Jay Bilas is the man.

If you are one of the populist BCS bashers, please consider this: The Final Four and the NCAA tournament are really big deals, and not taken for granted by most of the "big shots." When Villanova outlasted Pittsburgh, the senior class of the Wildcats called former Villanova star Ed Pinckney to say thank you, and to let him share in the win. Not only that, but the parents of the seniors got on the line. Pinckney, the star of the 1985 Final Four, told me that he broke down on the call. He couldn't get over the thoughtfulness and class the players showed him.• In November, ESPN.com asked each of us to pick our Final Four. I picked North Carolina, Connecticut, Michigan State and Louisville. Of course, Michigan State and Louisville met in the Midwest Regional final, so only one could go to Detroit. I blame the committee for ruining my predictions. • Even though there were a couple of "mild" surprises in the Final Four field, I still believe that the only real surprise of the second weekend was Memphis losing to Missouri, and the margin. If you had told me that Memphis would give up 100 to Mizzou, I would not have believed it. Outside of that, the surprises were few.• I was asked in Phoenix why the higher seeds seem to have dominated over the past two years, and if it represents a trend or a change in the game. I don't see it as anything more than an anomaly or a cycle. Last year, the four Final Four teams were the most dominant teams from start to finish. But remember, UCLA almost got clipped by Texas A&M and Kansas almost got clipped by Davidson. It was never a sure thing. This was a down year for mid-majors generally, and it was a really down year for the SEC. Don't worry too much; the wild unpredictability of the first two days of the NCAA tournament will be back.• Michigan State is a marvel to me. I thought the Spartans were a Final Four team before the season, but this team was never healthy or complete all season. Yet Michigan State won the Big Ten in a walk and reached the Final Four by beating a Louisville team that was playing as well as anyone in the country over the past month. Tom Izzo is one of the best coaches in the game, and I think he is one of the best coaches in sports. No coach is as unaffected by success as is Izzo. He is the same guy today as he was in 1997.• I love the idea of Michigan State playing in Detroit. First, the area is depressed because of the economy and deserves to have a favorite son in the Final Four to cheer for. Second, it is great to see a chance for redemption on the floor where Michigan State (without Goran Suton) was blown out by North Carolina. That will just add to the event.• If I were king, Travis Walton and Suton would have split the MVP of the Midwest Regional. Walton absolutely shut down Louisville's Terrence Williams, and is one of the best defensive players I have seen. Walton is a great defender because of his grit and determination, and he is a really good guard. Without Walton, no way does Michigan State win. Suton was brilliant in the middle of Louisville's 2-3 matchup zone defense. He can knock down shots, and as long as he didn't bounce it, he did the right thing. And Suton's defense and rebounding were brilliant all tournament long. • Watching Suton's success in the Regional Final was almost poetic. If you remember, it was Suton who missed a close-range putback against Gonzaga in an epic battle in the Maui Invitational. If that putback had gone in, Michigan State would have played UConn in the final. Suton was inconsolable after the game, but now gets his shot at UConn in Detroit. • There will be some speedy point guards in Detroit. North Carolina's Ty Lawson is the fastest, but UConn's Kemba Walker, Michigan State's Kalin Lucas, and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds are not far behind. Lawson is the only one that nobody can stay in front of, but the other guys can really motor.• Michigan State's defense against Louisville was really good. The Spartans handled the Cardinals' back cuts, shut down the middle and limited offensive rebounds. With Louisville unable to score efficiently, Rick Pitino's team could not get into its press. That is what is interesting about a pressing team. If you do not score, you cannot really press. Michigan State took out the press by taking out Louisville's offense.• Michigan State has balance. While that might mean there's no "go-to" guy, it also means you cannot key on one guy. There are several guys who can step forward in any given game, and that makes Michigan State harder to prepare for. Lucas is the star of that team, but the Spartans can call a lot of different numbers and get production.• I have said since day one that North Carolina was the best team, and I still believe that. And I said that the Tar Heels' defense was not bad, but it was just not as powerful as the Tar Heels' offense. How can you expect a team to value defense at the highest level when it scores as easily as North Carolina does? That is like asking a person in Antarctica to conserve ice. The Tar Heels' defense is among the top 25 in the nation from an efficiency standpoint. The Tar Heels' offense is the best.• Oklahoma shot the ball poorly against North Carolina, and that could not happen if the Sooners had a chance to win. The Tar Heels doubled Blake Griffin in the post to make him give it up and make others beat them. Carolina pressed up on the strong side and rotated well, and Oklahoma simply did not knock down open shots. There was a ton of pressure on Oklahoma's offense to score, especially when North Carolina scores so easily. • Griffin is the best player in the country, period. I thought that he could have been more aggressive against North Carolina's double-teams, and could have made quicker moves to attack them, but it is unmistakable that Griffin has more game than any other player in the nation. How many guys do you see hitting their heads on the backboard? The last guy I saw do that in a college game was Michael Jordan.• Oklahoma should lock up Jeff Capel as soon as possible. Capel is the real thing, and other places will be ringing his phone. Actually, that should be the dream of every athletic director, that other schools are hunting your coach. That means you are doing really well, and it is good news. It is a high-class problem to have.• Lawson is the most important player to North Carolina's success, and he might be the most important player to his team in this year's Final Four. Without Lawson, North Carolina is still good. But with him, the Heels are the best team. • I like Michigan State's chances against UConn. The Spartans can hang with the Huskies on the glass, and they can move Hasheem Thabeet around on the floor and keep him from being a stationary defender. Izzo runs a lot of sets that feature ballscreens and he has smart players who can make adjustments on the fly. Don't be surprised if Michigan State wins.