Congrats to Michigan St. on making back to the Final Four again.  I am thrilled to see a Big Ten team in the Final Four, and I am thrilled with the way Michigan St. did it…with defense.  In their 64-52 win over “Top Seed” Louisville, they held the Cardinals 23 points below their season average of 75 ppg.  Only five times this year has Louisville been held under 50 points, including yesterday, and they have lost all of those games (one of those was Western Kentucky 68-54 back on November 30th). 

Louisville, a team that likes to press like Missouri, can’t do that as much when they aren’t making buckets, and it’s tougher to make buckets with a guy in your face.  A team that shoots 46% from the field shot only 37.5%.  Because of Michigan State’s defense, Louisville is going home. 

It wasn’t just this game where the Big Ten has flexed its defensive power in the tournament.  Here are some other games where defense has held down the Big Ten’s opponents during the NCAA Tourney.

Game                                       Opp. Score   Opp. Avg.     Diff.     Opp. Result  

Michigan St.-Louisville                    52                   75           -23            Lost

Michigan-Clemson                          59                   78           -19            Lost

Wisconsin-Florida St.                     59                    68           -9              Lost

Michigan St.-Kansas                      62                    76           -14            Lost

Purdue-Northern Iowa                   56                    67           -11            Lost

Obviously not every game featured great defense (Illinois vs. WKU for example), but there were times when the Big Ten’s tough defense was on display.  As a conference, the Big Ten is 8-6 in the tourney, and Michigan St. is still going.  Of the seven teams that made it, only Illinois and Ohio St. were disappointing. 

Michigan State’s matchup with Connecticut puts them against a team that averages 78 ppg.  If Michigan St. can find a way to keep this one low, they will move on the National Title Game.  The rebounding matchup should be fun to watch.  These two teams rank #1 and #3 in the country in rebound margin, so whoever can find a way to win this battle will win the game.  Minimizing Connecticut’s second chance points will be crucial, so you got to keep Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrian off the offensive glass.

Let’s cheer on the Spartans as they continue to represent the Big Ten in the tourney.  Plus, if they make the title game, it will make my bracket look a little bit better.  J

I-L-L…