Final Four Creature vs. Creature: Michigan State-UConn

The Bleacher Report commissioned two of its writers—Dan Dinunzio (UConn) and Greg Eno (MSU)—to go head-to-head in preview fashion, breaking down this terrific Final Four contest. Not surprisingly, they have different teams winning.

Dan Dinunzio

On Saturday night, the UConn Huskies—No. 1 seed in the West (31-4)—will take on the Michigan State Spartans, No. 2 seed in the Midwest (30-6), with the winner advancing to Monday night’s title game. 

This game will involve a Huskies team that has one of the most dominant men ever in the middle on defense in Hasheem Thabeet.  The Spartans counter with big man Goran Suton, who led the Big Ten in rebounds (8.4) and averaged 10 ppg. 

The guard play for both teams will have a tremendous impact on who wins this game.  Kalin Lucas was the Big Ten player of the year, and despite only being a sophomore, he's the general of his team.

A.J. Price provides senior leadership and can do it all for the Huskies.  He’s just as important on the outside as Thabeet is on the inside.  This game is sure to be an intense match-up, considering it’s being played just 90 miles from Michigan State's campus.

Greg Eno

Saturday night will be the fulfillment of a dream that Tom Izzo's kids, the Final Four host committee, and countless college basketball fans had when Detroit was awarded the Final Four.

Michigan State University, if we're to believe math, has a 25 percent chance to be crowned national champs. At "home," playing some 90 miles away from campus.

Few schools have ever had the pleasure of playing such monumental basketball this close to their campus.

The Spartans, with their inside/outside game featuring sophomore guard Kalin Lucas and big man Goran Suton, like to keep the games kinda ugly and low scoring. They thrive in the half-court. But they're an athletic team, too.

OK, Dan—bring it on!

What are some things that will doom UConn, if they happen?

Dan:  UConn’s biggest problem is its lack of depth.  Without Jerome Dyson, this team is thin and if any combination of Adrien, Thabeet, or Price gets in foul trouble, that could really give Michigan State a big advantage.

UConn will also have to defend well.  Michigan State plays grind-it-out basketball and if UConn scores less than 70 points, they could end up losing. 

Scoring in transition, playing tough and tenacious defense, and staying out of foul trouble are three things UConn has to do in order to control this game and end up with a win.

What are some things that will doom MSU, if they happen?

Greg: It hasn’t happened yet in the tournament, but if guard Kalin Lucas tries to force the issue too much, whether out of nervous anxiety or from being properly harassed by the Huskies defenders, then Tom Izzo’s offense will suffer too many breakdowns and the rhythm and pace of the game gets out of hand. That’s not MSU basketball.

The Spartans will also find themselves in a box if Goran Suton’s frustration factor spikes to an uncomfortable level.

If the Huskies can make Suton uncomfortable and force him to receive the ball even a foot or so outside of his sweet spot on the block, then the offense may be thrown just enough off kilter to disrupt MSU’s plans.

Does the recent controversy swirling over Coach Calhoun's recruiting practices have any impact?

Dan:  None whatsoever. Calhoun is a great coach and has led his team to the Final Four for the third time in the last 10 years because of how he’s taught his players.  This team has been on a mission since the beginning of the year, and they are focused on bringing a national championship back to Storrs.

UConn has won the title both times they were No. 1 seeds out West.  Many people believe UConn is destined to win its third title in the last 10 years.

Greg: I agree with Dan here. The stakes are too high. If the Huskies are so fragile that something like this throws them into a tizzy, then they’re not worthy of being champions, anyway.

The question is asked here because it will no doubt arise from someone, somewhere. Schools with UConn’s tradition didn’t build that tradition by having their program susceptible to media manipulation.

Which player from each team must have a stellar night, or else?

Dan:  I believe that Stanley Robinson needs to play like he’s been playing over the last three weeks for the Huskies to advance to the title game.

Robinson has been an absolute monster since Dyson went down. He’s been a scoring and rebounding machine. 

Robinson has gone from barely playing in some games to playing the entire game for the Huskies.  He’s elevated his game to another level and in return, the Huskies have made it to the Final Four.

Greg: In MSU’s case, the kid who will have the ball in his hands the most (presumably) is guard Kalin Lucas, and he’s the player who has to come up big for Sparty to advance to the Final.

Especially if Lucas finds himself with the ball as a result of his quick hands nabbing it away from the Huskies’ paws.

Lucas’s entire game—his ball handling skills, his shooting, his defense—is too vital to the Spartans for him to be flat or off. The Spartans feed off of him. Again, pretty heady stuff for a sophomore.

How will Michigan State’s Goran Suton match up with Hasheem Thabeet?

Dan:  Hasheem Thabeet is the biggest game-changer in all of college basketball.  The way he alters and blocks opponents’ shots is what leads UConn’s dominant defense.

His offense has been inconsistent at times, but he does his job on both ends of the floor.  He’s one of the nation’s top shot-blockers and is the main reason why the Huskies led the brutal Big East in blocked shots, scoring defense, and opponents’ field goal percentage.  

Suton is going to have to bring Thabeet away from the basketball.  It’s the only effective way to be able to drive into the lane and make something happen.

Raymar Morgan and Lucas need to take the initiative to bring it to the hoop when Thabeet’s out of the paint or on the bench.  It’s when UConn is most vulnerable on defense. 

Suton will need to hit the mid-range jumper and not be afraid to crash the boards.  UConn out-rebounds its opponent on most occasions because of the way it attacks the glass. 

If Michigan State takes away the boards, they will be right in this game.  The better job they do of limiting Thabeet's touches as well as controlling Adrien and Robinson down low, the more likely they are to win.

Greg: Suton is a strong man, plain and simple. But he hasn’t really faced a player quite like Thabeet—certainly not in the tourney. But you can almost say the same thing about Thabeet in reference to Suton, a big man who has a soft outside shooting touch.

Izzo’s offense thrives on ball movement and players moving without the ball. Been that way for years.

The more active Suton can remain in the Spartans’ half-court offense, thus making Thabeet expend “wasted” energy on the defensive end of the floor, the better shot the Spartans have at maybe wearing Thabeet down a bit, which might pay off late in a close game.

Does MSU playing in Detroit factor into things, or not?

Dan:  Playing 90 miles away from East Lansing is a huge advantage for the Spartans.  It’s practically in their backyard and there’s sure to be a sea of green in the crowd.  Then again, UConn’s only loss on the road was at a hostile Pittsburgh crowd.

This stage is too big and when the ball is thrown in the air the players on the court will be all about winning.  UConn will have a strong contingent of fans and they'll be heard if the Huskies jump out to an early lead.

The chance to play for the national championship is on the line now, and playing in Detroit won’t be as big as a factor as most think—as far as it working against the Huskies.

Greg: I’ve written before on Bleacher Report that Izzo will no doubt ensure that his team doesn’t even use the word “Detroit” during game prep. The game being in Motown will only matter if one team chooses to ALLOW it to matter.

Like Dan says, it’s not like the NCAA only allowed MSU fans to purchase tickets.

I’m sure the Spartans, despite Izzo’s best efforts, will feel pumped early in the game, because no matter what the coach tells them, they WILL know they’re in Detroit.

A concern could be the opposite of what most people are saying re: a Spartan home court—that is, the fear that State comes out with jitters and plays tentative. A slow start won’t be fun if UConn starts things off by hitting their shots.

Where does a potential UConn national title place the program among the nation's best college basketball programs ever?

Dan:  If UConn wins the national championship in Detroit on Monday night, it will put them in an elite group in the college basketball world. 

The only other teams to win at least three national titles in 10 years are the Kentucky Wildcats (1948, 1949, 1951, and 1958) and, of course, the most dominant basketball program led by Hall of Fame coach John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins won a record 10 national titles from 1964 to 1975. 

Anytime a team’s program is mentioned in the same sentence as John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins, you know you’re doing something special.  Calhoun has been to the Final Four twice and cut down the net both times.

This team has showed the dominance of a national champion so far throughout this tournament.  With that being said, they still need to go out there and win two more games to join this exclusive club.

Where does a potential MSU national title place the program among the nation's best college basketball programs ever?

Greg: The slide rule has changed in how we measure the worth of a college basketball program. After all, it’s totally unrealistic—and unfair—to keep using UCLA’s dominance of the 1960's and early 1970's as the standard. That’s just crazy good.

The Spartans have now made four Final Fours in the past 11 years. That’s about once every three years, and in today’s world of brevity when it comes to consistency, with players leaving campus early and coaches zipping from school to school, that rate of success measures up pretty darn well with other big-time programs. Like UConn’s, for example.

But to win the whole enchilada—Izzo’s second title to add to the 2000 triumph—would nudge Michigan State onto the middle rungs on the ladder of great programs of the late-20th, early-21st centuries. The two titles wouldn’t have occurred close enough together, though, to put MSU any higher than that.

Who’s the dark horse for each team?

Dan:  The dark horse for UConn is senior forward Jeff Adrien.  He’s been through the struggles this team has endured over the last two years.  It’s his stage to shine and he will have to in order for UConn to advance. He’s a quiet kid, but loud presence on the basketball court. 

There’s no player on the floor that has a bigger heart than Jeff Adrien.  He does the dirty work down low and is always hustling.  He’s the ultimate team player.  He will do whatever it takes to walk off the court with a win.

He had two opportunities to defeat Syracuse in the six-overtime thriller, but he didn’t let his guard down.  He’s been a consistent force down low in every game of this tournament for the Huskies. 

UConn was the second leading rebounding team in the nation during the season not just because of Thabeet, but the way Adrien cleans up on the glass.  If he plays to his potential, then the sky is the limit for this UConn Huskies team.

Greg: Guard Travis Walton has been, except for the USC game, mostly a rumor in the post-season. He had 18 points against the Trojans, but has just 10 points combined in the other three Spartan victories in the tournament.

He also has just 10 assists and really hasn’t made his presence felt with the intangibles that kept him in the starting lineup despite a 5.3 ppg average.

I think he’s due for a breakout game; not necessarily with his offense, but with steals and other disruptions defensively. He’s a senior who will provide great on-court leadership.

Don’t be shocked if Walton chips in with 10, 12 points and is a thorn in the Huskies’ sides with his ball-hawking and passing.

Who will win the game and why?

Dan: When the final buzzer sounds UConn will be victorious in a close game, 76-69.  The Huskies' inside presence will be too much for the Spartans.  Price hasn’t shot the ball well the last couple of games, but I expect him to come out firing on all cylinders. 

This team has too much talent and drive to succeed to lose to Michigan State.  Tom Izzo will have his team ready to play and they will give it all they have, but it won’t be enough. 

Lucas, Morgan, and Suton will have to play superbly if the Spartans are to have any shot at winning.  If they get the crowd behind them, anything could happen.  I still like the Huskies advancing to Monday night's title game.

Greg: Nice try, Dan. I know you gotta pick UConn because you’re from Connecticut—I get it. And I’m picking MSU because I feel they’ll be better on that day, not because I hail from the State of Michigan. See how that works?     

Seriously. The Spartans are getting better with each game. Confidence is high and Izzo’s offense and his team’s overall attitude are at their peaks. This won’t be easy—they never are at this point in the tourney. But it won’t be as close as most think, either.

Look at what the Spartans did to the Louisville Cardinals.

MSU 71, UConn 61