Tom Izzo and Bo Ryan should get used to seeing one another, because their teams seem to keep crossing paths.
Thursday’s victory over Northwestern means that the Spartans will meet the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday night in the second round of the Big
Ten tournament.
This will be the third meeting between the two in less than two weeks,
with both winning on their home court.
But the Spartans may have a little redemption in their sights along
with building a stronger NCAA tournament resume.
Last Saturday in Madison, the Spartans battled their way to lead by two
points with 11.4 seconds to play.
But Kammron Taylor crushed the Spartans’ hopes of a season sweep of the
Badgers with a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in the game to give
his team a dramatic 52-50 victory on senior night.
Now the third meeting will decide the season series, with a chance at
the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament at stake.
But both teams seem to be mirrors of each other, often relying on one
dominating scorer to do the job.
Such was the case for the Badgers in last Saturday’s meeting with the
Spartans, as Tucker scored 26 points and was the only Badger in
double-figures.
Even Drew Neitzel got some much needed help on the scoreboard in that
game as Goran Suton scored 16 points on the night to go along with
Neitzel’s 22.
A key missing factor in that game for MSU was freshman Raymar Morgan,
who was battling the flu throughout the game, impeding his scoring and
contributions.
A much healthier Morgan scored 15 points against Northwestern in the
first round of the Big Ten tournament.
Morgan could be the difference for the Spartans this time around, but
while they gain a key player back, the Badgers find themselves having to
replace senior big-man and starter Brian Butch, who dislocated his
elbow late in the regular season against Ohio State.
Despite Taylor’s late heroics against MSU, his presence has been
limited in two games this season. He was held scoreless in MSU’s upset of the
Badgers in East Lansing while only scoring eight points in their last
meeting, including the big three-pointer.
While both teams appear to be locks for the NCAA tournament, both could
certainly benefit from a victory over the other, especially Michigan State.
Friday night’s game will be a dogfight to the end, with Neitzel and
Tucker stepping in for their respected teams. But the game could likely
come down to who can provide the secondary scoring to support their star
players.
Raymar Morgan or Kammron Taylor could both do it, or could someone else
step up and pull off a huge victory for their team?