|
|
 |
NCAA Basketball News | April 3, 2010
|
Halftime, Michagan State 28 Butler 28
By Andy Glockner
April 3, 2010
Halftime, MSU 28 Butler 28 — It's hard to decide whether Butler should be happy the game's tied or very disappointed they're not comfortably in the lead after holding MSU to just six points in the last nine minutes or so of the half. Foul trouble will be a very major concern in the second half. Matt Howard was limited to four minutes so far with two fouls. Veasley also has two for Butler. Raymar Morgan was also a non-factor and has three fouls and Roe and Chris Allen also have two apiece for the Spartans. Hard game to get a feel for. Hayward and Mack have exclusively carried the load for the Bulldogs. MSU flexed its deeper bench, but the tempo shouldn't trouble either team as far as fatigue. Hard contest to call at this point. On to some user questions ...
3:32, MSU 24 Butler 23 — Butler doing a much better job of disrupting the MSU offense. Coincidence that it occurs when Mike Kebler is spelling Lucious? The Bulldogs missed some decent looks to take the lead, though. Did not take advantage. Garrick Sherman breaks a 5:41 scoreless spell for MSU and then Hayward rains in another 3. Quite a player. Now, Willie Veasley picks up two quick fouls. MSU's depth is going to start to break Butler if the Bulldogs can't stop fouling inside.
7:26, MSU 22 Butler 20 — Morgan sees Howard's foolish foul trouble and raises him one, rendering himself useless with three fouls in the first 10 minutes. The depth of both teams could be tested if this continues; MSU has played 10 players already in the first 12 minutes. Meanwhile, MSU has 22 points against the vaunted Butler D. No way Butler wins if that scoring rate holds.
Summers has to work harder to find his shots, but the stroke still looks good. Butler is doing a fine job on the defensive glass, though. We'll see if they can maintain that.
11:02, MSU 18 Butler 14 — Raymar Morgan gets called for a second early foul and is replaced by the gimpy Delvon Roe. MSU has depth, but a lot of it is less than 100 percent, so Morgan foul trouble could be an issue. Butler seemingly having some early issues with ball handling/MSU's length and athleticism. Other than the two Gordon Hayward 3s, Butler's offense hasn't generated very much cleanly. A lot was made of the Bulldogs' offense coming in, but statistically, it's the weaker half of their team profile by far. Early on, MSU is winning the battles it needs to win. And there is a bad second foul for Howard. Really needless and not a smart play. The opening eight-plus minutes aren't favorable for Butler. If not for Hayward (10 points) carrying them, the Bulldogs could have been buried early, but they're still right in it.
15:51 mark (1st half), MSU 8 Butler 7 — Good early signs for both teams. MSU got an offensive rebound on its first possession and it led to a 3 for Korie Lucious, who then doubled his pleasure the next trip down, getting early offense from him before possible tiring could impact his jump shot.
Better sign for Butler: Hayward swishing his first two (wide-open) 3s. His perimeter shooting, a very capable part of his game but one in which he was very poor all season, is a huge X-factor in this one. Another early X-factor: Matt Howard picking up a cheap (and questionable) first foul. If Howard can't stay on the floor, Butler will have a hard time balancing their offense.
Pregame: Butler-Michigan State
Possible disaster scenario for MSU, with Lucious seemingly hobbled with an ankle issue. Doesn't look serious, but we'll see coming out of the timeout. An injury to Lucious would blow up all expectations of MSU's offense. Would Draymond Green then get to live the dream as the lead guard?
After a week of hype (and Bulldog feting), the Final Four is upon us. It should be a fascinating pair of contests that could yield any combination of teams advancing to Monday's title game.
The opener should be a test of wills and patience as both Butler and Michigan State are perfectly happy in slow, half-court slogs. Can the Bulldogs keep the long, deep MSU frontcourt off the glass. Will the loss of Kalin Lucas finally undermind the Spartans' attack? Will Tom Izzo have something up his sleeve for rising star Brad Stevens?
A lot of folks are billing the second game as the de facto national championship, but first things first. Can West Virginia win the rebounding duel with surprisingly big and physical Duke? Will Devin Ebanks' defense be the force that disrupts the Blue Devils' attack? Are we due for some more Da'Sean Butler buzzer-beating magic
• NCAA Basketball News Archive Index
• NCAA Basketball Tickets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
