|
|
|
 | |
 |
 null 
|
Michigan State
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
Tom Izzo's team won a share of its fourth consecutive Big Ten regular-season title to join Chicago (1907-10), Ohio State (1960-'64), and Indiana (1973-'76) as the only programs to accomplish that feat. Unlike last season, the Spartans rolled through the non-conference portion of their schedule unbeaten. They beat North Carolina by 13 points, Florida by 16 in a rematch of the national championship game, Seton Hall by 15 and edged Kentucky by a point. Along the way, the Spartans extended their home winning streak to 44 games, the longest in the nation. Perhaps the low point of the season came in a one-point loss at Indiana, the Spartans first of the season. Michigan State missed key free throws down the stretch and surrendered a game-winning three-pointer to Kirk Haston. The Spartans were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, but still earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and came up with big wins over Alabama State and Fresno State in the first two rounds. Player to Watch Despite all the attention given to the team's seniors -- which is well-deserved -- the most dominating player this season has been sophomore Jason Richardson. As a freshman, Richardson was merely a sparkplug off the bench who scored near the basket, particularly on alley-oops. He worked hard in the off-season on his jumper and has proved to be unstoppable at times. Richardson averaged a team-high 15.4 points per game during the regular season, making 41.2% of his three-point attempts and 53.6% of his field-goal attempts overall. Richardson handles the ball well enough to get to the basket. And at 6-foot-6 and with incredible leaping ability, opposing defenders find it nearly impossible to get up high enough to block his shot. With the Ball Despite Richardson's improved perimeter game, the Spartans remain a team that loves to pound the ball inside and score off the offensive glass. Michigan State finished just ninth in the Big Ten in three-point shooting (.335) but led the conference in field-goal percentage (.494) and rebounding margin (+15.4). Senior Andre Hutson and freshman Zach Randolph are the poster children for the bruise brothers. Hutson averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Randolph averaged 11.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Hutson finished No. 2 in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage (.606) and Randolph finished No. 3 (.592). Defending the Ball Does any team expend more energy on the defensive end as Michigan State? Not likely. The only zone allowed in East Lansing is the Izzone -- Michigan State's rabid student section. The Spartans don't have a shot-blocker like Ohio State center Ken Johnson. But what they do have is a stable of athletes who take as much pride from shutting teams down as they do in scoring. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: .933 (1,000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report 1985-2000:The defending national championships have not always been such a solid NCAA tournament team. The Jud Heathcote-Spartans generally played to expectations and no more, with the 1995 team (first-round loss to No. 14 Weber State) and 1990 club (Sweet 16 loss to No. 4 Georgia Tech) not even faring that well. However, a third consecutive No. 1 seed would seem to lay that past to rest. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coach Tom Izzo doesn't want this loss to spoil the Spartans' accomplishments (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
ESPN's college hoops crew previews the Arizona vs. Michigan State game, and talks with coach Lute Olson.
