Can Louisville and diaper dandy Juan Palacios, left, deny Illinois a trip to the title game?
Look back to 1997 and Arizona’s great run to the championship. Mike Bibby ran the attack for the Wildcats as a freshman. So don’t buy into the notion that a team can’t win it all with a freshman making a major contribution. Let me tell you, freshmen must help several teams if they are to cut down the nets in St. Louis. First, let’s look at the youngsters in the North Carolina-Michigan State national semifinal. North Carolina isn’t going to win without a contribution from Marvin Williams up front. A 6-foot-9 forward, Williams has had a super season, averaging 11.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game. In the tourney’s first two rounds, Williams scored 20 points in each game (on 16-of-23 shooting) and added 23 rebounds. He’s an inside-outside performer with great versatility and elevation, and he will be a factor in the Final Four. Michigan State became a different team when freshman point guard Drew Neitzel was inserted into the starting lineup. He has handled the ball effec
