"This is the best feeling I could have," Johnson said during the net-cutting ceremony. "The whole state should be proud and excited of this moment."It was exactly 30 years ago when Johnson, Greg Kelser and Jay Vincent led Michigan State to a 75-64 victory over Indiana State for the school's first title.Michigan State fans hoping to get Final Four tickets could be out of luck because there is no public sale.Michigan State fans hoping to get Final Four tickets could be out of luck because there is no public sale.
Either Michigan State or Kentucky is expected to get a verbal commitment from one of the top shooting guard prospects in the Midwest, 6-foot-7 Russell Byrd of Ft. Wayne Blackhawk Christian in Indiana.
The No. 3 Nittany Lions fought to get their first victory at the Horsehoe and maintain their unblemished record. Now 8-0 (5-0, Big Ten, most likely still third-ranked Penn State will have a well-deserved week off, before heading to Iowa. Then contests with Indiana and Michigan State remain.
Big 12 regular-season champ Kansas showed its youth and inexperience in the second half, falling to Michigan State in the regional semifinals, 67-62.The Spartans simply executed better down the stretch, scoring 12 of the final 14 points. Credit coach Tom Izzo with some smart sets off of time outs. It's been a while since Izzo has experienced a nice run in the tournament. This is the farthest the Spartans have been since the 2004-05 Final Four team.
Not to dismiss Robert Morris University in any way, or to insult its fine basketball team -- making the NCAA tournament is a terrific achievement no matter what conference you come from -- but as Michigan State gets set to begin its tournament run its most formidable opponent is ... itself.AdvertisementA week ago the Spartans got by Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten tournament despite not playing well. The poor play continued the next day against Ohio State and that didn't work out so well. Yes, MSU didn't make shots. Yes Ohio State did.