They meet at warp speed tonight in the NCAA championship game, with the Spartans hoping to rejoin the modern basketball world after a turn-back-the-clock victory over Wisconsin in the semifinals.

Rest assured, the Gators will be open to the idea of opening up things.

"When you're playing Wisconsin, it's tough," said Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves, still wincing at the memory of a 53-41 victory, the lowest-scoring Final Four game since the shot clock was added in 1986. "Hopefully, we can get up and down and play our style of basketball against Florida."

The Gators (29-7) start running as soon as the ball is tossed in the air and don't let up until the horn sounds. There seems to be no method to their style of play, just five guys running around like dogs chasing their tails. Of course, it all makes perfect sense to the man who orchestrates the chaos.

"Every team in the country practices their half-court offense," coach Billy Donovan said. "We try to be as disruptive as possible and take teams out of what they practice on a regular basis."

Granted, the Spartans (31-7) are most effective in a half-court game, where they can crash the boards and be physical. But Michigan State can get up and down the court, having scored more than 80 points nine times this season.

"We like to run, too," coach Tom Izzo said. "I think we have an understanding for that."

Can the Spartans comprehend the kind of unrelenting pressure they'll face from Florida?

The 10-deep Gators wore down three higher-seeded teams -- Illinois, top-ranked Duke and Oklahoma State -- in the East Regional before doing the same against North Carolina in the semifinals, rallying from a six-point deficit in the second half for a 71-59 victory.

"We'll see them holding their shorts or walking back to the huddle," guard Teddy Dupay said, relaying the telltale signs of a fatigued team. "We run back to the huddle like, 'Come on guys, we've got 'em. They're tired.' "

Michigan State was the only No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four and has lived up to the role of favorite, winning every game in the tournament by at least 11 points. But the five starters average between 27 and 35 minutes a game, with only two reserves playing more than 10.

"There's no doubt that Florida is the deepest, most talented team we've played," Izzo said. "It seems like everybody they bring in is a clone of the guy he replaced."

Florida, seeded fifth, got a scare from Butler in the first round, winning in overtime on Mike Miller's last-second shot. Since then, the Gators have looked unstoppable.

"I understand how fragile this whole thing is now," Donovan said. "But I also realize that if you go through every team that's won a national championship, there's been that game. ... Everybody has close games."

Michigan State starts three seniors who have been focused on nothing less than a championship after losing to Duke in the semifinals a year ago. Florida, on the other hand, has seven sophomores and freshmen in its rotation.

"Our youthfulness has won us a lot of basketball games this year," said Kenyan Weaks, Florida's lone senior. "I don't know if that's going to be a big problem in this game."

In practice, the Spartans turned to an age-old method of getting ready to face a pressing team, working the ball up court against six or seven defensive players. But their effectiveness against Florida will likely be determined by Cleaves, the senior point guard.

"You never have a chance to relax," he said. "You can't relax or take plays off."

Michigan State is trying to become the first Big Ten team to win the national championship since Michigan in 1989. The Spartans' only national championship came in 1979, when Magic Johnson led them to the title as a sophomore.

"Last year we got here and that was cool, but we went home empty-handed," Cleaves said. "It's great to get here but you'll always be remembered as a national champion."

Florida is looking for its first national championship while keeping alive the Southeastern Conference's even-year streak; Arkansas won in 1994 and Kentucky won in 1996 and 1998.

Donovan, one of six men to play and coach in a Final Four, is looking to join even more select company.

Only Bob Knight and Dean Smith have played in a Final Four and coached a national champion. At 34, Donovan would be the third-youngest coach to win it all behind Indiana's Branch McCracken in 1940 and Wisconsin's Harold Foster in 1941.

"Everybody keeps saying the same thing ... enjoy it," Donovan said. "Right now, I don't want to enjoy it. I want to exhaust every possible avenue I have as a coach to put these guys in the best possible position to win."