MSU vs. Tennessee NCAA Round Four Scouting Report and Prediction
Saint Louis, MO
If the Spartans lined up against the Jayhawks instead of UNI in the last round I wouldn’t have predicted the win. The same thing could be said for today’s match up with Tennessee.
On paper the healthy Vols are better than the limping M*A*S*H* unit known as the Spartans. On paper.
Sitting courtside here in Saint Louis for the Vols practices and third round match up with OSU has been telling. Volunteer players have been arguing with one another.  It leads me to question whether they have the right mindset to face a tournament tested Spartan squad.  They play an exciting brand of basketball more suited for the playground than the NCAA tournament.  It will be interesting to see how that translates into today's match-up with the Spartans.
They are VERY undisciplined and not only enjoy trash talking the opponent but each other. The Buckeyes lost to Tennessee more than the Vols beat them. Bruce Pearl is fun to talk to, but the lack of discipline on his team  has really painted a picture of why he hasn’t accomplished more at this point in his career.
There are three big keys to today’s game. Again, I won’t insult your intelligence with the usual predictions that carry about as much merit as the team with the most points will win. There are three big keys that will set this game apart.
#1 Transition defense. The Spartans have to get back and force the Vols to play a style they don’t like. This game is almost a mirror image of last year’s match up with Louisville. The Spartans were under matched athletically, but better prepared and coached.  When the Spartans forced the Cards to play their game, they won.
The same can be said for the Volunteers. This team that beat Kentucky and Kansas also had inexplicable losses to teams that played their game and forced their style upon them.  They aren’t disciplined and the Spartans are the masters of it. MSU will need to get back on D. The Vols will score, but the Spartans should be able to slow them down with much better defense than the Buckeyes displayed.
#2 Bring out the Windex. The Spartans are a defensive juggernaut. Again, the Vols will get some boards, but MSU won't let them run the ball down the court for quick baskets. If the Spartans hold the advantage on the glass, they can win. Rebounding is a stat nationally that the Spartans perennially own.  It is all about pride and discipline. It isn’t the sexy part of the game, but it is how teams win.
#3 Break the press. The Spartans have done a good job breaking the press this year. Korie Lucious has stepped up and played well. They will get some turnovers, but can they break the press and force the Vols to get frustrated with a lack of quick dunks and lay ups. The Vols will get frustrated and when they do they will make mistakes.
Intangibles…
There are two big ones. The first is the Spartan’s health. At some point they have to hit the wall emotionally and physically. This team is being held together with duct tape known as Izzo. He is 15-3 on the second game of an NCAA weekend and those three loses are only to number one seeds.
The second intangible is Izzo. This team finally is listening to him and trusting him. It took a while, but it was those signs that started to show AFTER the Minnesota loss in the Big Ten tournament that had me pick them to make the Final Four in the official Spartan Nation tournament challenge. It wasn’t a homer pick, but I also expected a healthy Izzo.
Having said that, he is a superior coach to Pearl and for the fourth straight game he will put on a clinic with the nation watching and be an X factor that will humiliate his opponent. Yes, he is that good.
I see the Izzo factor being the only reason to pick the Spartans. He has talked this team into believing that they just have to play their game. The Vols will score, but the Spartans will run when UT expects them to walk it up, and walk it up when they expect run. They will play with a defense first mentality and a toughness that the Vols aren’t used to.
I say make it MSU 67 and Tennessee 65. Can anyone say Final Four?
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