Lucas will lead Spartan effort to slow Lawson

DETROIT - To kill a snake, you chop off its head.

To stop North Carolina, you contain Ty Lawson.

In both cases, you have to catch them first.

Lawson is regarded as the quickest - and flat-out best - point guard in the country. He was the ACC Player of the Year and the NCAA South Regional Most Outstanding Player. And he will be defensive priority No. 1 for Michigan State when it faces UNC at 9:21 tonight for the national championship at Ford Field.

"He's a great guard. He is the best point guard in the nation," said MSU's Kalin Lucas, who will be asked to guard Lawson. "Our main thing we have to do with him is keep six eyes on him at all time."

The 5-foot-11-inch Lawson puts relentless pressure on opponents offensively. Not only does his speed cause problems in transition, but his power to get to the rim in the half court is just as impressive.

MSU (31-6) knows firsthand how good Lawson is. In the first meeting between these teams on Dec. 3, Lawson scored 17 points, with eight assists, seven steals and no turnovers. Not surprisingly, the overall result was a Tar Heels 98-63 blowout.

Lawson has been exceptional in the NCAA Tournament. He is averaging a team-high 20.8 points and seven assists per game, including 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the semifinal against Villanova.

Lucas, on the other hand, has been nearly as good. Since the teams' first meeting, in which he battled back spasms, Lucas has grown into one of the nation's elite point guards. The Big Ten Player of the Year was second in the league in scoring during league games and has continued to shine during the NCAA tourney.

In the five games, Lucas is averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 assists, including a game-high 21 points in the national semifinal against Connecticut.

After the first meeting, Lucas said his team would be better in the rematch, predicting a future showdown with the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament.

His teammates can see a different kind of focus out of their point guard as his anticipated second encounter approaches tonight.

"(Kalin's) going to be real jacked for (playing against Lawson)," said Korie Lucious. "The first time we played them, I don't think he scored that much. So, I think he thinks he's got something to prove now."

Said UNC guard Bobby Frasor of the point guard matchup: "They are each team's motors. It's the Big Ten Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year going at it, so it's going to be a show."

By himself, Lawson is a handful, but the supporting cast makes the task of stopping him even more daunting. With Lawson's ability to get in the lane off the dribble, help defenders must collapse to stop his penetration. The result is wide-open jump shots for future NBA draft picks Wayne Ellington and Danny Green.

If Lawson decides to drive and pass off to his big men, Carolina has the 2008 National Player of the Year in Tyler Hansbrough. If Green, Ellington and Hansbrough are all productive, the Tar Heels are almost impossible to beat.

But those guys are only truly effective if Lawson is running the show.

"Everything runs through Ty," said UNC freshman Larry Drew II.

"He is like the head of the snake. We don't really function without him. He is our floor general."