“Teams win championships, players don’t,” Walton said at a press conference at Ford Field. “We had two first-round picks on our team a couple years ago and we lost in the first round. Normally, they say if you have two first-round picks, you don’t lose in the first round.”

Walton was alluding to 2006, when the Spartans lost to George Mason in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Months after the loss, guards Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager were taken in the first round of the NBA Draft, while center Paul Davis was selected early in the second round.

Since then, the Spartans haven’t had a single player drafted, but they’ve advanced past the first round in all three seasons.

Once again, the Spartans don’t have a single player who is guaranteed to get drafted this offseason, but that didn’t stop them from making the Final Four. On Saturday night, the Spartans don’t believe the perceived disparity in talent will hurt them against Connecticut.

“This team sticks together and we make plays and compete,” Walton said. “That is why we can win.”

Tough tandem

In terms of personnel, the Huskies have as much talent as any team in the country. Led by 7-foot-3 skyscraper Hasheem Thabeet and savvy guard A.J. Price, UConn has an inside-outside duo that ranks among the best in the nation.

While Price (14.7 points, 4.8 assists per game) is UConn’s most versatile scorer, Thabeet is one of the most imposing defensive figures in college basketball. The junior from Tanzania is averaging 4.3 blocks per game, but not even that is an accurate representation of just how dominant he is in the paint.

“Thabeet is a monster inside,” said senior center Goran Suton, who will be Thabeet’s primary defender.

“You can’t let him get too close to the basket, you have to keep him away from the basket, try to be physical with him and make him take tough shots.”

One of the keys to the game, Suton said, will be forcing Thabeet to respect his outside shot. If Thabeet is forced to play on the perimeter, it will create lanes for MSU’s guards to drive to the hoop.

Although Thabeet is one of the best shot blockers in college basketball history, Walton said his team can’t be intimidated by him.

“Even though he is a great shot blocker, we still have to keep going at him, take it to his chest and try to get him in foul trouble,” Walton said.