Speedy Spartans Cruise Past UConn in the Motor City
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Sun, 04/05/2009 - 11:36
If you didn’t know it before, the Michigan State Spartans are for real. The Spartans brought their lock-down defense and high-powered offense (when it’s needed) to Ford Field on Saturday night, and defeated yet another #1 seed en route to knocking off the Huskies 82-73.
The Spartans now find themselves thrust into the spotlight once again, carrying with it a struggling city and region, to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Michigan State received an enormous game from sophomore guard Kalin Lucas who threw down 21 points and dished 5 assists, while the Spartans also finally got a much needed shot in the arm from junior Raymar Morgan; Morgan had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals.
In addition to the rock solid play of the starting lineup, the Spartans bench put in an intense effort led by Durrell Summers and Korie Lucious who had 10 and 11 points. Summers’s effort was highlighted by a wicked dunk over UConn’s Stanley Robinson in the second half, and Lucious unconsciously hit big shots in only 9 minutes of playing time.
On the defensive side, Travis Walton was once again able to lock down an opponent’s star guard. While A.J. Price still scored 15 points, Walton had him taking off-balanced shots all night, and forced him to shoot only 5 of 20 from the floor.
The Spartans were backed by a Ford Field crowd of 72, 456 people, of which at least 2/3 were sporting the green and white. The crowd never allowed Michigan State to lose momentum, and while UConn coach Jim Calhoun said that the crowd didn’t affect his team’s performance, it certainly affected the Spartans in a positive way.
Izzo’s team will look to continue their storybook season on Monday night in the National Championship game against the Tar Heels of North Carolina. Ironically, the game will serve as a re-match from a game at Ford Field during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge that served as a practice run for the Final Four.
