Tom Izzo and Michigan State have very little time to celebrate a first-round win over North Dakota State on Thursday night because the Spartans have another game in less than 48 hours.
Actually, it was less than 48 hours from the time Michigan State tipped off on Thursday evening.
According to an official announcement, Saturday’s Michigan State vs Louisville game will tip off at 2:45 p.m. ET in Buffalo with the winner moving on to the Sweet 16. Being one of the first games of the second round, Michigan State has a chance to be one of the first teams in the tournament to move on to the Sweet 16.
You can’t ask for much more in terms of tip times because Spartan fans will know pretty early on Saturday if they can enjoy the rest of their weekend. Better to play early on Thursday than the late game on Sunday. There’s nothing worse than waiting all weekend to see if your team advances.
Louisville won’t be a cakewalk, though.
The Cardinals held off a pesky South Florida team that was a popular upset pick by many fans and experts. Louisville pretty much controlled the game up until the final few minutes when the Bulls roared back and made things interesting. Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals survived, though.
That’s all you have to do in March.
Izzo told reporters shortly after the win over North Dakota State that he couldn’t wait to get back and watch some film until he can’t watch film anymore. He’s already turning his attention toward Louisville.
To me, that sounds like Michigan State is going to come out ready on Saturday.
Michigan State showed its potential on Thursday
All season, we’ve gotten a lot of good but also a lot of bad. There’s been far more good than bad, but the inconsistent play at the end of the regular season marred what was really an impressive year for a team that lost three starters and several key role players from a Big Ten title squad last season.
On Thursday, though, we saw one of the most complete performances in some time.
From basically the jump (OK, maybe about five minutes in), Michigan State controlled the tempo and the scoreboard reflected that. The Spartans built a 20-point halftime lead and then hit the cruise control button in the second half and only extended that lead over a 27-7 North Dakota State team.
The Summit League champs stood no chance against this version of the Spartans, and if Michigan State can play like this throughout the NCAA Tournament, you might want to look into hotels in Indianapolis. Like Izzo said, though, he wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan State won it all or lost in the first weekend. We’ll see if Thursday’s Spartans show up on Saturday.