Season has come to its final night

NEW ORLEANS -- The Kansas Jayhawks feature plenty of senior leadership and four starters who were in the Final Four last season. They're a very good man-to-man defensive team and have the country's best transition game on offense.

The Syracuse Orangemen start two freshmen and two sophomores, and they use a stifling 2-3 zone defense while running the offense through a versatile rookie who has spun, shot and slam-dunked his way to stardom.

Kansas and Syracuse will be together on the Superdome court on the final night of the men's college basketball season, but they are very different teams.

About the only thing similar are the men running the show.

Kansas' Roy Williams and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim are among the top five active coaches by winning percentage, but neither has won it all. Williams is in his fourth Final Four, Boeheim is in his third.

This won't be a traditional matchup, either. Kansas (30-7) runs a three-guard offense and Syracuse (29-5) stays in the zone.

So, a closer look is needed to determine who will be the national champion tonight.

Frontcourts

Two of the best forwards in the country will be on opposite sides but won't be covering each other.

Kansas senior Nick Collison averages 18.5 points and 9.7 rebounds and runs the floor very well. He will have to be a force inside against the zone so the perimeter opens for the 3-point shooters. Jeff Graves is the size for the Jayhawks at 6-foot-9 and 275 pounds. Like Collison, he picked up his rebounding during the tournament run, a key to getting the running game in gear.

Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony averages 22.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and about five "Wows" a game. His teammates have no problem with his star stature. He has taken 596 shots this season and no one else has taken more than 360. His inside game relies on power from his 6-8, 220-pound frame, and he is shooting 33 percent from 3-point range.

In the semifinal, Texas had everybody but Bevo cover him for a while, and usually there was help for the man with the assignment. Keith Langford, who gives away four inches, will probably start on Anthony, but again, expect almost everybody to try to contain him and make him pass the ball.

Backcourt

Kirk Hinrich is Kansas' other senior star, and he is also the top 3-point shooter on the team. He shoots 42 percent from beyond the arc and his 86 3s are just seven fewer than the rest of the team combined. He has to make some from the outside to allow Collison and Graves to work inside. Langford, Hinrich and Aaron Miles are all good ballhandlers and passers. That's usually what worries a zone coach because the more the ball moves, the more a team is likely to get an open shot.

Gerry McNamara is in Anthony's class -- as far as being a freshman. He's also starting to close the gap as far as recognition goes. He has an almost 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and he shoots 35 percent from 3-point range and 91 percent from the free-throw line. He'll have to contend with Miles, a dogged defender who likes to go for the steal.

Bench

Neither team goes very deep, something that favors Syracuse because of the zone. If Kansas gets in foul trouble up front, Williams could be forced to go to a zone himself to protect Collison and Graves.

Syracuse's bench has contributed during the tournament, especially guards Billy Edelin and Josh Pace, two penetrators who take advantage of all the attention Anthony draws inside.

Coaches

Williams or Boeheim will shed the tag of being one of the best coaches without a national championship. They both believe in offenses that take advantage of fast breaks, and both are staunch defenders of their defensive styles. Williams is 0-1 in title games, Boeheim 0-2.

Intangibles

Experience is always considered a key at this stage of the season, and Kansas definitely has that. There will be no homecourt advantage from the crowd of 54,000-plus, but Syracuse is used to playing in a dome, and sight lines have been a factor in some games played in huge buildings.

Winner

The last three national championship games were all near blowouts, with the closest decided by 10 points. The MVP of each of those Final Fours was a senior. It's time for a change on both accounts: Syracuse 83, Kansas 82 -- and Anthony becomes just the third freshman to be selected MVP.