The Final Four is officially upon us and Michigan State basketball is hoping for good luck as Saturday approaches. Will the Spartans win it all?
For the eighth time under Tom Izzo, Michigan State is headed to the Final Four. The Hall of Fame head coach is hoping for better luck than usual as he’s come out on top in just one of the previous seven trips.
A national title isn’t exactly easy to win when there are over 350 Division 1 programs, but Izzo feels as if he needs at least another title to ‘validate’ his career.
That’s fair for a Hall of Fame head coach but for many fans, he’s already done that. He does have his best chance in a while with Texas Tech and Auburn in their first-ever Final Fours and Virginia in its first since 1984. Could this be his most winnable Final Four to date?
Let’s get bold ahead of this weekend’s Final Four festivities.
5. Nick Ward looks like his old self
You have to feel bad for Nick Ward. The junior big man was a huge piece to the Spartans’ Big Ten title-winning puzzle, but was injured in a game against Ohio State and was forced to sit out the final four weeks leading up to the conference tournament.
Since his return, he hasn’t reached double figures in the scoring column. That’s seven games without reaching 10 points which isn’t normal for him.
Ward is still trying to gain his confidence back, both in his hand and mentally. His role with the team has changed as he’s coming off the bench while Xavier Tillman starts.
In the Final Four, he’ll be back to his old self as he’ll score in double figures and show some dominance down low again.
We will see the old Ward and that’ll be a sight for sore eyes when the Spartans faced Texas Tech on Saturday.