Stopping Sparty on Semifinal Saturday

The first men’s semifinal tips off at 6:07pm at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Michigan State Spartans compete against the Butler Bulldogs with the championship game on the line. The winner advances to the national championship against either Duke or West Virginia. Both Tom Izzo’s Spartans and Brad Stevens’ Bulldogs have had impressive runs to the Final Four. Michigan State, last year’s runner-up, is appearing in the school’s eighth Final Four. This is the first trip for Butler, but don’t let a lack of experience fool you. These defensively-minded Bulldogs are veteran ballplayers with offensive weapons that were strong enough to take out the number one and two seeds during their regional run. Butler was the fifth seed in the West Region. They knocked off 12th seeded UTEP and 13th seeded Murray State before sizing up Syracuse and crippling Kansas State. The Bulldogs are pests on defense and they are currently riding a 24 game winning streak. Stevens’ stellar team is my favorite to win the opening semifinal.
Michigan State suffered a huge blow to their roster when Kalin Lucas went down with a season-ending injury. Izzo’s team still has plenty to over in place of Lucas, but it will be a tremendous challenge to tackle the Bulldogs. The Spartans won three of their four games in the tournament by three points or less. Iowa was the only opponent posing little threat to the Big Ten’s Spartans. Butler’s road to the Final Four was more difficult, but even with the quality of the Bulldogs’ wins, they are the superior team. Butler defends the perimeter and swarms ball-handlers. The potent Bulldogs offense is a balanced one capable of knocking down 3-pointers and driving the lane for layups. Gordon Hayward carried the Bulldogs in the Elite Eight win over Kansas State. The 6’9” forward has brilliant guard skills and a solid inside-out game. Hayward is the team’s leading scorer and has most undoubtedly opened the eyes of NBA scouts. Butler’s transition offense has also excelled during the tournament. Their rebounding against the Wildcats was wonderful. Butler doesn’t give up many offensive rebounds despite being an undersized unit. Ronald Nored gets the ball off the rim in the backcourt and Willie Veasley is quick up-front. Veasley is also capable of scoring in double-digits. Shelvin Mack flys under the radar for Butler, but is a consistent shooting guard who is savvy on defense. Junior Matt Howard needs to stay out of foul trouble. Howard’s low-post shooting makes him a terror in the paint. The Bulldogs are not careless, committing very few turnovers. That may be the biggest key in the game against Michigan State.
The 24-8 Spartans are no slouches on defense. They have appeared sluggish down the stretch, but are still a determined group. Izzo’s squad out-rebounds opponents by eight per game. They turn the ball over more than Butler, however. Michigan State needs to pump up the defense and continue to drill and drain buckets on offense if they want to sink Butler tonight. MSU won their first four games by a combined 13 points because of critical clutch shooting and efficient shooting. Draymond Green is a smart player for the Spartans. Green does many things well, including rebounding, passing, shooting and defending. The Spartans crush foes on the boards, and this is where the Bulldogs may struggle. The athletic Spartans block shots at a very high rate. Raymar Morgan is an NBA-quality player and Durrell Summers is capable of carrying the scoring load. Both play at an elite level on the court. Korie Lucious, filling in for Lucas, has really stepped up for the Spartans. Lucious has a history of making big shots and is a vital catalyst for his team. He can be mistake-prone and that won’t fly against a well-versed Butler team. I still think the Bulldogs are a tough matchup for the Spartan’s offense. Both teams thrive from long range so it’s important to guard the major players in this contest. Butler’s stout half-court game gives them a favorable edge over the Spartan’s snarling tight defense. MSU has an effective bench player in Chris Allen and Derrick Nix adds size to the Spartan roster. Butler’s bench isn’t as deep, but several of Stevens’ subs should see time. Look for Butler to slow down the tempo and play to their advantage. The Bulldogs are 15-0 at home this season. They are 12-1 on the road. Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium is five miles from the Butler campus. No matter what you consider them in this match-up, odds are the Horizon League Bulldogs will be playing for a national championship come Easter Monday.

Parting Points: Happy Birthday to Marlon Brando, Jennie Garth and Leona Lewis.

Song of the day- “Happy” by Leona Lewis