Final Four matchup: VILLANOVA VS. NORTH CAROLINA

NCAA National Semifinal

Tomorrow, 8:47 p.m.

Ford Field, Detroit

TV/Radio: CBS3/ESPN (950-AM)

Records: Villanova 30-7, North Carolina 32-4

History: North Carolina leads the series, 9-4, although Villanova has won two of the last three meetings. The Tar Heels have won three of the four times they've played in the NCAA Tournament. En route to its title in 1985, the 'Cats beat UNC in the Final Eight.

Coaches: Jay Wright is 178-90 in 8 years at Villanova, 300-175 in 15 seasons overall. Roy Williams is 174-37 in 6 years at North Carolina, 592-138 in 21 seasons overall. He's 53-18 in this tournament. Wright is 11-4.

How they got here: Villanova, the third seed in the East Region, beat No. 14 American, 80-67; No. 6 UCLA, 89-69; No. 2 Duke, 77-54; and No. 1 Pittsburgh, 78-76. North Carolina, the top seed in the South, beat No. 16 Radford, 101-58; No. 5 Louisiana State, 84-70; No. 4 Gonzaga, 98-77; and No. 2 Oklahoma, 72-60.

THREE THINGS VILLANOVA MUST DO:

1. Keep doing what they've done thus far, because it's obviously served them very well. Play defense and stay aggressive. Don't settle for too many perimeter looks.

2. Step on Ty Lawson's sore toe. OK, only kidding. But if it were a football game ... Anyway, try to keep the game as close as possible, for as long as possible. Make the Tar Heels really have to think about it. That's how upsets usually occur in this thing.

3. Stay out of foul trouble. Especially Dante Cunningham.

THREE THINGS UNC MUST DO:

1. Jump out on Villanova the way it did against Oklahoma. Make the Wildcats play from behind. Don't even give them a reason to think they can really do this.

2. Put nearly as much into the defensive end as you do when you've got the ball. Obviously, the Tar Heels did that against Oklahoma. Or at least it looked like it.

3. Get out in transition and try to get easy baskets. It's what UNC does better than anyone.

What to expect: Probably a fairly high-scoring, entertaining way to cap off a Saturday night. I'm not sure who that favors more. The Wildcats can also get down in the mud when they have to, but the Tar Heels weren't exactly track stars against Oklahoma yet still won easily. The Wildcats have been playing too well to go down without a tussle. But I think UNC has a little too much.