Michigan State Basketball: Get to the know the Spartans for your bracket
By Ryan Kay
What are the expectations for the Spartans?
Those watching the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament should expect them to lose to Duke in the Elite Eight. They should easily handle Bradley in the 1st round and be able to beat Louisville or Minnesota in the 2nd round. However, Michigan State has not made it to the Sweet Sixteen since 2015 when they beat Georgia so recent history suggests that nothing is a given. The Spartans should beat No. 3 LSU or No. 6 Maryland in the Sweet Sixteen to advance to take on the Blue Devils.
Can the Spartans beat Duke? Sure, but not likely. If Joshua Langford, Kyle Ahrens, and Ward were all near 100% healthy and in uniform ready to play the Blue Devils, then that would be another story. Duke’s Achilles’ heel is 3-point shooting, which makes them vulnerable against Michigan State’s packline man-to-man defense but a lot would have to go the Spartans way to advance to the Final Four. Most importantly, Duke is very young and inexperience and Michigan State is not. The Spartans can win but it will not be easy.
What could be the reasons why Michigan State goes to the Final Four? Winston, experience, and overall mental toughness. This team has won championships in the regular season. They have come back multiple times from first half deficits and defeated rank teams. They have played and won true road games due to their pure determination to win, and they have a leader who can navigate the team through out the tournament.
Why should you root for this team to win it all? If you watch the Spartans play through out this tournament, you may fall in love with this team. They are not a cocky or self centered group, they play great team defense without it being boring to watch, they have great transition offense especially if Ward can get near 100% healthy, and they have a player in Winston who will have you saying things like, “How did he make the pass?” or “How did he get in the paint and make that shot?”.
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Hopefully this will help you in how far you have Michigan State advancing in the NCAA Tournament. One thing is for sure, you can’t compare this team to the three previous Spartan teams. This year’s team is not as talented as the three previous but they have so much more going for them that it would be very surprising if they lose before the Sweet Sixteen or even Elite Eight.