" title="Spartans Weblog">Spartans Weblog

Question: What was the defensive play that preceded The Dunk?
(While you’re thinking about it: I’ve decided that Summers’ throwdown is definitely worth of being labeled “The Dunk.”  The combination of the spectacularness of the play and the stage on which it was made make it the greatest dunk in the history of the program.  The [...]

MSU dismantles Louisville 64-52 in a 56-possession game to advance to the Final Four.  StatSheet box score.
After a performance as thoroughly impressive as this one, it’s hard to know where to start.  So let’s start with what each of the eight guys who played double-digit minutes today contributed:

Goran Suton: 19 points on 3-5 three-point shooting, [...]

Among the players in MSU’s regular ten-man rotation:

Which player ranks 3rd on the team in offensive rating?
Which player ranks 2nd (tie) in defensive rebounding percentage?
Which player ranks 4th in assist rate?
Which player ranks 3rd in block percentage?
Which player ranks 2nd in steal percentage?
Which player ranks 2nd in free throw rate?

Hint: The same player is the [...]

The Spartans bounce the Colonials 77-62 in a 65-possession game.  StatSheet box score.
The Kenpom prediction was a scoreline of 73-60, so the game result was in line with statistical expectations.  Robert Morris kept things close early by knocking down some 3-pointers, but eventually MSU’s size and athleticism were too much for the Colonials to handle.  [...]

Minnesota Game Recap
MSU advances past Minnesota 64-56 in a 64-possession game.  StatSheet box score.
Having digested 5 full hours of basketball since the game ended (we bolted at halftime of the last game), all I can give you is a graph:
NCAA Basketball Stats

And some bullets:

Disappointingly small rebounding advantage and a negative turnover differential.  Three-point shooting (41.7% [...]

The Spartans battle past the Wolverines 54-42 in a 55-possession game.  StatSheet box score.
This is not the bar graph we were expecting:
Stats by StatSheet.com

They turned the ball over more than we did.  And we barely outrebounded them.
In the end, it came down to creating scoring opportunities.  We converted 2 more field goals and 9 more [...]

Izzo over Crean 75-47 in a 69-possession game.  StatSheet box score.
The mind of Ed Hightower is an enigma wrapped in a riddle.
Due to the generosity of a professional acquaintance, I sat in the second row behind the scorer’s table today.  So I had an up-close view of the “nuts” incident.  If you have the game [...]