Tom Izzo Jokes He Wants to Borrow Bears' Khalil Mack to Defend Zion Williamson
March 30, 2019
Duke forward Zion Williamson has averaged 26.8 points on 70.1 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds per game since returning from a knee injury on Mar. 14. Simply put, no one can defend him.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo jokingly proposed a cross-sport idea in advance of his team's Sunday matchup with the Blue Devils, however:
Duke and MSU will face off in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Sunday in Washington, D.C.
MSU may own a respectable ninth-place ranking in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, but stopping the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft will not be simple.
Circumventing NCAA rules and enrolling Chicago Bears edge-rusher Khalil Mack in MSU within 24 hours would be difficult, but it isn't a bad idea at first glance. The 28-year-old has amassed 49.0 sacks in his last four seasons, including 12.5 in 14 games for the league's No. 1 scoring defense last season.
There's only one slight problem in this fantasy matchup: Williamson is actually bigger than Mack.
The Duke forward stands 6'7" and 285 pounds, while Mack is listed at 6'3" and 252 pounds.
He can also levitate, as evidenced by this dunk against Virginia Tech on Friday:
Despite the impossible individual matchup with Williamson, MSU has a shot to win. The Spartans are just two-point underdogs, per Vegas Insider, and FiveThirtyEight's probability system gives them a 33 percent chance to win outright.