Michigan St in the final four is a joke.

[Straight Cash]

LMAO at the ignorance of the posters w/all the numbers up there, assuming that a few gms vs. mid seeds is a tough as ONE major contest vs. a TOP seed. if 1 kansas, 2 ohio st, 3 g'town are still in there by the time they play mich st, mich st goes hm.

Well now that looks like 3 games against top seeds not 1. Fact is that 3 games against mid seeds gives you 3 games you have a chance to lose. A game against a 16 there is no chance you lose. 12s beat 5's all the time, as do 4s, and potentially 6's. You are playing teams as good or slightly better than you. How many times does a 1 or 2 seed play a team as good or slightly better than them seed-wise?

[hoopster42]

HOGWASH

We are blinded by history and the media.

The 4 teams that are there are there because they deserve to be there and won when they had to

I love this shit

to ignore the fact that the top 3 seeds in a region all fell before the 5th seed had to play them is being blind, Sir. when you are a 5th seed making the final 4 and you only had to beat ONE TEAM higher seeded than you (a 4 seed no less) to get to the final 4, YOU HAD IT EASY

[No coincidences]

LMAO at the ignorance of the posters w/all the numbers up there, assuming that a few gms vs. mid seeds is a tough as ONE major contest vs. a TOP seed. if 1 kansas, 2 ohio st, 3 g'town are still in there by the time they play mich st, mich st goes hm.

You like to make excuses to justify your opinion, don't you?

[Straight Cash]

to ignore the fact that the top 3 seeds in a region all fell before the 5th seed had to play them is being blind, Sir. when you are a 5th seed making the final 4 and you only had to beat ONE TEAM higher seeded than you (a 4 seed no less) to get to the final 4, YOU HAD IT EASY

I guess we just have a difference of opinion. I think playing 3 teams within 4 seeds of you is tougher than playing 1 seed within 8 of you (West Virginia). Obviously West Virginia's one team was better than any MSU would play, but it's just my opinion that 3 teams closer to your level is hardly easier than 1 that is potentially better and 2 that arent. Saying that they havent had to beat anyone or have had an easy road is ignorant. You say that Ohio State or Kansas would be a tough game, but beating the team that beat them isnt?

[hoopster42]

they happened to be in a bracket where the top 3 seeds took a dump in the same tournament. it happens. flukey things happen.

[No coincidences]

they happened to be in a bracket where the top 3 seeds took a dump in the same tournament. it happens. flukey things happen.

They're also playing without their leader in scoring and assists, while one other starter is playing despite a torn meniscus and another has a badly injured foot. I'd say that pretty much neutralizes any argument you make about their "easy road."

[hoopster42]

lucas was trying to do too much - they are better w/out him. addition by subtraction. sometimes teams actually galvanize and play better when the 'star' is gone. hmmmmmmm. again, got the brks vs new mex st, maryland, tenn...........might even happen v butler but will NOT happen on mon night. til then!

[No coincidences]

lucas was trying to do too much - they are better w/out him. addition by subtraction. sometimes teams actually galvanize and play better when the 'star' is gone. hmmmmmmm. again, got the brks vs new mex st, maryland, tenn...........might even happen v butler but will NOT happen on mon night. til then!

You've got to be kidding me.

Did you watch MSU when Lucas got hurt during the regular season?

I can't even take your posts seriously anymore.

[hoopster42]

You've got to be kidding me.

Did you watch MSU when Lucas got hurt during the regular season?

I can't even take your posts seriously anymore.

all that matters is how theyve played without him in the POSTSEASON. other guys have stepped up their gm and they look better right now WITHOUT him than they did with him in the big 10 conf tourney and the 1st rd of the ncaa tourney.

[No coincidences]

all that matters is how theyve played without him in the POSTSEASON. other guys have stepped up their gm and they look better right now WITHOUT him than they did with him in the big 10 conf tourney and the 1st rd of the ncaa tourney.

I can tell you this right now with 110% confidence -- they are not better off without Kalin Lucas.

[Straight Cash]

I can tell you this right now with 110% confidence -- they are not better off without Kalin Lucas.

Agreed, that doesnt make any sense. Yes people are stepping up, but you'll never be able to convince me that losting the former conference player of the year and first teamer this year is a good thing. Summers is just hitting shots he wasnt hitting earlier in the year, that's the biggest difference, he's hot at the right time.

[PittsburghPlayer]

Michigan State wins this game by 3 points, you heard it here first.

Thinking the same.

[talnted]

butler is the play

[Brock Landers]

Trust me on this one, a Rubber Band play is in order on Butler AND maybe West Virginia.

[Deuce]

All over MSU here, too much experience.

[Brock Landers]

All over MSU here, too much experience.

yeah, Butler has none.

Seriously, they've beaten Syracuse and Kansas St, far superior teams to MSU. Butler ROLLS

[No coincidences]

yeah, Butler has none.

Seriously, they've beaten Syracuse and Kansas St, far superior teams to MSU. Butler ROLLS

Do you even watch the games?

Syracuse's kryptonite is teams who slow the games down, which Butler did.

K-State was coming off a 2-OT loss.

It has nothing to do with whether or not they're "far superior" to MSU -- it's all about matchups. MSU is a half-court oriented team who rebounds the ball well and is very physical, which isn't what Butler necessarily wants to see.

[Brock Landers]

Do you even watch the games? Syracuse's kryptonite is teams who slow the games down, which Butler did. K-State was coming off a 2-OT loss. It has nothing to do with whether or not they're "far superior" to MSU -- it's all about matchups. MSU is a half-court oriented team who rebounds the ball well and is very physical, which isn't what Butler necessarily wants to see.

i watched them all

Butler rolls and you can book it MSU fan

[No coincidences]

i watched them all

Butler rolls and you can book it MSU fan

I'd also say it will be interesting to see how a rookie FF coach with rookie FF players fare against a veteran like Izzo who has an entire roster that's been through the song and dance less than 365 days ago.

[Deuce]

I am a Michigan Wolverine. I hate MSU, Brock, I respect what is due to be respected. Tommy Izzo is a coaching legend. To think Butler will make this team fall over and die is absurd. Izzo has these boys as ready as they'll ever be. MSU by 6.

[No coincidences]

I am a Michigan Wolverine. I hate MSU, Brock, I respect what is due to be respected. Tommy Izzo is a coaching legend. To think Butler will make this team fall over and die is absurd. Izzo has these boys as ready as they'll ever be. MSU by 6.

It should be a hell of a slugfest. Points and possessions will be at a premium. Butler is a damn good team, especially defensively. I personally think MSU will prevail like 65-60, but we shall see.

[hangar22]

tom izzo is the man but i think butler takes this one down in its home state.

[BigOrangeTitans]

They got to the final 4 and didn't beat ONE higher ranked team. That has to be a 1st.

Total fluke they got there. Butler will take care of them anyway.

Butler will make you forget about michigan state, on their way to the title game where they will remember that they got a final four bye and lose by 20 in the title game

[Kemalettin]

[slacker00]

Great analysis, Straight Cash. I anything, it shows that #1 seeds have it very easy. Expand to 68 to weed out the worst of the #16s.

If a case is to be made, it's that WVU has had a fairly easy path beating only double digit seeds and a suspect KY team.

[PAULYPOKER]

Do you even watch the games?

Hell know after my last bypass I had to quit cause my Dr. told me don't have another one cause next time you'll most likely kick the bucket cause you have nothing left to sew to.

[LT Profits]

Trust me on this one, a Rubber Band play is in order on Butler AND maybe West Virginia.

We are thinking alike for a change.

As for whether or not Michigan State had an easy road or not, I say who cares? You still have to handicap each game on its own merit and I think Butler is the play here regardless.

[Straight Cash]

This is gonna be a very Big Ten-ish game. Under may be the play.

[Brock Landers]

Butler has the best player on the court in Gordon Hayward. MSU is not going to win this game.

[OmgUrMom]

How can you even tell who is good in college basketball? Kansas the favorite to win the entire tourney loses to NORTHERN IOWA, LOL. Syracuse gets DESTROYED by a 5 Seed in BUTLER (their entire school has 4,000 or so people). 2 Villanova is behind the entire game vs a 15 seed before barely pulling it out in OT, and then they get destroyed in their 2nd rouch match vs St. Marys.

Every team in college basketball is suspect. Michigan State undoubtedly had one of the easier roads to the Final Four but I wouldn't call it a joke.

[rustyscrub]

I think Sparty finishes the job.

[paco]

Brock = Hater,

msu champions

[3PtShooter]

Butler might be the play, but why knock Mich St,,,their kids have worked their arse's off to get to this point, they have listened to Izzo and played smart BB

[soxwin]

maybe the the 1 2 and 3 lost because there is this thing in college hoops called parity. Michigan st deserves to be there because they took out all the teams in their path.

Just like when the Twins and the Cardinals won the WS while winning only 83 games during the reg season. It is about getting hot at the right time.

To say that MSU would have definaitely lost if they faced the 1 2 or 3 seeds is . The #1 lost to a #9, the #2 lost to a #6 and the #3 lost to a 14. If they lost to those teams why is it so far fetched to think that they could have also lost to a #5?

[cadillac pete]

I don't know why everyone is discounting the Spartans. I for one won't be surprised that they win on Saturday.