I've been somewhat foolish calling Butler a Cinderella throughout the tournament, because in reality they're a five seed, and haven't lost a game since December. Over the past five or six years they've really shook their "mid-major" status, and are considered contenders every year. The way that they made it to the Final Four this year was quite hard, having to beat the number one and two seed in consecutive games. But what better motivation that a semi-final, and maybe championship game in your hometown?
With Tom Izzo at the helm, as always, Michigan State are a threat to any team in the nation, and always a favorite to go deep into the tournament. But when Kalin Lucas tore his Achilles tendon, a lot of air was sucked out of the room and doubts began to arise. Izzo didn't let that get to his team, and they showed just how deep their roster goes. Lucas' replacement, Korie Lucious, has been outstanding and has led the team along with the likes of Draymond Green, Raymar Morgan and Durrell Summers.
This game can be seen as a home game for Butler, but when it comes down to it, they probably won't have the same amount of Bulldog faithful as they would at Hinkle Fieldhouse, despite being only a few miles down the road. They likely won't have the same amount of tickets to hand out to students, and will have to put up with the contingency of Michigan State fans that will make the short four hour drive to get to Indianapolis.
Alright so to the game. The keys as I see them are quite similar for both teams. One of the main things that both teams have to focus is on is the foul trouble that Matt Howard is prone to get into. With the way that Michigan State attacks the baskets with the likes of Green, Morgan and Roe, they are quite likely to get Matt Howard into foul trouble.
Butler will have to pass the ball around like they did against Syracuse, and spread out the defense. I'm not exactly sure if there is a defender on the Spartans team that can handle Gordon Hayward, or at least he type of threat he brings to the game. On the same token, I don't know if Matt Howard will be able to handle the attack of Draymond Green. He attacks the basket very well and also is a great passing big man.
Both teams have shown great defensive prowess throughout the tournament, and the ability to hit shots, especially threes, when they really count. Both teams don't mind working out of half court sets, and this could make for a very interesting pace to the game. The crowd, at least I think so, will be divided in fan base for the two teams.
If Shelvin Mack can continue his form this tournament, and is able to involve Hayward and Howard, then Butler have a great shot at winning. And of course, they have to keep their center, Matt Howard out of foul trouble.
If Korie Lucious can continue to fill in the shoes of Kalin Lucas the way he has, and involve Summers, and Morgan along the perimeter as well as Draymond Green in the post, they have just as good of a shot in winning. And if there's one coach in all of college basketball that can motivate his kids to play under the big lights, it's Tom Izzo.
This game has all the makings of a real classic and I, for one, can't wait to watch it.
Game Time - 6:07pm EST
No comments:
Post a Comment