Wow — what a weekend in the sports world.  And, of course, the main story was the Final Four in Detroit.

The first game of Saturday evening:  the #2 Michigan State Spartans v. #1 UCONN Huskies.  Coming into this game, UCONN was favored, but there was a lot of talk throughout the week about Michigan State’s home court advantage.  The game was in Detroit, and you can bet that Spartan fans filled the stadium.  Plus, Michigan State had the whole Detroit, Motor City morale going for them; that winning this game would be good for the mental attitude of a city with a depressed economy.

The first half was an incredible back and forth battle, and it was clear that the Spartans weren’t afraid of the mighty Huskies.  And heading into the half, Michigan State had a two point lead.  Then, in the second half, UCONN came out strong, but Michigan State came out far more determined.  Behind Kalin Lucas‘ 21 points, the Spartans continued to roll.  They let up a bit under the 5-minute mark, and UCONN had a late comeback, but Michigan State kept hitting the “nail-in-the-coffin” shots when it counted, and they advanced to the National Championship Game.  Wow — that home court advantage sure did make a difference.  Michigan State 82, UCONN 73.

Then, up next, it was the tourney favorite, North Carolina, taking on the seemingly unstoppable tournament underdog, Villanova.  ‘Nova entered the final four due to a miracle last second shot from Scottie Reynolds against Pitt last week.  And this team thinks they’re on a fateful run, just like the magical Villanova team that won the whole thing as an underdog in the 80’s.  Unfortunately for Nova, North Carolina was just too powerful.  From the get-go it was all Carolina.  Nova’s Reynolds did have 17 points, but behind Ty Lawson’s 22 points, UNC steamrolled through the Wildcats en route to facing Michigan State in the finals.  UNC 83, Villanova 69.

UNC is favored in Monday night’s game, especially because UNC beat the Spartans on this exact court in December by more than 30 points.  But given Michigan State’s home court thunder, it would be no surprise if they were cutting down the nets at night’s end.

NFL

Finally, a little news out of the NFL, as the Jay Cutler drama is finally over.  The Denver Broncos are shipping Cutler to the Chicago Bears in exchange for two first round draft picks, and current Bears’ QB Kyle Orton.  Denver made the best of a situation, landing some high draft picks, and will most likely take USC QB phenom Mark Sanchez.  Meanwhile, the Bears now have a franchise quarterback for at least the next five seasons in Jay Cutler, and finally will have some consistency at the QB position, which they have sorely lacked for almost 30 years.  It’s a new era for both teams.