All Day Sports Talk

One more hurdle to greatness

The Michigan State Spartans fed off the Ford Field crowd Saturday night and pulled away from the star-studded UCONN Huskies.

UCONN's big men all had great games. Thabeet, Robinson, and Adrien all had big nights and stayed out of foul trouble, yet the Spartans were able to win. Win comfortably I might add.

Tom Izzo's collection of players, mostly from Michigan, gave the home crowd plenty to cheer for. Raymar Morgan answered the UCONN bigs with 18 points and 9 boards of his own. Then the guards and bench did the rest. Kalin Lucas, Korie Lucious, and Durrell Summers were all in double figures last night.

Craig Austrie and Kemba Walker of UCONN were rendered mostly ineffective against the tough Spartan defense. It's the same defense that will look to shut down the high octane North Carolina Tar Heels tomorrow night.

Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, and superstar Ty Lawson are firing on all cylinders right now. They should finally meet some resistance tomorrow night, as MSU looks to be peaking at the right time.

This is hardly the same Spartan team that was embarassed by the Tar Heels in Ford Field earlier this year. Suton will be in the lineup, ready to clash with Tyler Hansbrough. The UNC big man went for 25 and 11 in the December matchup. He'll be hard-pressed to reach those numbers this time.

Luckily, the Tar Heels have others in the front court to step up and take the load off of Hansbrough. Deon Thompson and Ed Davis are steady contributors, and will give Morgan fits all night.

Michigan State won't be afraid of being aggressive with UNC's big men, or even their guards for that matter. The game against UCONN showed the strength of their bench. A bench that is significantly deeper than the Tar Heels bench.

It should be a great end, to what has been a lack-luster tornament.

Final Four Preview

2 Michigan State vs. 1 Connecticut

The Spartans will try to shut down the Huskies on Saturday night, just like they did against the Louisville Cardinals last week. The tight defense of MSU shut down the Cardinals, who were unable to score any fast-break points.

Goran Suton continued his great tournament, with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He'll need to continue his great play this weekend, as Hasheem Thabeet and the rest of the UCONN frontcourt is waiting for him. It will be interesting to see who UCONN matches up with Suton because he does have the ability to step outside the arc and drain the three (3-5 against Louisville). If it happens to be Thabeet, it could mean trouble for the Huskies. Suton is a skilled playmaker for his size, and is more than capable of finding Durrell Summers or Kalin Lucas slashing to the hoop.

Speaking of Summers and Lucas, both men will have to bring their A game on defense. Kemba Walker and A.J. Price are both playing exceptionally well right, and might be the best backcourt combination left. Both men are capable playmakers and scorers, which gives the Huskies a lot of versatility on offense. Both men are also capable of making plays against a pressure defense. If UCONN can score against it early, maybe they can force MSU into a more tentative gameplan that will allow the Huskies to run some more halfcourt.

The pick: I like UCONN. Suton has been amazing, but the Huskies have too much depth in the frontcourt.

3 Villanova vs. 1 North Carolina

Thanks to Scottie Reynolds and his last second bucket, we got some madness in what has amounted to a very tame tournament. The Wildcats were able to knock off the Pittsburgh Panthers, a team many thought would win the tournament. They had no superstar big man, nationally known wing, or highly celebrated point. 'Nova was able to win because they grind games out as a team. Everybody scores, everybody rebounds. The team effort they put up was enough to outrebound the tough Panthers and ultimately outscore them too.

The Wildcats aren't just about grit. This team is full of talented players who should be able to run with UNC's athletes. It'll be interesting to see how the Tar Heels do against a team that can keep up with their guards and wing players.

If the 'Heels want to win this game, a big key will be inside. Dante Cunningham is the Wildcat's leading scoring and rebounder. The 'Heels should feed it inside early and often. Try to get him to commit fouls against Tyler Hansbrough or Danny Green slashing to the bucket. If Cunningham has to sit out for any prolonged period of time, the 'Heels could get some separation.

The pick: UNC in a close one. Villanova will be able to play with them, and it'll likely come down to the wire. However, with a season and national title hopes on the line, Ty Lawson is the guy I want with the ball in his hands.

Elite Eight - South Region Preview

Just wow. The North Carolina Tarheels were executing with video game-like efficiency for a lot of their game with Gonzaga. They shot 58% from 3. Whether it was Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, or even senior Bobby Frasor, the Tarheels were hot and their was nothing the soft, defensively challenged Bulldogs were going to do about it. When this team is on its game, it really is poetry in motion. Lawson plays with an excellent pace, and the players around him are so good at finding the open space (see dish to Green in opening minutes of the game). Their athleticism, contrasted by the physicality inside with Tyler Hansbrough, Deon Thompson, and Ed Davis makes this team as complete as any in the nation.

Oklahoma also severely outclassed their opponent in the Sweet 16. Syrarcuse was down 13 at recess, and had no chance against Blake Griffin and the Sooners. Griffin showed the beast of a player he can be, putting up 30 points while pulling down 14 boards against the Orange. Another concern for Oklahoma was whether this team had any scoring past Griffin and Willie Warren. Enter Tony Crocker. The guard had his best game of the season, dropping 28, and made everyone forget the night Warren was having (6 points, 5 turnovers).

The pick: Every, myself included, is looking forward to the Hansbrough-Griffin showdown inside. However, the result will likely be irrelevant in the grand scheme of the game. Oklahoma is inferior to UNC everywhere else on the floor, and this one could get ugly. Ty Lawson, for my money, is the best player in the game right now. Him and the 'Heels will set their date with Villanova tomorrow night.

Elite Eight - Midwest Region Preview

Louisville was in a league of their own against Arizona. A team that boosts NBA caliber players, but can get overwhelmed by equally talented foes. After letting Siena hang around in round two, the Cardinals dominated from start to finish in their Sweet 16 matchup. They shot 57% from the floor, 48% from three, and were nearly flawless from the stripe. They also forced the Wildcats into 14 turnovers, had 10 steals, outrebounded, outhustled, and just outplayed them.

Terrence Williams had a typical game, with 14 points and 7 boards. However, the true strength of this Louisville team is the depth around him. Earl Clark, Samardo Samuels, Edgar Sosa, and Jerry Smith were all in double figures. This battle tested Big East team can play with anyone, and will look to impose their will on the Spartans Sunday afternoon.

Michigan State had a lot more trouble getting past the Sweet 16. They went into halftime against the defending champs with a 7 point deficit staring them in the face. Standout center Cole Aldrich was having a masterful game for the Jayhawks, but Spartan center Goran Suton answered back. His 20 points were a season high. If Suton is on his game, him and Kalin Lucas give the Spartans a formidible inside-out attack.

The pick: Even with Suton finding his game and Lucas being a steady performing, I feel the Louisville Cardinals have too much depth. They'll win this one and easily cover.

Elite Eight - West Region Preview

Hasheem Thabeet was the story Thursday night. His 15-15 performance against Purdue was the difference maker. UCONN didn't play its best game last night, failing to put the Boilermakers away until the very end. However, one thing was constant all night, Purdue settling for bad shots because of the big man in the middle. Thabeet had several huge blocks, including one that setup an A.J. Price bucket. Nobody on Purdue could rebound with him either, as the Huskies won the battle on the boards 42-31.

The Missouri Tigers didn't have as much trouble in their Sweet Sixteen bout. The Memphis Tigers showed little fight for most of the game, and Missouri led for most of the game. The Tigers play up-tempo, fast paced ball, and are going to take the fight to UCONN. If they can get a lead early, and force UCONN to get into a shootout, they might be able to pull the upset.

Even though UCONN has the athletes to run with Missouri, they would probably rather keep the pace slow and run a half court offense. Their big advantage over Missouri is the size in the paint. I don't believe Missouri has an answer for Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson, and even Gavin Edwards when called upon. A.J. Price needs to be a distributor in this game and let the big men takeover.

The pick: I'm going with the Huskies. Too much size down low for Missouri.

Elite Eight - East Region Preview

Pittsburgh was caught up in a slugfest with Xavier Thursday night. The type of game this gritty team craves. Dejuan Blair went up against a Xavier frontcourt that didn't fear him, and for the first half of the game, got the better of him. The mighty Musketeers took a healthy 8 point lead into halftime, but then Blair and his Pitt teammates stepped up in a big way. The aforementioned Blair dominated the glass in the second half, while teammates Sam Young and Levance Fields continued to be the superstars that they are. Fields hit the biggest shot of his college career, draining a 3 late in the game to put Pitt up by one.

This team won't blow anyone out, but that's fine by them. The formula won't change Saturday, where they'll look to out rebound, out hustle, and out tough an extremely talent Villanova team. The Wildcats put a beating on Duke Thursday night, and will head into Saturday night's tilt with plenty of momentum and confidence on their side. 'Nova did beat Pitt 67-57 when they met earlier in the year.

Blair will be huge in this game. He got into foul trouble when the two teams met in January, and spent a lot of the night watching from the bench. Blair's presence lets the Panthers control the paint. If he's on the bench, suddenly they become less scary and Villanova's guards can attack the hoop. 'Nova would be smart to work it inside to Dante Cunningham early. Maybe he can draw a quick foul or two against Blair and plant him firmly on the pine.

The pick: I'm going with Pitt in a tight one. Blair went up against a big, deep frontcourt against Xavier and played 35 minutes, while only picking up 3 fouls. He's playing disciplined and should stay in there against Villanova. He'll take care of the paint, while Sam Young and Levance Fields make huge shots from the perimeter.