Michigan State Final Four Preview: All hands on deck as Spartans prepare for Connecticut

Much has been said about the significance of Michigan State's run to the 2009 Final Four. Now, the home-state darling of college basketball's ultimate extravaganza needs to put its territorial advantage to good use.
 
The dominant storyline of Final Four week in Detroit has been the feel-good vibe given to a beleaguered city by Coach Tom Izzo's blue-collar ballclub. At a time when Michigan and its Motor City have been devastated by the nation's economic downturn, MSU hoops has given the locals a very good reason to feel a little festive. But as the heartwarming narrative fades away and tip-off time approaches for the first of two national semifinals at Ford Field, the attention of the Spartans must shift to the task at hand, which is to give Jim Calhoun his first loss in three Final Four trips.
 
Connecticut has made only two prior visits to the Final Four in the Calhoun era, which is now more than two decades long. However, the Huskies grabbed the brass ring on both of those occasions, maxing out when they managed to claw their way to their sport's most treasured weekend. While home cooking will certainly give Michigan State a puncher's chance, a sober assessment of the matchups suggests that the Big Ten champions will have to come up with something special to advance to Monday night's title game.

While it's entirely true that Izzo is one of the masters of his profession--with Mike Krzyzewski being the only active coach who clearly stands above him in a larger historical context--the Michigan State coaching staff can only do so much about UConn's imposing size and power. In center Hasheem Thabeet, power forward Jeff Adrien, and emergent forward Stanley Robinson, Calhoun can throw three players onto the floor who can reliably alter shots and dominate on the glass. Yes, Michigan State's work ethic on the boards has been legendary throughout the Izzo era, but with Connecticut's terrifically tough trio standing in their way, the Spartans will only be able to do so much in the paint. If the Midwest Region champions are to knock off the West Region winners on Saturday evening, they'll need--among other things--two primary sources of help.
 
First, it just can't be denied that, as was the case in last Sunday's win over Louisville, Michigan State must knock down a significant percentage of its perimeter shots. Goran Suton flummoxed Louisville's defense by hitting the 3-pointers Izzo and his staff wanted him to take. In this collision with UConn, the Bosnian bedrock of the MSU roster must continue to stick outside shots so that Thabeet will be drawn away from the basket, thereby opening up driving lanes for the Spartans' backcourt. If MSU can't hit anything outside of 15 feet on a consistent basis, Thabeet and Adrien will be able to stay near the rim and prevent Sparty from getting anything easy within five feet of the goal. Durrell Summers will need to repeat his Louisville performance, and he'll need to get help from Chris Allen and Korie Lucious as well.
 
Beyond perimeter production at the offensive end of the floor, Michigan State must get small but meaningful performances from its full complement of big men. Due to the size of Thabeet, which could get Suton in early foul trouble and give UConn a decisive rebounding edge, Izzo will likely need to give first-half spot minutes to Idong Ibok and Marquise Gray. If a deep rotation of defense-first post players can wear down Thabeet in the first half while making MSU competitive on the glass, Suton and forward Draymond Green might be able to outwork a more tired Connecticut frontline in the second half.

The big picture surrounding this battle is that it is certainly a game in which Izzo must play the first half to set up the second half. Along a similar line, it's just as surely a chess match in which both coaches will need to frequently determine whether they need offense or defense at a given point in time. The coach who can better substitute one need for another, and find the right combinations at both ends of the floor, will greatly improve his team's chances of advancing to the Monday night spotlight.
 
When you strip this game down to its essentials, Michigan State's central goal must be to get balanced and deep production throughout its roster. This is not the kind of game in which one star can carry the day for Sparty. In the face of Connecticut's power, gang rebounding and team defense must come to the forefront, supplemented by efficient shooting from a multiplicity of players at the other end of the court.
 
Last Sunday, it was a collection of players--Kalin Lucas, Travis Walton, Summers, Suton, and Green--who primarily carried the load for the best team in the Midwestern United States. This Saturday, that gang of five needs to double in size, with step-up efforts from Ibok, Gray, Allen, Lucious, and Raymar Morgan. If Tom Izzo sees his production increase by a "power of 10," only then can the pride of Iron Mountain, Mich., feel confident about a Connecticut conquest.
 
In Detroit and throughout the state of Michigan, communities are banding together to survive difficult economic times... and to cheer on their favored sons from East Lansing. If MSU's basketball bunch can produce a team effort of similar proportions, the host city of this year's Final Four will have even more to celebrate when the national semifinals ultimately end.

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