Final Four Preview: Michigan St vs. Butler

The team with the best record out of the remaining 4 schools in the NCAA tournament may surprise you. The #5 seed Butler Bulldogs are 32-4 on the season, and have won an incredible 24 consecutive games. Taking down UTEP and Murray St in the first 2 rounds were to be expected, but following that up with wins against #1 seed Syracuse and #2 seed Kansas St is nothing short of amazing. The onslaught of good teams never stops when you get to this point in the tourney, and it won’t next Saturday as the Bulldogs take on thee perennial powerhouse Michigan St Spartans in their first Final Four appearance in school history.

Tom Izzo and company have overcome tremendous odds and many obstacles to get here themselves. The loss of point guard and leading scorer Kalin Lucas in the middle of their second round match-up with Maryland seemed as though it would bring an immediate halt to their run. However, backup PG Korie Lucious stepped in an has rejuvenated this starting lineup.

The Spartans came into the Big Dance on a bit of a run as they had won 3 of their last 4 in conference play. Now they look like the same old Michigan St teams that we have seen over the past decade. Hard nosed defense, and clutch shooting has taken Sparty past a red-hot Northern Iowa team, and by a Tennessee Volunteers squad that plays a similar brand of basketball. Now they will face perhaps the biggest Cinderella left this year in the Butler Bulldogs.

Butler is loaded with talent, but clearly lacks size in comparison to the “big boys” of college basketball. What they lack in size they make up for with a team oriented defense that makes it very difficult for opposing players to get open shots at the basket. Gordon Hayward is a legit NBA prospect, and will most likely be drafted early in the first round this year. He leads Butler with a 15.5 points per game average, 8.2 rebounds and 2 assists. Shelvin Mack is also a solid college guard that pours in over 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per contest. Both of these guys better bring their “A” game Saturday when they face a big and physical Spartans team that likes to slow the pace of play, and make their opponents work for each shot.

With Kalin Lucas on the bench, the Spartans have tightened up their defense even more. They have allowed just over 60 points per game over their last 2, and will need to keep that trend going against Butler. Raymer Morgan is a small forward that averages 11.5 points and 6 rebounds per game. Durrell Summers leads the guards with a 10.9 ppg average and almost 5 rebounds per game. The key for Michigan St will be the play of Draymond Green who is a beast on the boards. His 10 points per and 8 rebounds per game are a huge reason why the Spartans are still alive in the tourney.

This game tips off at 6:07 PM EST on Saturday. Be prepared for a battle from the opening tip to the final buzzer as both of these 5 seeds feel like they are good enough to advance to the Finals.

Related posts:

1. Kansas St and Butler Fight for Spot in Final Four
2. Butler vs. VCU in Final Four Shocker
3. Horizon League Championship: Butler vs. Wright St.
4. Final Four Preview: Duke vs. W. Virginia
5. Michigan St vs. Illinois in Big-10 Battle Monday

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