THE HUSKIES ARE IN THE FINAL FOUR!

On Tuesday night, the party will be over. March Madness will have quieted down. Billy Packer will have left town, and St. Petersburg will no longer be in a frenzy. But it's still Saturday. And that's means that the Final Four is just about ready to begin. This is just the beginning, folks. And you thought that the great Ohio State turnaround, Jim Calhoun's first trip to the Final Four, Mateen Cleaves's heroics against Kentucky, and the Incredible Duke were it. You ain't seen nothin' yet!

Duke has been steamrolling over opponents this season. It is its combination of talent, discipline, and balance which has left few outsiders giving any other team a chance. But there must be a way to beat them, right? Cincinnati was able to do it. In that one game, Kenyon Martin and Co. were somehow able to knock down the Big Bad Blue Devils. Michigan State will have to learn from that game in order to beat Duke, but even if their game plan works out perfectly, they will need Duke to be a bit colder than normal to win the game. Duke has so many interchangeable parts, and they have a whole ton of Cadillacs on their team. Michigan State will not be able to press them like the Bearcats and St. John's did. They must hope that Mateen Cleaves will carry them with his leadership and some scoring, they must count on Morris Peterson to put points on the scoreboard, Andre Hutson must be their third threat, and Antonio Smith must be able to contain Elton Brand, as well as rebound. If these things happen, the Spartans will win the game. For Duke, they must stick with their game plan. Attack the ball. If Trajan Langdon knocks down the long balls, William Avery dishes the ball off, and Elton Brand does his stuff down low, the Blue Devils will be a lock for the championship game. So far, that has been the drift in St. Petersburg. The big matchup is definitely Avery vs. Cleaves. It's talent against finesse. We'll see if Cleaves can use his maturity to weather the young star.

In the other game, we see a matchup of three-guard lineups which are both devastating in the backcourt. Start with the matchup of Connecticut's Khalid El-Amin and Ohio State's Scoonie Penn. Both are about the same size, and both are extremely strong. With El-Amin struggling against Gonzaga by hitting twelve bricks, and Penn playing a superb game against St. John's, most have said that Penn holds the advantage. But a closer look will show that both are very evenly matched. And with El-Amin not playing well in the last game, the law of averages says that he will be a monster against Ohio State. Penn has the quickness, but El-Amin has that "something special" that very few players have. If Connecticut gets into its transition game, Ohio State is in trouble. All-American Richard Hamilton must come up big for the Huskies, as must Kevin Freeman, the underrated power forward who is proving himself as one of the most reliable board-bangers in the country. The Buckeyes will probably not get much from the frontcourt, so they must rely on Penn and superb guard Michael Redd to carry them. Offensively for Ohio State, the Penn will probably be matched up against Ricky Moore. Moore, the Husky defensive standout, has shut down the opposing team's best guard for game after game this season. Penn may be his next victim. But don't count out Ohio State's heart. Jim O'Brien will try and end his curse against Jim Calhoun in a game that really counts.

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