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For the seventh time in his career, North Carolina's Roy Williams is the head coach of a team in the Final Four.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo is headed to college basketball's promised land for the fifth time, and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun makes his third trip.

All three men have won national championships: Calhoun is 2-for-2 (1999, 2004), while Izzo (2000) and Williams (2005) have one apiece.

Then there's Villanova's Jay Wright.

"This is definitely like one of those pictures you look at: Choose which one doesn't belong here, you know?" said Wright, the new kid on the block making his first Final Four. "... You watch success, and you try to emulate what they do and try to figure out what makes them different. Those guys are incredibly successful."

Now the coach with the least amount of Final Four experience takes on the coach with the most when Villanova (30-7) faces North Carolina (32-4) at 8:47 p.m. Saturday in an NCAA tournament semifinal game in Detroit.

The extra experience can't hurt, but Williams said he's not sure how much it helps. It's more perception than reality, he said.

"There is no question in my mind that it does something for you," Williams said. "I can't put a finger on it &ellipses; but to the public, to the fans, to the recruits, there is a specialness about the Final Four.

"My vocabulary is not good enough, but it's not 'legitimacy,' because I think that (word) downgrades some great coaches who have not been to a Final Four," Williams added. "But there is definitely a different stamp of approval. &ellipses; I made the statement I wasn't that much better of a coach three hours later than I was before the start of that (2005) game. Yet the people do perceive you a little differently. It's weird."

Perceptions aside, the reality Williams sees is a Villanova team reaching its peak.

"I think you could make the case that Jay's team is playing better than anybody right now," Williams said. "Just what they did to UCLA, and to Pitt and Duke, it's hard to imagine anybody playing any better than they are right now."

Senior forward Dante Cunningham averages 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to lead the Wildcats, who have won seven of their last eight, including back-to-back victories over two former No. 1-ranked teams — Duke and Pittsburgh — in the East Regionals. Scottie Reynolds, a versatile junior guard, averages 15.2 points and 3.3 assists.

Villanova's forte is team defense, something North Carolina has dramatically improved during the postseason.

The Tar Heels — the only team in the tournament with all five starters averaging double-figure scoring — often relied on their high-scoring offense to win games during the regular season.

"From the first day, I've tried to push this team to concentrate and to invest in the defensive end of the floor," Williams said. "We've had times we didn't play as well, and didn't have that sense of urgency. &ellipses; Over the course of the last month we've had some good moments defensively."

Although Williams discounts the importance of his own Final Four experience, the veteran North Carolina starters reached the Final Four last year. Senior forward Tyler Hansbrough is a four-time All-American. Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington all briefly considered entering the NBA draft as underclassmen after last season, but came back after finding lukewarm interest from pro scouts. Power forward Deon Thompson, a role player with these Heels, would likely be the offensive focal point for the majority of tournament teams.

Their experience worries Wright.

"Probably what concerns us most is just the completeness of their team," Wright said. "You mention (Lawson) right away as one of the best point guards in the country who can create shots, who can control the tempo of the game. You've got (Hansbrough), one of the best big men in the country who has the ability to play inside-outside. You've got wing players like Green and Ellington who can shoot it, who rebound. And you've got a deep bench and length and size. It's just a complete basketball team."

And it's what the new kid on the block expected in his first Final Four.

"Obviously, you know when you get to this point, everybody's good," Wright said. "But I think we've all watched (North Carolina) throughout the year and thought they were possibly the best team in the country."

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com