We have reached one of the more glorious intersections on the sports calendar.

While the Major League Baseball season stands at the starting line at ballparks across the country, the final NCAA basketball tournament will reach its finish when North Carolina faces off against Michigan State tonight at Ford Field in Detroit.

As the tipoff approaches some time around 8:21 p.m., much of the country will be focused on the coaches (Roy Williams of North Carolina and Tom Izzo of Michigan State), the players (Tar Heels center Tyler Hansbrough, Spartans guard Kalin Lucas) and the famous faces in the stands (Magic Johnson).

I'll be thinking about Luis Gonzalez and a baseball game I covered about 7 1/2 years ago.

On Nov. 4, 2001, Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks played host to the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series. The Yankees, whose quest for the championship had provided a needed diversion for New Yorkers in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, had lost the first two games of the series on the road before taking three in dramatic fashion in the Bronx. They lost Game 6, 15-2, but were a few outs away from wrapping up the title when the Diamondbacks rallied to beat indomitable closer Mariano Rivera.

A flared single by Gonzalez drove home the winning run and ruined what would have been a storybook finish.

What does this have to do with a basketball game, you ask?

Let's just say I have a feeling that North Carolina is going to ruin the fairy tale tonight.

Michigan State, with help from an eager national media, has played up the David vs. Goliath aspect of its appearance in the Final Four. That's understandable, in a way, because the Spartans were underdogs against Kansas, Louisville and again against UConn in the semifinal and will be getting roughly 7 1/2 points from the oddsmakers tonight.

But, it's also a tad absurd.

Michigan State is a powerhouse program from a major conference with an outstanding coach (Izzo) and talented players. In addition to being the Big Ten champs and a No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Spartans are participating in their fifth Final Four in the past 11 seasons.

Does that constitute an underdog? It's not exactly the U.S. against the Russians in 1980, but it's not a huge stretch. When you mix in the situation facing Detroit and the crumbling of the auto industry that has led to so much suffering and poverty, it's understandable that Wisconsin fans -- heck, even fans from rival Michigan -- might feel compelled to root for the Spartans tonight.

Izzo isn't doing anything to dissuade them. "If we play good and they play good, we're losing," he told the press Sunday. "That's the way I look at it. They are the best team in the country, and have earned that rank over a year and a half."

The Spartans have the better story and the advantage of playing 92 miles from their home gym. Given the backdrop in Detroit, they clearly are the better story in this matchup.

North Carolina is simply the better team.

The Tar Heels have won their five games in the tournament by an average of nearly 21 points. When the teams met in the same venue in December, Carolina won by 35 points.

Asked how his team has changed since that night, Williams said: "I think we're better."

That's a frightening thought.

The Tar Heels have been pointing toward their fifth national title since Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green blew off the NBA Draft to stay with Hansbrough and try to win a title. Anything less than a victory party Monday would be a disappointment for Carolina and its fans.

If Michigan State can keep things close, we may be in for a classic.

If the Tar Heels play to their potential, though, this game could become lopsided quickly and the people in green will have time to explore the other side of the "underdog" persona, which is "we're glad we got this far" and "nobody expected us to win, anyway."