Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and PG Korie Lucious. (AP)
Michigan State shouldn’t be in the Final Four.
Not with the kind of topsy-turvy regular season it had. Not with the draw it received when the brackets came out. Not with all the injuries it has been plagued with.
The math just doesn’t seem to add up. Such a flawed team isn’t supposed to shine so brightly so late in the season. But Tom Izzo has defied convention before. And the man who simply loves March has his team back in territory few know as well as he.
Do the Spartans have what it takes to win a third national title, a second for Izzo? Here’s a closer look at Michigan State.
Coach: Tom Izzo (15th season)
Record: 28-8, 14-4 Big Ten
Final Fours: 8 (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010), 2 championships (1979, 2000)
Outstanding Company: This is Michigan State’s sixth Final Four appearance in the last 12 years. Only Duke and North Carolina have been to as many Final Fours in the same time frame.
How They Got There
Michigan State received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Regional after finishing in a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten during the regular season. The Spartans lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
First Round: The heavily favored Spartans got a lot more than they bargained for against No. 12 New Mexico State. With a career-high 25 points from Kalin Lucas, the Spartans prevailed, 70-67, in a game that featured a rather controversial ending. New Mexico State’s Troy Gillenwater was called for a lane violation on a missed Raymar Morgan free throw with 18 seconds to go. With another shot at it, Morgan converted for the game’s final point, allowing the Spartans to survive and advance.
Second Round: One of the most memorable games of the tournament, Korie Lucious’ 3-pointer at the buzzer was the difference as Michigan State sent home No. 4 Maryland in devastating fashion, 85-83. The Terps trailed for basically the entire game, falling behind by as much as 16 points, before a frantic comeback actually gave them a lead with 6 seconds to go. Greivis Vasquez’s runner looked to be the game-winner before Lucious was able to rise and fire from the top of the arc and bury the jumper as time expired. It capped off a wild celebration that was later sobered by the news surrounding Lucas. The Spartans best player and starting point guard went down in the middle of the game with an ankle injury that was later revealed to be a torn Achilles’ tendon, ending his season.
Sweet 16: Fresh off its upset of No. 1 Kansas, Northern Iowa had become the darlings of the NCAA tournament. But the No. 9 Panthers couldn’t continue their magical run as Michigan State was able to grind out another win, 59-52. The Spartans did it with their defense and the backcourt play of Lucious and Durrell Summers as the combo combined for 29 points.
Elite Eight: No. 6 Tennessee was looking for its first Final Four berth but the Spartans outlasted the Vols thanks to some clutch free throw shooting in the game’s final seconds by Morgan. Michigan State led by as many as eight in the second half, but Tennessee clawed its way back to tie things in the game’s final minute. Morgan was fouled with less than 2 seconds to go and went to the line with a chance to put Michigan State back in the Final Four. He hit the first, purposely missed the second, and Tennessee’s mid-court prayer went unanswered. Wild celebration ensued as Izzo improved to 6-1 all-time in regional finals.
Why They Can Win It All
If you’ve watched Michigan State play at all since Izzo took over from his predecessor, Jud Heathcote, you know the Spartans are a defensive minded team. They win by grinding out games, by playing tough man-to-man defense, by out-rebounding opponents, and usually getting just enough offense to eek out a win. While it’s been nothing but close game after close game for Michigan State, surprisingly the Spartans are hitting 41 percent of their 3-pointers, as John Gasaway over at Basketball Prospectus has pointed out, meaning they’re not just getting it done with their defense this tournament. Not that they’ve changed who they are over the last four games but the stats are showing that the Spartans aren’t as “bad” of an offensive team as some might think. Or at least they’re playing above their offensive norm. The Big Ten stigma is a tough one to shake and Summers and Morgan are doing their part having stepped up their games in the tournament, helping fill the void of Lucas’ 14.8 ppg. Summers has been the Spartans best offensive player during this run, scoring 20 ppg, almost double his regular season average. And he’s been on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 18 of his 30 3-point attempts; a ridiculous number for someone who only made 26 all season long. Morgan, meanwhile, has scored in double figures three of the four games. And if the inspired offensive play wasn’t enough to make you believe in Michigan State then maybe Izzo is enough. The man is one of the premier coaches who makes these runs through March with talent that isn’t exactly rushing off to the NBA. No Spartan will be selected with a lottery pick this June, just like the previous three years, or even sniff it, for that matter. Yet look at how far they’ve come. When you count out Michigan State that’s when it seems like it’s at its best.
Why They Won’t
The fact Michigan State has gotten to a second straight Final Four is borderline ridiculous. With all the injuries, the suspensions, the up-and-down play during the regular season, for Izzo to rip off four straight wins in the NCAA tournament is a pretty remarkable feat. In the tournament, they’ve benefited from having avoided the big guns of the Midwest Regional as No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Georgetown were all laid to rest before potentially facing the Spartans. And against the “lesser” competition, Michigan State won those four games by a combined 13 points. Not exactly the kind of scoring margin a high level Final Four team usually features, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out Tuesday. The Journal went so far as to say the Spartans are the worst team to make the Final Four since 1985. I definitely wouldn’t say that about Michigan State, but with a lineup that’s pretty banged up and already missing its best player, the deck is definitely stacked against the Spartans. Sure Michigan State has been able to get by without Lucas for two games but Lucious still does not instill a ton of confidence in Spartans fans. He can be erratic and turnover prone, two qualities that should never describe a point guard. Teams have won titles without an All-American point guard at the helm. But what team has won it without their floor leader who just happened to also be their best player? I can’t think of one. And how much longer can the hot shooting continue, especially for Summers? When Michigan State meets Butler Saturday in the first national semifinal, baskets will not come easily as the Spartans will be facing one of the best half-court defenses in the nation, one that does an excellent job of creating turnovers. I don’t know about you, but of the four national semifinalists I have the hardest time seeing Michigan State cutting down the nets.
