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James Hawkins, Connor Earegood, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict how far Michigan State will go in the NCAA Tournament:
Hawkins: The Spartans certainly will have their work cut out to make it back to the Elite Eight like they did a year ago. Still, Michigan State has all the ingredients to reach the second weekend, with tough defense, strong rebounding, a pair of veteran bigs in Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, and an All-Big Ten guard in Jeremy Fears Jr. leading the way. Kur Teng and Jordan Scott will provide some timely 3-pointers to help Michigan State knock off UConn in the Sweet 16 before Duke’s blend of talent, size and athleticism proves to be too much.
Earegood: Michigan State's loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament was just the wake-up call the Spartans needed. A team defined by its defense and toughness got a big gut check heading into an East Region where that will need to be its calling card. Familiarity — and frustration — with No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 seed UConn should be an advantage, but it'll be hard for the Spartans to make a run without finding contributions from its deep bench. Kur Teng needs to be the sharpshooter he's billed to be, and the freshman duo of Cam Ward and Jordan Scott will need to scale the freshman wall to get back to their home region of Washington, D.C. Michigan State's deep runs tend to come in bunches, foreshadowed by last year's Elite Eight run. The Spartans exorcise their demons against UConn in the Sweet Sixteen, but even an injured Duke proves too much with Cameron Boozer knocking them out in another Elite Eight.
More: A Michigan-Michigan State national title game? This analyst thinks so
Niyo: If anyone can do more with less at this time of year, it’s Tom Izzo. And while the NCAA tourney format mitigates some of the concerns about the Spartans’ lack of depth, the draw in a stacked East Region didn’t do them any favors. The Spartans will need close to a full 40 minutes a game from Jeremy Fears once MSU gets past its opener, particularly if Louisville gets star guard Mikel Brown back and healthy. But they’ll also need Kur Teng to keep knocking down shots and Jordan Scott to play more like he did in February. If they do, Michigan State can reprise last year’s run to the Elite Eight. But I see the run ending against the same UConn squad they started their season with in an October exhibition.
More: Expert predictions for Michigan State basketball in March Madness, live updates
Wojnowski: The committee didn’t do the Spartans any favors, dropping them from an apparent two seed to No. 3 in the East. And of course, Tom Izzo ended up in the same region as Duke. The second seed, Connecticut, ain’t shabby either. In the opener, North Dakota State is a typically pesky 14 seed, with a balanced offense that shoots a lot of 3s. Jeremy Fears Jr. will lead MSU past the Bison and Louisville, then run into the powerful Huskies, who aren’t as dominant as their recent two-time champions but won 18 in a row at one point this season. The Spartans reach the Sweet 16, where their run is halted by battle-tested UConn.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State basketball March Madness predictions
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Michigan State prediction for March Madness
Hawkins: The Spartans certainly will have their work cut out to make it back to the Elite Eight like they did a year ago. Still, Michigan State has all the ingredients to reach the second weekend, with tough defense, strong rebounding, a pair of veteran bigs in Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, and an All-Big Ten guard in Jeremy Fears Jr. leading the way. Kur Teng and Jordan Scott will provide some timely 3-pointers to help Michigan State knock off UConn in the Sweet 16 before Duke’s blend of talent, size and athleticism proves to be too much.
Earegood: Michigan State's loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament was just the wake-up call the Spartans needed. A team defined by its defense and toughness got a big gut check heading into an East Region where that will need to be its calling card. Familiarity — and frustration — with No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 seed UConn should be an advantage, but it'll be hard for the Spartans to make a run without finding contributions from its deep bench. Kur Teng needs to be the sharpshooter he's billed to be, and the freshman duo of Cam Ward and Jordan Scott will need to scale the freshman wall to get back to their home region of Washington, D.C. Michigan State's deep runs tend to come in bunches, foreshadowed by last year's Elite Eight run. The Spartans exorcise their demons against UConn in the Sweet Sixteen, but even an injured Duke proves too much with Cameron Boozer knocking them out in another Elite Eight.
More: A Michigan-Michigan State national title game? This analyst thinks so
Niyo: If anyone can do more with less at this time of year, it’s Tom Izzo. And while the NCAA tourney format mitigates some of the concerns about the Spartans’ lack of depth, the draw in a stacked East Region didn’t do them any favors. The Spartans will need close to a full 40 minutes a game from Jeremy Fears once MSU gets past its opener, particularly if Louisville gets star guard Mikel Brown back and healthy. But they’ll also need Kur Teng to keep knocking down shots and Jordan Scott to play more like he did in February. If they do, Michigan State can reprise last year’s run to the Elite Eight. But I see the run ending against the same UConn squad they started their season with in an October exhibition.
More: Expert predictions for Michigan State basketball in March Madness, live updates
Wojnowski: The committee didn’t do the Spartans any favors, dropping them from an apparent two seed to No. 3 in the East. And of course, Tom Izzo ended up in the same region as Duke. The second seed, Connecticut, ain’t shabby either. In the opener, North Dakota State is a typically pesky 14 seed, with a balanced offense that shoots a lot of 3s. Jeremy Fears Jr. will lead MSU past the Bison and Louisville, then run into the powerful Huskies, who aren’t as dominant as their recent two-time champions but won 18 in a row at one point this season. The Spartans reach the Sweet 16, where their run is halted by battle-tested UConn.
➤BRACKET CHALLENGE: Think you can beat our expert? Join USA TODAY’s Bracket Challenge today!
➤SURVIVOR POOL: Ready to win March Madness? Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool today!
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State basketball March Madness predictions
Continue reading...
