After winning the Big Ten Championship by four games over Purdue, the Michigan State Spartans had already proved they were a force to be reckoned with.
Then came their NCAA tournament run.
Most of the newspapers in the Detroit area have been calling Michigan State’s trip to the 2009 Final Four “magical” and like a “fairytale.”
It’s anything but.
75 miles from the Michigan State campus in East Lansing, the second-seeded Spartans will take on the Huskies of the University of Connecticut this weekend in the National Semi-Finals at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. For Tom Izzo, it’s his fifth Final Four appearance in 11 seasons. Inconceivable? I think not.
Let’s take a look back at how Michigan State got their spot in the Final Four:
They blew past Robert Morris in the opening round on March 20, out-rebounding, out-scoring, and out-playing the Colonials in every way possible. Then came the feisty Trojans of Southern California, which gave the Spartans everything they could handle. Every five seconds the ball seemed to be poked out of the Spartans’ hands. Despite a hearty effort, however, USC’s leading big man Taj Gibson was held to a measly three points and no — yes, that’s zero — rebounds.
Thanks to senior center Goran Suton, Gibson was not a factor for the Trojans.
A rematch with the defending National Champions was next. The Kansas Jayhawks had Michigan State down by 13 in the first half, but a three-pointer from none other than Goran Suton cut the halftime lead to seven. From there it was an all-out dog fight, but sophomore point guard and Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas hit a pump-fake jump shot and got fouled with 1:50 left to play, completing a three point play that would ultimately win them the game.
And then there was Louisville. The Cardinals looked like a giant wall, a towering gate standing between the Spartans and the crowning jewel of their dynasty.
The Spartans would not be held back. Suton would see to that.
I’m not sure enough can be said about the inspiring play of Goran Suton. It wasn’t only his performance against Louisville, but throughout the entire tournament he’s made his opponents’ big men squirm. Suton’s been dangerous from every place on the floor; his opponents have to pay extra attention to his inside play because that’s what he does best. But he can hit an 18-footer and make it look easy, and he can even hit 3-point shots.
This isn’t to discount any effort from the other Spartans; Kalin Lucas has done his own share of showing off. His prowess and speed was obvious in his efforts against Kansas and, more recently, big bad Big East Champs and No. 1 overall-seed Louisville. Not to rank Lucas among one of the nation’s best point guards is an insult to college basketball.
The victory over Louisville is the one that stands out the most. It was not the mere fact that the Spartans beat Louisville in and of itself. It was the way they beat Louisville that makes it such a feat.
Louisville is a signature fast-break team that can run away with the game if you let them take the ball up and down the court too often. But Michigan State’s lock-down defense took away the Cardinals’ greatest strength and turned it into a half-court game.
Louisville, visibly outside of their comfort zone, did all they could to overcome Sparty’s smothering defense. Junior forward Earl Clark had the biggest output for the Cardinals with 19 points, but it wasn’t enough to put Louisville over the top.
The Cardinal starters never really got going. Senior forward Terrance Williams was hiding behind the wall Michigan State senior point guard and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Travis Walton put up. Despite giving up four inches to Williams, Walton guarded him like his life — and his Final Four trip — depended on it. Walton held Williams to five points, though Williams did manage six rebounds and four assists.
The Spartans’ largest lead was, momentarily, 17 points. The final score was 64-52, with Louisville being held 33 points under their tournament average. In their Sweet Sixteen game the Cardinals dropped 103 points on their opponent Arizona.
It was a goal from the beginning of the season for Tom Izzo’s team to make it to Detroit in early April. Especially for the seniors who hadn’t yet played in a Final Four, it was more emotional than any other game this season.
While Suton, senior forward Marquise Gray and senior center Idong Ibok were all members of the 2005 team that went to the Final Four, none of them stepped foot on the court because they were all red-shirted freshman.
Now, Suton has a chance to be the shining star of the entire tournament.
More activities than we know about will more than likely be taking place this weekend in the Motor City. The Spartans will hold a rally at the Somerset Collection Mall in Troy on Friday evening from 5:30-7pm, and an open practice for all four Regional Champions will be held on Friday afternoon from 12-4pm.
The Spartans will be first from 12-12:50pm, then the Wildcats of Villanova (who beat top-seeded Pittsburgh) will practice from 1-1:50pm. Following that practice will be UConn at 2:10-3pm, and finally North Carolina from 3:10-4pm. Admission into Ford Field is free for all four practices.
The Michigan State championship team from 1979 will present the Final Four ball at Ford Field on Saturday. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Greg Kelser, and Larry Bird will be on hand. Perhaps it’s ironic, but this is the 30th anniversary of that Spartan championship team.
Lots of speculation has gone around as to whether Michigan State can beat UConn. Lots of speculation went around as to whether Michigan State could beat Louisville. Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press picked Louisville to win by 20 points.
The Spartans clearly took care of that prediction. In case you didn’t know, they have no problem being the underdogs. In fact, it’s extra motivation.
Can the Spartans beat UConn? After soundly beating Louisville, who can count them out now?
UConn and North Carolina have the notoriety and skill. Villanova and Michigan State have the skill and the heart. UConn and North Carolina face more pressure; they were supposed to get here and are expected to fight for the title on Monday night. Will the No. 1 powerhouses rise to the occasion, or will the pressure prove too much?
This year, I think it’s anyone’s National Championship.
The LG Blog 