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Duke the favorite in a familiar field

©Associated Press

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 2001

Defending champion Michigan State and Arizona won Sunday to reach the Final Four with Duke and Maryland, Atlantic Coast Conference rivals who will meet for the fourth time this season.

Duke, ranked No. 1 in the final regular-season Associated Press poll, was installed by Las Vegas oddsmakers as even-money favorites to win the championship. Michigan State was next at 3-1.

Michigan State (28-4) will play Arizona (27-7) in the opening semifinal Saturday at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, followed by Duke (33-4) against Maryland (25-10). The championship game is a week from tonight.

Michigan State is the ninth school to reach the national semifinals three years in a row.

"To be in three straight Final Fours says something about consistency," coach Tom Izzo said after the Spartans held off Temple 69-62 to win the NCAA South Regional. "Is our program looked at the same way as Kentucky and Duke and North Carolina? Maybe not. But we're trying to get there."

Arizona, the 1997 national champion, beat Illinois 87-81 in the Midwest Regional final.

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