded Arizona, Kentucky and Oklahoma losing regional finals, Texas and coach Rick Barnes will go to New Orleans and the Superdome as the favorites in an offbeat Final Four. Had the Longhorns lost, the Final Four would have been without a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1980.

SAN ANTONIO - Before it beat Maryland, Michigan State heard words of inspiration from Magic Johnson, its most illustrious basketball alum. The charismatic star of the 1979 NCAA tournament symbolized Spartan hoops, until Tom Izzo became head coach in 1995 and made the program synonymous with ferocity. No one plays harder than Michigan State. Unless it's Texas. The two meet in today's South Region final at the Alamodome. The Spartans, champions in 2000, are seeking their fourth Final Four in five seasons.

SAN ANTONIO - Maryland missed 11 of its first 12 three-point tries last night against Michigan State, but the key to its loss in the South Regional semifinals could be found on the bench as much as on the perimeter. The Spartans' reserves outscored the Terps' 31-11, and that whopping margin included the biggest basket of the night, the baseline drive by Paul Davis that won it with 4.7 seconds left. The 6-foot-11 freshman began the game on the bench and finished it with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting and five rebounds.