Michigan State struggled, but has recovered in time for UCLA

Southeast Region
#7 UCLA Bruins (22-10) vs #10 Michigan State Spartans (19-14)
Thursday, March 17
6:20 pm PDT
TV: TBS


Michigan State struggled, but has recovered in time for UCLA


By SCOTT REID
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: March 14, 2011
Updated: 10:26 p.m.


In guiding Michigan State to six Final Fours in 12 seasons, Tom Izzo has created a rallying point for a state that has had little else to celebrate in recent years.

No detail about the Spartans is too small, and so it was no surprise the local media timed how long it would take Michigan State hear its name called on the televised selection show Sunday.

If it was called at all.

Thirty-eight minutes into the program the Spartans, one of this season's most enigmatic teams, finally learned they would meet UCLA in the NCAA Tournament's Southeast Regional on Thursday in Tampa, Fla., extending Michigan State's string of consecutive NCAA appearances to 14.

In that agonizing half-hour plus at the end of the Spartans' long winter, Izzo had made his peace if another Michigan institution was to be shut down.

There would be no ranting news conference, no making the rounds on ESPN to whine about any NCAA snub.

"If we hadn't gotten in I would have had to accept it because we put ourselves in the position we were in," Izzo said.

Heading into the final month of the regular season, a Spartans team returning Kalin Lucas, the 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year, and eight players from a second consecutive Final Four appearance and ranked No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason poll stood 14-11 and billed as the biggest bust of the season.

"This team has had an incredible amount of pressure on them since the middle of January," Izzo said.

Injuries and the suspensions of starting guard Chris Allen and reserve guard Korie Lucious and a schedule that included games with three teams that would hold the No. 1 spot this winter led to a string of inconsistent performances.

Adding insult to injury was Izzo's one-game suspension for an NCAA violation related to his basketball camp employing a person connected to a potential recruit.

The Spartans finally turned their season around, winning five of their last eight including a 74-56 upset of No. 8 Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament. Still Izzo wasn't allowing himself to relax.

"I don't think there's any less pressure off us because I still think the expectations have been really high," he said. "And should be."