UConn vs MSU (Sweet 16)

[305Husk]

Izzo has been coaching at MSU as an assistant or an HC since 1983. Wow.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Have no fear. Set your worries aside. I had a dream. We will face Duke in the Elite 8.

 

[Waquoit]

This will be payback for the 2009 FF defeat. The only time UConn has lost a FF game. It was a great game - back and forth most of the way but Uconn couldnt close the gap at the end. UConn missed 12 FTs which really hurt them. Thabeet, Price, Kemba, Stanley Robinson - UConn team was loaded - ended the season 31-5.

What I remember was our not having our best scorer and them having some big European stiff going Toby Bailey on us.

 

[RuffRuff]

This has to be the most loaded sweet 16 ever, right? The coaches, the programs.

It's really good. Oats, Cal, Lloyd, Pitino, Hurley, Izzo, Scheyer, May, Painter, Barnes, Otz, Sampson, Miller.

Up & coming coaches like McCollum, Hoiberg.

Only coaches missing are Self, Golden.

I'd expect these programs to play musical chairs in the S16 often going forward.

 

[Waquoit]

I know the five with Duke (vividly remember four), can only think of three with Kentucky (2006, 2011, 2014), can only think of three with Florida (1994, 2014, 2025) and I'm guessing that you're including the upcoming game with Michigan St in the three.

When were the additional Kentucky and Florida games?

He needs to recheck his AI. Why every fan doesn't have a copy of the media guide copied to their desktop I'll never know.

 

[olehead]

All time they've played each other 8 times (6 neutral) with the series tied 4-4. MSU has won the last two games, 64-60 in 2021 and that 20 point drubbing in 2017. They got UConn in 09 but Huskies got revenge 5 years later with two regular season wins in between including 2010 maui. This is a rubber match of sorts, best of 9 and march madness best of 3 too as they're tied 1-1 in the tourney. UConn beat them soundly in 1999 in the first ever match between the two teams and they turned around and did the same to UConn a year later. 5 of 8 games decided by single digits.

So pretty decent history the past 27 years.

We also got them in 2014 in the Elite Eight, 60-54.

 

[Gurleyman]

He needs to recheck his AI. Why every fan doesn't have a copy of the media guide copied to their desktop I'll never know.

I sometimes taunt Kentucky fans that we are 4-0 against them in tournaments - but I’m including the Maui championship, and if they think it’s the NCAA, I don’t clarify.

 

[bendm]

I’d like to put 6-7 on Fears. He by far is the engine. Carr can’t shoot

I agree but Malachi can’t guard anyone other than Fears, maybe MSUs 2 Gs off the bench. Perhaps that means Ross and Smith’s minutes will be staggered

 

[Nameless]

We knocked Jeremiah out of the dance last year. Time to knock Jeremy out of it this year.

 

[Sphinx]

From an article posted to the MSU Message Board:

<snip>

“They have a complex offense with incredible movement to it,” Izzo said. “And I’m glad we get some days to prepare for that because you’ll need some days to prepare. They got five guys in double figures. They’ve got tremendous experience. It is more of a veteran team.”

Looking back at Michigan State’s exhibition game against UConn, Izzo did not like the way his team handled the physicality on the road. The Huskies came into that game clearly looking to prove that they were the tougher of the two teams.

In an exhibition game where players could not foul out, UConn punched Michigan State in the mouth. Between the physicality and the inability of the Spartans to stop dribble penetration, UConn jumped out to a double-digit lead early and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the game.

“It ended up six or eight, but it wasn’t a six or eight,” Izzo said. “It was a 10, 12-point game, 90 percent of the game. And that’s the way it started, and that’s kind of the way it ended, with a little bit of room in between. We did some good things when we watched the film. We did some bad things.”

It will take more than a few good things from Michigan State to advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

<snip>

​

 

[superjohn]

What I remember was our not having our best scorer and them having some big European stiff going Toby Bailey on us.

Your memory is a bit off. We had really bad guard play and Kalin Lucas and one of their American forwards killed us. We were playing from behind most of the second half, got it close for a second at the end of the game on a ridiculous Stanley tip dunk but then we didn't get back on D and the game was over.

I watched it at my local bar and a group of obnoxious MIchigan State fans wouldn't shut up, it was awful. One of them became one of my closest friend's. He wanted me to watch the elite 8 game with him in 2014 and I had to tell him that was a bad idea.

 

[sdglast]

Have no fear. Set your worries aside. I had a dream. We will face Duke in the Elite 8.

I need Bobby Hurley behind the UConn bench in full UConn gear for that game. The bizzaro world indeed!

 

[Scot-e]

I was expecting the writer to pick MSU after the write-up

March Madness Sweet 16 set: Picks, matchups and what to watch after wild opening weekend

The Sweet 16 is set after a wild opening weekend of March Madness. Here's a full breakdown of every matchup, with early picks, analysis and predictions.

www.cbssports.com

No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2​

Tarris Reed Jr. is not on Zach Edey's level, but I wonder if Michigan State could pull out its old game plan from the Edey days for this one. Like Purdue, UConn runs all these dangerous, flowery actions often as a disguise to create leverage for its big man (Reed in this instance) to dominate on the low block without a help defender in the same zip code.

Michigan State might be fine with that. Carson Cooper is one of the best 5-man defenders in college basketball. He's strong, mobile and smart after spending four years in the Michigan State program. The Spartans could switch everything on the perimeter -- usually the best way to handle UConn's intricate offense -- and rely on Cooper to hold up against Reed in a one-on-one tussle.


If Cooper is winning his fair share of battles inside and Michigan State can force UConn into playing late-clock basketball, it's a win. The Huskies cannot beat Michigan State without 3s dropping against a Spartans defense that loads the paint, cuts off driving lanes and sprints back out to contest 3s. The problem? UConn just hasn't shot the basketball all that well in a while. This is a very dangerous 3-point shooting team on paper, but UConn has made double-digit treys just once in the past nine games.

It might need nine or 10 to get on the right side of this one, and it will also need Silas Demary Jr. to play like an All-Big East defender against Jeremy Fears Jr., who can get into the paint at will and could build a tent at the free-throw line against a UConn defense that fouls a ton.

Michigan State will win this game if it plays clean. That's been an issue at times, though. The Spartans have a 17% turnover rate against top-50 teams, and this UConn defense is aggressive, handsy and will try to heat up the supporting cast.


The pick: UConn

Doomed!!!

 

[Scot-e]

I was also there and vouch for this. Long story but I ended up buying a single ticket through UConn despite having no university affiliation. As did 100s of MSU undergrads. I was sitting in a lion's den of belligerent 20 somethings who couldn't have been more vile. I ended up switching sections at halftime.

I was there as well- worst fans ever - including Dook fans at a FF. Horrible.