![]() The Spartans could be an elite defensive and rebounding machine when they felt like it. He was elated with how well his guards defended star Boogie Ellis in a suffocation of 10th-seeded USC on Friday, and then he made a point of saying success on that end of the floor is a choice rather than a skill. He looked beyond its penchant for defensive lapses and streaky 3-point shooting, brushed aside the potential ramifications of a short bench and embraced the sense of togetherness and fight his players showed in glimpses. Throughout the season, Izzo never shied away from telling reporters how much he liked this team. "It was a lot of plays we'd love to have back." "I think Michigan State's aggressiveness, their physicality affected us," Smart said. And they undercut Marquette’s offense by drawing two early fouls on Kolek, who spent large portions of the half on the bench as Michigan State built a 13-point lead. They transformed seven offensive rebounds into 18 points in the paint that offset some heinous perimeter shooting (1-for-10 from 3-point range to begin the game). Star shooting guard Kam Jones, who ripped off 18 consecutive points in the second half against Vermont, spent the final seconds before tipoff Sunday dancing in the center circle.īut a steal and score by guard Stevie Mitchell on the opening possession was nothing more than fool’s gold as the Spartans took control of the game with smothering defense and vicious offensive rebounding. Smart believed his team was capable of reaching the Final Four, and everything his players said and did seemed to match that expectation. They rolled into Sunday with an unmissable air of confidence that was tinged, perhaps, with arrogance. When the Golden Eagles thumped Vermont 78-61 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, they set a new school record with 29 wins in a single season. Point guard Tyler Kolek (13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists per game) was named the conference’s Player of the Year, and forward David Joplin (9.4 points, 3.3 rebounds per game) was honored as the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year. Marquette rollicked through a brutal Big East schedule with a 17-3 conference record and an offense that ranked sixth in the country for efficiency. The team he brought to Columbus was one of the best in college basketball all season. And for us, it's a heck of an opportunity to compete against them tomorrow night." "So I've always been a fan of Coach Izzo and his program and the way they play and the way they conduct themselves. ![]() ![]() "And that, for me, was a moment that cemented in my mind college basketball was where I wanted to be," Smart said Friday. Cleaves scored 18 points and dished out four assists to be named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. But as the season progressed, Smart found himself captivated by the way Cleaves led Michigan State to a Big Ten Tournament title and, three weeks later, the national championship with an 89-76 win over Florida. Smart was a few months removed from the end of his playing career at Division III Kenyon College in Ohio and entered the profession unsure if it was the right career path. He shared a story about his first year in coaching as a 22-year-old assistant at California University of Pennsylvania. The first came Saturday afternoon, in between the first and second rounds of the tournament, when Marquette head coach Shaka Smart explained the origin of his admiration for what Izzo has built in East Lansing. It also marked the second time in two days that Cleaves’ name had surfaced in a news conference at Nationwide Arena. "That was a 2000 game that felt like Mateen Cleaves," Izzo said in reference to the year he guided Michigan State to a national title - and that team’s All-American point guard. They took the lead when Walker buried a jumper with 8:52 remaining and withstood everything Marquette hurled at them the rest of the way. They made 19 of 23 free throws and iced the game by sinking five out of six in the final minute. They needed every one of the 20 rebounds corralled by Hauser and Mady Sissoko. They won with 23 points from Tyson Walker and 27 more from Joey Hauser and A.J. That the Spartans prevailed while shooting 2-for-16 from 3-point range, even as Marquette buried 11 triples, underscored just how many body blows Izzo & Co. There were 37 fouls and 37 free throws, 29 turnovers and 12 steals. In the Golden Eagles - winners of both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles - Michigan State found a willing partner for a street fight disguised as a basketball game. Left in their wake was another Izzo special from the month in which he’s made his name, this time a 69-60 triumph over second-seeded Marquette to secure his 26th NCAA Tournament win by nine points or fewer, a testament to the unbreakable will he demands from his players.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |