Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons Spartans could upset Kansas

Kansas versus Michigan State could’ve been a predictable Final Four matchup in past seasons.

The Oklahoma State men’s basketball team’s season came to an end Friday, as the Cowboy fell 92-91 to MI in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 64 in Indianapolis.

Not only can Kansas score, Bill Self’s team can get the job done on the other end of the floor too. “It’s hard to simulate athletic ability”. For a player who used to struggle to make nearly any shot inside the arc, this was another example of just how far he’s improved.

Everyone knows the rule by now, but John Beilein has actually broken trend a few times this year.

Jo Lual-Acuil scored 16 points and Johnathan Motley added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears (26-7), who were upset in the first round by Georgia State and Yale the previous two years. They have won six straight – five since a frightening plane mishap on the way to last week’s Big Ten Tournament. “And then you look at Michigan State and you say, ‘Hasn’t he been to seven or eight Final Fours?’ So I personally didn’t feel a ton of comfort or warm feelings by seeing that”.

The first half was all about Moe-Mentum.

Ninth-seeded Michigan State opens the NCAA Tournament against eighth-seeded Miami tonight in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Brown, a 6-5 freshman, adds to the all-around numbers at 11.9 points, 5.8 boards and 3.2 assists.

There’s no secret what MI is going to do late in a game with a lead: run the clock and give Derrick Walton the ball and let him make a play.

On the evening, Kansas shot 56.3 percent from the field, went 11-of-25 from three-point land, held UC Davis to just 33.9 percent shooting and won the battle on the glass, 45-27.

Kansas ranks sixth in NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.697, 101-44) among programs with at least 20 tournament games while Michigan State is seventh (.688, 64-29). Walton finished the game with 2x points and led his time like he’s done so many times this season.

Walton again was the MI hero, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The weekend has been uncharted territory for most of this group, but if Johnathan Motley can stay out of early foul trouble they’ll stay on track for the Sweet 16. Forward D.J. Wilson hit a pair of clutch free throws to put the game out of reach.

They weren’t there. But if MI fans felt they were done a grave injustice four years ago, they’ll never get a better chance for catharsis than what they have now. “We valued every possession”.

Michigan State is always risky in March with Tom Izzo and the team has the raw talent to make something happen, but the Spartans have been too inconsistent this season, especially away from East Lansing.

OSU again showed why it was one of the best offensive teams in the tournament, converting a layup and a timely second chance triple from Leyton Hammonds to make it 76-73.