NCAA BASKETBALL

A quick look at tonight’s NCAA tournament semifinal games in Detroit:

CONNECTICUT (31-4) VS. MICHIGAN STATE (30-6)

3 p.m. PDT, Channel 2

Luckily for Connecticut, center Hasheem Thabeet’s message on his Twitter page was just an April Fool’s Day joke. The 7-foot-3 center posted a comment that read: “OMG!!! Why me? So I failed a drug test. Not goin to Detroit.” Unfortunately for Michigan State, Thabeet, who averages 13.5 points and 10.9 rebounds, is playing. The No. 1-seeded Huskies knocked off No. 3-seeded Missouri, 82-75, to win the West Regional and advance to their third Final Four. Kemba Walker led Connecticut with 23 points, but freshman G A.J. Price and senior F Jeff Adrian also have the ability to take over a game. But the Spartans have Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo has five Final Four appearances with Michigan State and the Spartans are 9-0 as a No. 2-seeded team in the tournament. They defeated top-seeded Louisville to win the Midwest Regional. Although Connecticut should be able to have the upper hand in the paint, if it turns the ball over 17 times like it did against Missouri, Michigan State can capitalize.

Prediction: Connecticut 75, Michigan State 71.

NORTH CAROLINA (32-4) VS. VILLANOVA (30-7)

5:45 p.m. PDT, Channel 2

* No. 1-seeded North Carolina did a great job of handling No. 2 Oklahoma in a 72-60 win in the South Regional final. Sooners star Blake Griffin had 23 points and 16 rebounds, but the Tar Heels advanced thanks in large part to senior PG Ty Lawson, who scored 19 points. What was even more impressive was that North Carolina won convincingly even though senior F/C Tyler Hansbrough made only two baskets and finished with eight points. Hansbrough is averaging 20.9 points and 8.1 rebounds and should have no trouble dominating the post against a smaller Villanova team. But unlike Oklahoma, the Wildcats offer a multitude of scoring options. Senior F Dante Cunningham leads Villanova with 16.2 points a game. It will be up to him and G Scottie Reynolds, who made the winning layup in a 78-76 East Regional final win against No. 1-seeded Pittsburgh, to outduel Hansbrough and Lawson.

Prediction: North Carolina 84, Villanova 78.