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In what figures to a physical grinder pitting two of the greatest coaches in NCAA Tournament history, the Michigan State Spartans take on the Connecticut Huskies following St. John's versus Duke in the loaded East region. Which coach will come out on top, MSU's Tom Izzo or UCONN's Dan Hurley? Make the jump to read some connections, memories, and a final prediction for Michigan State versus UCONN.
Game #55: (3) Michigan State vs. (2) Connecticut, 8:45 p.m. (CT) on CBS
How MSU and UCONN Arrived at the Sweet Sixteen
Michigan State looked like a team that meant all business during a first-round drubbing of #14 North Dakota State before playing an uncharacteristically sloppy game against #6 Louisville, during which the Spartans were good enough to survive and advance. UCONN got a Herculean effort from Tarris Reed, Jr., to survive #15 Furman in the first round before getting past trendy #7 UCLA behind a career-high scoring output from Alex Karaban.
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Michigan State's Ideal Path to the Final Four
- "Upset" UCONN.
- Avoid Duke.
- Win an ugly game against St. John's.
UCONN's Ideal Path to the Final Four
- Survive Michigan State.
- Avoid Duke.
- Even the season series against St. John's (the Red Storm beat UCONN two out of three times).
NCAA Tournament Memories of Michigan State vs. UCONN
Michigan State and UCONN have amazingly only met one time before in the NCAA Tournament, during the Elite Eight in 2014. #4 Michigan State seemed destined to reach a Final Four after defeating #1 Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen, but it was actually #7 UCONN that was the team of destiny. Led by senior Shabazz Napier, the Huskies knocked out Michigan State during a surprise Elite Eight game at Madison Square Garden. Connecticut would go on to defeat Florida and Kentucky for the school's fourth national championship.
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Memorable MSU Sweet 16 Game: Spartans Rally Past Syracuse
Legendary MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo is taking the Spartans to the Sweet Sixteen for the 17th time! Of course, Izzo's one national championship occurred during the 1999-2000 season with, what is honestly, my favorite Michigan State squad of all time. During the Sweet Sixteen of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, #1 Michigan State got blitzed in the first half by #4 Syracuse in the first half of a game played in Detroit. The Spartans rallied in the second half to win. In the Elite Eight, MSU got a similar hole against #2 Iowa State before pulling out a gritty victory en route to a second-straight Final Four and second national championship in school history.
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Memorable UCONN Sweet Sixteen Game: Rip Rips Washington
Like MSU, UCONN has been to so many Sweet Sixteens that it is easy to forget some games along the way. Of course, UCONN's most famous Sweet Sixteen victory occurred in 1990, when Tate George hit a buzzer beater against Clemson. For me, I will never forget the Huskies' 1998 Sweet Sixteen victory against Washington. Just when it seemed like Washington was going to pull the upset, and UCONN would never make a basket, Richard "Rip" Hamilton hit a shot in the lane at the end of the game. While UCONN would lose to UNC in the Elite Eight, I believe that 1998 run set up the Huskies' first national title in 1999, when UCONN "shocked" a seemingly-unbeatable Duke team.
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Prediction: UCONN Survives A 12-Round Game of Body Blows
While I originally predicted Michigan State to win this game, I am making a change, as is the case with St. John's and Duke. Ultimately, I think beating Dan Hurley in the NCAA Tournament is going to be too tall of a task for a Michigan State team that Tom Izzo has gotten a lot out of. At the end of the day, UCONN is a little more talented and diverse on offense. This is going to be a half-court grinder, a battle between two of the toughest head coaches in the history of the game. UCONN will be able to throw several defenders at MSU's mercurial point guard Jeremy Fears to frustrate him just enough. Honestly, this game is the hardest one for me to call in the Sweet Sixteen, and I can see it going either way. With that said, Hurley's UCONN teams with Karaban are tough to eliminate, and MSU is going to need to play a much better game than it did in the second round. However, no coach in tourney history is better than Izzo at getting his teams to overplay their individual skill and talents so I wouldn't be surprised if MSU pulls it off. At the end of the day, UCONN is the better team and will survive a physical, nasty and chippy game.
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