ESPN Men's Basketball

Michigan State forward Derrick Nix was one of the 2011-12 season’s great redemption stories. Last season, Nix was out of shape, little-used, and at risk of being kicked off the team entirely. This past fall, he returned to the team in the best shape of his life -- going from a “barely-fits-into-his-jersey” 314 pounds to a much trimmer and more physically imposing 267 -- and played a key reserve forward role as the Spartans returned to the top of the college hoops landscape.

And then he screwed up. On April 3, Nix was arrested in his car in East Lansing, Mich., on charges of operating a vehicle with the presence of drugs and marijuana possession. Nix was suspended indefinitely by coach Tom Izzo, and his immediate future appeared to be in doubt.

On Thursday, after the court process began to play out -- Nix pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving, while the marijuana possession charge has been dropped, and he’ll receive sentencing May 11 -- Izzo called a news conference to announce Nix’s reinstatement to the team. Nix apologized to his teammates, media and fans; he was contrite and likable, as Graham Couch wrote at MLive.com:

He’s a likable guy and, by every encounter and account, a decent guy — immature enough to almost throw away his promising basketball career, humble enough to know he couldn’t avoid a week of shame.

This giant of a 21-year-old was the reason we were packed in a room at Breslin Center on Thursday. And yet he began by introducing himself.

“Good afternoon, everybody. I’m Derrick.”

Then he said what I imagine most of us were thinking, at least from his perspective:

“I just want to say it’s embarrassing to even have this press conference right now.”

Despite the embarassment, the end result was positive. Izzo gave Nix another chance, reinstated him to the team, and promised rigorous oversight to come. And given the following quote, let me be clear: I would not want to be Derrick Nix right now:

“I am going to challenge him,” Izzo said after Nix issued a public apology Thursday. “I am going to definitely make life miserable for him, because I want him to be successful.”

Yeah, I have the feeling Nix is going to be running a lot of sprints in the days, weeks and months to come. But given the alternative -- dismissal, rejection, the loss of all Nix has worked toward in the past couple of seasons, and over a really dumb but ultimately forgivable decision -- Nix will surely take it. Given the trajectory of his career, there are worse fates than wind sprints.

PHOENIX -- When Louisville center Gorgui Dieng drained a 3-pointer in the first half of Louisville's 57-44 win over Michigan State here Thursday night -- the first made 3-pointer of his career, and just his second attempt all season -- he smiled. On the sideline, Cardinals coach Rick Pitino couldn't help but smile back.

Believe it or not, Pitino had seen this movie before.

"About a week ago in practice after it was over he kept shooting 3s," Pitino said. "I said, 'It looks pretty good, Gorgui.' He said 'Next year, I'm shooting a lot of 3s.' I said, 'No problem, as long as you make them.'

"When he made it, I said, 'I thought it was next year.' He just smiled. It was great."

Not that Dieng will have license to fire at will in the future, whether this season or next. But the story of Dieng's post-practice shooting sessions, just one more check box for the Senegalese player that seems to improve with every outing, is one of the main reasons Louisville can delay talk of "next year" for at least two more days.

Thanks to Dieng's nine rebounds and seven blocks (which tied the all-time UL tournament record held by Pervis Ellison), the Cardinals dominated top-seeded Michigan State on the defensive interior, setting a score of tourney records and superlatives along the way. The Spartans' 44 points were the fewest scored by any No. 1 seed in the shot-clock era. That point total and the 28.6 percent field-goal percentage were all-time tourney lows for MSU.

Thanks to a press that harried the Spartans, that wore them out and changed their style, Pitino is now a remarkable 10-0 all-time in the Sweet 16 -- the best record of any coach in the history of the tournament. And Michigan State, the West Region's clear Final Four favorite, ended its surprisingly successful season on an entirely uncharacteristic night.

"I think we ran out of gas a little bit -- emotionally, mentally and physically," MSU coach Tom Izzo said. "Louisville had the gas. They deserved to win."

"You know what our press does a lot of times? It just wears people out," Pitino said. "We didn't really want to trap them. We wanted to run and jump to get to the legs. ... Certain people we try to create steals or traps or rotate. Tonight we just tried to get into our zone, wear them out and neutralize the backboard."

That plan couldn't have worked out better for Pitino and his team. The Cardinals' pressure was never overwhelming on any specific occasion, and more often than not the Spartans were able to get into the half court with minimal issue. But the constant pressure clearly made Michigan State uncomfortable.

The Spartans finished the game with a 24.7 percent turnover rate. But it was their shooting -- a 33.7 percent effective field-goal percentage, a 5-for-21 mark beyond the 3-point arc (and how many of those shots missed even the rim?) and a staggeringly low 22.2 percent offensive rebounding rate -- that truly caused a team averaging nearly 1.17 points per possession this season to score just 0.72 on Thursday night.

Indeed, it wasn't just the pressure, or a matter of winning the purported size-vs.-speed matchup. It was all-court defensive solidity, usually by way of a stifling 2-3 zone. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Cardinals played zone on 45 of Michigan State's 48 possessions, holding Draymond Green & Co. to a mere 22.2 percent shooting in the zone.

It came from everywhere. Dieng's shot-blocking and interior defense utterly erased MSU big men Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix from the game. (Nix's constant combinations of head fakes never remotely fooled Dieng. He stood, waited and repelled Nix with ease.) Peyton Siva, Russ Smith and Chris Smith applied the perimeter pressure.

And freshman Chane Behanan did much to eliminate the matchup problems caused by the multitalented Green. His nine rebounds -- five of which were defensive -- were the perfect complement to Dieng on the glass. His offense, which came mostly on efficient (and impressively patient) interior shots, provided a handful of key baskets throughout the second half. And his three steals helped seal the game in the final minutes.

Behanan's matchup was Green; he was a freshman facing off against the Big Ten player of the year, one of the nation's most experienced players. And he won.

"I respect him a lot," Behanan said. "I've watched him play this game, and I really love the way he plays. ... But it felt good [to play well] against him."

From the inside out, Louisville was -- well, pick your adjective. Smothering. Stifling. Twitchy. Ruthless. Anything positive you can say about a defensive effort, say it about this one. Team defensive efforts don't come more comprehensive than this.

And Dieng, the sophomore from Senegal, was always at its heart -- literally and figuratively.

Asked to describe Dieng's performance, Behanan was succinct.

"Lottery pick," he said. "He played like he wanted to get drafted tonight."

Dieng does want to get drafted: According to his coach, it was the first goal Dieng stated when he arrived at the program as a freshman last season. Pitino said he promised Dieng he would "drive him like [he'd] never been driven before."

"My freshman year I was complaining a lot," Dieng said. "I said he worked me so hard, I'm tired, my legs hurt. I thank him for that, [because] he changed my whole mentality. He made me tougher. He teach me [what] this game can do in your life."

Maybe that's why Dieng wanted to get that 3-pointer up Thursday night, maybe that's why he took a break from swatting Spartans' shots to do his best Kuric impression: If he keeps playing like this, he may not have a "next year" at the college level.

But that's a concern for another time. For now, Pitino's perfect Sweet 16 record remains intact and, thanks to a Dieng-led defense, on the verge of a trip to the Final Four. The Cardinals aren't pretty, but after seven wins in a row -- including four in a Big East tourney title run -- their defense, their knack for timely 3s and their legendary coach make them one of the most fearsome teams in the country.

In other words, your favorite team doesn't want to play Louisville right now.

Who would?

PHOENIX -- A little over a month ago -- still weeks before Louisville ran off its six-game postseason winning streak, which includes a Big East tournament title and a spot in the Sweet 16 -- coach Rick Pitino gave his then-struggling point guard, Peyton Siva, a bit of visual homework.

The assignment: Watch Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash.

Watch the two-time NBA MVP work possessions. Watch him change the pace and speed of his approach. Watch him keep his dribble alive at all times, even when seemingly every option had broken down. Watch him circle under the rim, watch him play every angle, watch him reload and reassess when nothing came. Watch him attack again.

"One of the reasons why Peyton was struggling is he's so fast, he plays at one pace," Pitino said Wednesday. "I wanted him to start to change his pace, and also, if he didn't have anything, continue dribbling out in a circle and take another opportunity -- and nobody does that better than Steve Nash.

"Anytime you show them a great basketball player, they love to emulate that."

No one would confuse Siva for the Suns legend just yet, but the results of the film session are hardly in dispute. In the past month, Siva has elevated his game, boosted a lackluster offense, and led his team -- which lost four of its first six Big East games, then another four of six beginning in mid-February -- to the US Airways Center, the stage upon which Nash displays his nightly brilliance.

"Growing up he was one of my favorite players to watch," Siva said. "Coach P really had me watch more film on him and how he kept his dribble alive. It really helped me out by not forcing things and getting in trouble or making jump error passes. And it really helped me out probing the court, giving other guys open looks, and seeing the whole court a little better."

The question now, of course, is whether Siva's late-blooming improvement will be enough to key the Cardinals past the No. 1-seeded Michigan State Spartans in the first game in Phoenix (7:47 p.m. ET). If Louisville is going to keep pace with the West favorites, Siva will have to dictate the tone of the game on the offensive end, where the Cards -- who ranked No. 13 in the Big East in points per possession this season -- will be facing the nation's third-ranked efficiency defense, per KenPom.com.

Siva's play at the point of attack, where he often works off high-ball screens before cannonballing himself into the lane, will be crucial: According to Synergy Sports Technology scouting data, nearly 40 percent of Siva's offensive possessions come as the ball handler in pick-and-rolls, and the Spartans are allowing a staggeringly low .059 points per trip on such plays, one of the best marks in the country.

There are other matchups to consider, of course: How does Gorgui Dieng guard the rim against not only Draymond Green but Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix, a trio that dominates the boards on both ends of the floor? For that matter, who matches up with Green, Tom Izzo's hyperversatile star? Asked about the issues Green presents at "his position," Pitino conceded that he didn't have a ready-made answer.

"Well, that's just it, 'his position' -- I'm not sure what his position is," Pitino said "If they need somebody to run a pick-and-roll, if they need a post-up, if they need a guy to take you off the bounce, he does that. He's about the most complete player in college basketball in terms of all phases of the game."

The Cardinals have one major trump card, one area in which they actually rank ahead of Michigan State on a per-possession basis: defense. Louisville's defense is the second-stingiest in the country this season, and not only because it holds opposing shooters to the third-worst effective field goal percentage in the nation. The Cards also force turnovers, and lots of them.

"They're scrappy," Michigan State guard Keith Appling said. "They're going to force a lot of turnovers. We're going to have to keep our composure and get into our offense as fast as we can."

Which, again, comes back to Siva -- not just on the offensive end, but in how he sets the tone on defense, whether he creates turnovers and fast-break opportunities for UL. As Pitino prepares to face off with a similarly brilliant tactician in Izzo (the two last met in the tournament in 2009, when MSU knocked off the top-seeded Cardinals in the Elite Eight), and against a team whose only clear weakness is its tendency to turn the ball over, it's clear that Siva's all-court play will hold the key.

"We got our guys to this point by pressing and running, and we're not going to change because the other team may be a little better on the backboard and try to take possessions away," Pitino said. "So we're going to run with them. They're the better backboard team. But we're going to make it that type of basketball game. We do not want to play slow against Michigan State."

Who to watch

Louisville's Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan: The Cardinals will be pressuring constantly, no doubt, but if Michigan State does break the press and get into its offense, UL will be at a severe disadvantage on the interior. Dieng is the lone Louisville player with the size and length to make life difficult for Payne, Nix and Green inside, but at 6-foot-7, Behanan might be the best chance Louisville has of matching a quality rebounder with the athleticism to guard Green on the perimeter. That's a lot to ask of a freshman in his first Sweet 16, but it may be Louisville's best hope of keeping pace on the glass.

Michigan State's Keith Appling and Travis Trice: Appling, Trice and Brandon Wood form the core of the Spartans' underrated backcourt, but how will this trio handle Louisville's relentless defense? Wood has kept his turnovers to a relative minimum this season (his turnover rate is a mere 14.1 percent), but together, Appling and Trice average a turnover rate of 22.1 percent. If MSU has any true vulnerabilities -- and this has been a constant under Izzo in recent seasons, even among his best teams -- this is it. That's music to Pitino's ears, and it makes Appling's and Trice's roles as the primary backcourt ball handlers especially crucial.

What to watch

Simply put? Size versus speed. Take it away, Coach Izzo ...

"Seeing [the pressure] on film and hearing it from a coach or hearing it from another player, and all of a sudden getting in one of those traps and having to get the ball out is a little different," Izzo said. "So we try to do what we can do. But we have played a million different styles. That's not going to be an excuse for this team. We're going to take care of the ball and make some shots and make sure that our defense doesn't let them get a lot of layups and make some shots -- or we're not. And I think that's what the game is going to come down to.

"They've got to handle our physical size inside and we've got to handle their pressure outside. That's what basketball is about, is the matchups, and who exploits whose, and who plays better against whose strengths will probably determine the winner."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Before he wiped the floor -- he actually grabbed the sweeper from a ball boy in the final minutes of Michigan State’s 65-61 victory over Saint Louis on Sunday at Nationwide Arena to erase a wet spot -- Draymond Green cleaned up the locker room.

Since the Spartans reached Nationwide Arena last week, they’d hinted at past distress. They were even instructed not to discuss the 2010-11 season. Senior guard Austin Thornton admitted, however, that “guys had minds elsewhere,” during one news conference.

The cause behind that fall from back-to-back Final Fours to a one-and-done program in the 2011 NCAA tournament wasn’t as simple as injuries and a bad night. The Spartans had issues.

But Green’s leadership eliminated yesteryear’s drama and fueled the team’s run to the Sweet 16.

In one crucial play against the Billikens, this squad illustrated its renewed bond and his role in it.

With three minutes to go, Tom Izzo gave Green the ball. He’d struggled to get comfortable in the paint in the second half -- proof that Rick Majerus still has it -- so Izzo told his 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward (everything?) to run point.

“I did go up to him and I said, 'Look, I’m going to put the ball in your hands the last three minutes because we can’t get it to you down low, but you’ve got to make good decisions,'" Izzo said.

Green scored 16 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and recorded 2 steals.

But his greatest moment came after Izzo turned him into a point guard. The Billikens had cut Michigan State’s 11-point lead midway through the second half to two with 3:18 to go on Kwamain Mitchell’s layup.

Green nailed a 15-footer. Then, he blocked Cory Remekun’s shot on the other end. And on his team’s next possession, he channeled Magic Johnson.

He drove toward the rim in traffic. And as a national-player-of-the-year candidate and the best player on the floor, he had every right to take that shot.

But Green is a star who doesn’t care about that status. He had a greater goal in mind.

Instead, he moved toward the bucket, drew Billikens and found Keith Appling wide open in the corner.

Appling connected on the 3-pointer and put the Spartans ahead 58-51 with 1:37 remaining on the game clock, one of his six assists on Sunday.

Prior to that play, Green had encouraged Appling to get loose.

“We got in the huddle in one of our timeouts, Draymond instilled some confidence in me, told me I was a 41 percent 3-point shooter last year, so shoot the ball,” Appling said.

Green was actually the first option on that critical sequence, but deferred to his teammate.

“All night, I was begging him to shoot, too,” he said.

Late free throws sealed Michigan State’s trip to the Sweet 16, where it will face Louisville in Phoenix. But Green’s continued emphasis on unity ensured that this program would not unravel in the clutch moments it navigated against Saint Louis.

On Twitter, some commented that Green’s decision to wipe up the floor late in the game was an example of the senior “trying too hard” to show off his leadership and selflessness.

An entire locker room of young men who call him a brother would disagree.

Travis Trice said he admires Green because he invites the team’s freshmen over to his house in East Lansing, Mich. It’s not a random occurrence but a consistent effort by Green to include everyone in the program.

One staffer said Green just “gets it.” He shows up early for meetings. He treats the trainers -- not just his teammates and coaches -- with respect.

Derrick Nix said Green's dish to Appling showcased that humility. His teammate makes those plays often, Nix said, because he’s interested in the success of the entire program, not his own numbers.

“Draymond’s one of those pass-first guys. Little do a lot of people know, he’s going to pass it before he takes a shot because he’s so unselfish when he should be selfish at times,” Nix said.

The same man who’s helped the Spartans connect on and off the floor with his personality is the same person who will jump on a player if he’s out of order.

“Barking,” players called it during the NCAA tournament.

At halftime Sunday, players argued over the effort level in the first half. Green was vocal during the exchange.

“He is our head on this team, him and Keith," Nix said. "If it’s something going on, they’re going to know about it and address it."

Players accept Green’s praise and criticism because they respect him.

It’s easy to see why.

As much as he oozes confidence, Green admitted that he’s prone to mistakes. He’s not the perfect player/kid/friend/son/teammate he appears to be.

He said the pressures of garnishing attention for earning Big Ten player-of-the-year honors and being mentioned as a candidate for national honors were tough to handle.

“I still have times where I struggle and I go in to Coach behind closed doors and talk to him," Green said. "Nobody may know about it. My teammates may not know about it."

It’s that genuine persona and vulnerability that have anchored Michigan State’s undeniable chemistry.

Yes, Green is one of the best players in America. But according to those around him, his leadership is equally significant for the program and its potential to reach New Orleans.

“If he wanted to he could go off and say, 'Screw you guys, I’m going to get my numbers. I’m going to do what I can to get my numbers,'” Thornton said. “He sacrifices to make the team better.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Taking a look at Sunday's games in Columbus.

No. 11 NC State (23-12) vs. No. 3 Georgetown (24-8), 12:15 p.m. ET

NC State is an 11-seed and Georgetown is a 3-seed. But Sunday’s matchup at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, doesn’t feel like a 3/11 game.

The Wolfpack have the length and athleticism to challenge a Georgetown team that enjoys the same tools and uses them to its advantage, too.

C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell just attacked and attacked against undersized San Diego State as NC State scored the “upset” against the Aztecs on Friday. Lorenzo Brown shot well from outside with SDSU’s bigs trying to close up the lane.

The Wolfpack were dominant. But they also had a clear size advantage in that matchup.

That won’t be the case against Georgetown, a team that utilizes 6-foot-10 Henry Sims and 6-8 Otto Porter in the frontcourt. The Hoyas have the top 3-point defense in America. Jason Clark is a versatile guard who carved up Belmont.

Georgetown showcased its versatility in its win over Belmont. The Hoyas went to a zone that frustrated one of the top 3-point shooting teams in America.

They can throw multiple defensive looks at the Wolfpack. They can go man-to-man because they have the size, or they can revert to that tough zone.

Georgetown beat NC State 82-67 last season, when the Hoyas separated from a young Wolfpack team with a 15-0 run in the second half. The Wolfpack made just 23.5 percent of their 3-point attempts in that game.

This season, the Wolfpack are ranked 82^nd in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted tempo ratings. Georgetown is 299^th. NC State’s players said Georgetown’s ability to control the speed of the game affected the outcome last year.

“I know the one thing I can remember, it was very frustrating playing them, because they’re the type of team who doesn’t want to score 80 or 90 points,” Howell said. “They don’t want to get up and down the floor. They just want to play a very slow, a very slow-paced game. That’s something we don’t want to do. We want to get up and down.”

The Hoyas resent the notion that they can’t run, but they also recognize the role that tempo could play in Sunday’s game.

“They have pretty much the same players on the team. They’re a very athletic team,” Clark said. “They like to get out and score in transition. They’re a very good team.”

No. 9 Saint Louis (26-7) vs. No. 1 Michigan State (28-7), 30 minutes after Game 1

You don’t need the actual scouting reports to know Saint Louis’ game plan against Michigan State. The Billikens, ranked 304^th in Pomeroy’s tempo ratings, want to make the Spartans play slower than their norm.

But it’s more complicated than that, which is why the matchup between the two guys on the sidelines takes precedence.

This is Saint Louis vs. Michigan State, but it’s also Rick Majerus vs. Tom Izzo.

Majerus has amassed a 517-215 record and made 12 NCAA tourney appearances. He led Utah to the NCAA title game in 1998, the highlight of a head-coaching career that started at Marquette during the 1983-84 season.

Izzo was a longtime assistant under Jud Heathcote before taking over the program during the 1995-96 campaign. He has a 384-161 record. He won the national title in 2000 and he’s reached the Final Four six times.

This is a matchup of two of the top coaches in the game. Both Izzo and Majerus showcased their acumen during round of 64 victories in Columbus.

The Spartans didn’t impose their will in the first half against LIU-Brooklyn the way they could have and led by just five points at the break.

Izzo said he was disappointed the Spartans didn’t take great shots early in that game. He scolded his squad for not sticking to the game plan and attacking inside. The Spartans responded with an impressive effort after halftime.

Izzo has molded this program into one of the most focused and connected teams in the country, one that’s capable of reaching New Orleans.

But Majerus is a master game-planner, too.

By Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after his team’s win over Memphis in the second round, Majerus seemed capable of writing a thesis about Green and his teammates.

“I can beat Rick. I can get him up and down the court for sure,” Izzo joked. “The job he does with his team, his teams are always tough, well-disciplined. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They don’t beat themselves. They’re very solid and fundamental. And the post players are as fundamental as anybody in the country.”

Memphis, the Billikens' first-round opponent on Friday, was supposed to have the same advantages in size and athleticism that Michigan State appears to have entering Sunday’s game. That didn’t matter when Saint Louis and Memphis took the floor, though. Saint Louis slowed the game down and didn’t panic when the Tigers took an eight-point lead midway through the second half.

Kwamain Mitchell hit big shots. Brian Conklin proved that a 6-6, 235-pound forward can hold his own in the paint against a more athletic, longer opponent.

But Michigan State has beef in the post that Memphis lacked. Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne have stepped up in the postseason.

Majerus, however, faced similar circumstances Friday and came out on top.

The former Utah coach’s experience will play a role in Sunday’s matchup. He’s one of the best in the business at breaking down opponents and finding their weaknesses.

He’ll try to do it again against a coach that he respects.

“I respect Izzo because he’s a self-made coach. He was with Heathcote all those years. He’s demanding. He’s fair,” Majerus said. “His players really like him. And he loves the game. He’s a guy that you could get together with and talk ball.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fun continues at Nationwide Arena on Friday night with an appearance by a 1-seed and an 8-9 matchup featuring two squads that play opposing styles. Memphis is fast. St. Louis is slow. Which style will dictate the tempo? Michigan State is relying on its new chemistry as it enters a game against Long Island.

No. 9 Saint Louis (25-7) vs. No. 8 Memphis (26-8), 6:50 p.m. ET

If Rick Majerus’ demeanor was any reflection of his team’s mood entering its Friday matchup against Memphis, the Billikens will be in good shape. He drew laughs for the bulk of his news conference and appeared to be quite relaxed.

Majerus cracked jokes about Twitter: “I can’t see this Twitter thing … you know, 'Just went to the beach, the water was wet.' You know, I mean, it’s like what is that?”

Majerus also talked about a recent health situation in which he mixed up his medication and missed a game as a result: “And so I’m sitting there, and of course they want you to go to the hospital. And they’re saying, ‘Well, what pills did you mix up?’ I said I wasn’t trying to, you know ... the team hadn’t been playing that bad that I wanted to go south, you know.”

His players seemed just as serene as they talked about their tough matchup against the Tigers, a team that’s ranked 19th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings and 11th in adjusted defensive efficiency.

They’re one of the fastest teams in the country and can run with anyone.

And that’s what the Billikens want to stop. St. Louis is one of slowest teams in the country (No. 303 in adjusted tempo). It hopes to use its rugged style to its advantage when it faces Memphis.

“It’s definitely going to be getting more guys back and getting kind of packed in the lane and then building out from there,” said St. Louis standout Brian Conklin (13.9 points per game). “So definitely going to stop their early transition and make sure they use all 35 seconds of the shot clock, and we have to box out.”

The Billikens have one of the top defenses in the country (No. 10 in Pomeroy’s ratings). Their slow tempo didn’t stop them from finishing second in the Atlantic 10.

But the Tigers are a special group with elite athleticism. They have weapons in every spot. Will Barton, Joe Jackson and Tarik Black anchor a team that’s shooting 49.4 percent from the field, fifth in the nation.

And now they’ve reached a point where players have accepted their roles, which has led a new level of chemistry for this talented group that says it’s ready for the Billikens.

“They’re a solid team. They play as one. They’re not a team that’s going to shoot themselves in the foot. They don’t turn the ball over much,” Black said. “They have good players.”

No. 1 Michigan State (27-7) v. No. 16 LIU Brooklyn (25-8), 9:20 p.m. ET

They all laughed at the question.

During their press conference Thursday, Michigan State’s Draymond Green, Austin Thornton and Keith Appling snickered when asked about the changes from last year’s team.

“Well, it was funny. We did all kind of laugh because we were instructed not to talk about last year,” Thornton admitted.

Last year was an abrupt change from the program’s two previous seasons.

The 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons ended with Final Four appearances. Last year’s campaign ended with a second-round loss to UCLA.

The summer before the 2010-11 season saw various team members undergo six major surgeries. But Thornton suggested that the problems extended beyond injuries.

“So a lot of things in the last couple years, especially even last year, just guys had minds elsewhere. It wasn’t entirely focused on the success of this program, and that’s what is different and what’s special about this year’s team,” he said. “Everyone bought in and understands what’s best for them is what’s best for this program and is what’s led to the success we had this year.”

The Spartans will need that bond to help them get through a region that features a variety of athletic teams. Missouri, Florida, Memphis, Marquette and Murray State make the West region one of the most competitive in the field.

“I think the advantage is everything’s almost similar," said All-America candidate Green. "So where some nights in the NCAA tournament you may go from playing against somebody who just may run a Princeton-style offense and then the next night to maybe playing someone who hardly runs any offense or just run all motion or they really run and gun for the most part.”

First, however, the Spartans have to take care of LIU Brooklyn, a team that won the Northeast Conference tournament.

The Blackbirds have some skill inside with Julian Boyd (a 6-foot-7 forward averaging 17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds) and Jamal Olasewere (a 6-7 forward averaging 16.8 points, 7.5 rebounds).

That duo has to avoid foul trouble for the Blackbirds to have a chance at the upset.

“I feel like every game this year, if me and Julian [are] on the bench, it will hurt this team,” Olasewere said. “So going into this one, with I guess, the style of play … physical, we have to just play with our hands straight up and try hard not to foul.”

The Spartans are one of the most physical teams in the country. They average 38 rebounds per game. Green, Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix will defend the glass and attack in the post.

But they also have talented perimeter players such as Appling and Brandon Wood.

In the tournament, however, anything is possible.

On Thursday, UNC Asheville came close to becoming the first-ever 16-seed to beat a 1-seed when it pushed Syracuse for 40 minutes. But Blackbirds coach Jim Ferry doesn’t think UNC Asheville’s effort did his team any favors.

“That’s not very good for the Blackbirds, because if Michigan State was looking away a little bit that might have woken them up a little bit,” he said.

The first obstacle for a team facing the Spartans doesn’t involve points per possession or field goal percentage defense. It’s a toughness issue.

The Spartans can bully teams with their brawn. Draymond Green & Co. have embraced Tom Izzo’s philosophy on physicality (38.0 rebounds per game), a mentality that this program lacked last season. Every time that the Spartans have had a No. 1 seed, they’ve reached the Final Four. So their opponents can’t be intimidated by their legacy or their muscle.

They’re not losing without a fight. The teams that shy away from that kind of scrappy basketball won’t have a chance against Michigan State.

But the Spartans were vulnerable in the Big Ten tournament and during the season due to periods of imbalance. They’re a complete team. And the Spartans are bigger than Green.

But when he struggles, it affects the entire squad. The Spartans overcame a two-point first half by the All-America candidate and managed to beat the Badgers in the Big Ten tournament semifinals Saturday. But if Austin Thornton hadn’t hit back-to-back-to-back 3s in the first half, the Spartans would have lost that game. Same thing happened when Michigan State nearly lost to Minnesota a few weeks ago. Green struggled in the second half of that matchup, too. And the lowly Gophers were minutes away from a major upset.

The occasional imbalance works two ways. Sometimes Green (16.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game) is on and everyone else is struggling. That happened when the Spartans lost to Indiana on Feb. 28. Green had 29 points; the rest of the squad combined for 26.

I think Michigan State has a supporting cast that’s capable of complementing Green whether he’s on or he’s off. But the Spartans are a better team when multiple players contribute and they spread the offensive load.

And that’s a more difficult task with talented freshman Branden Dawson MIA due to a torn ACL.

The Spartans don’t have many flaws. They’re tough. They play great defense (No. 3 in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings). And with Izzo on the sideline, they’re always dangerous in the postseason.

But they’ll fall if they don’t get consistent contributions from Green’s teammates. Even if he excels, the Spartans will need Brandon Wood, Keith Appling and Derrick Nix to produce. They don’t have a Scottie Pippen. The responsibility will fall on multiple players.

I think squads will also focus on pressuring Appling. As a team, the Spartans averaged 14.8 turnovers per game in seven losses. Appling has recorded 14 turnovers in the team’s last six games.

The Spartans have had moments when they’ve slipped into a one-man-band mentality. The start of their conference tournament victory over Wisconsin exemplified that. They were lost as Green tried to shake his funk.

Opponents will do what they can with Green, but forcing other guys to become playmakers in the NCAA tourney could lead to a Spartans downfall if those contributors struggle the way they have at times this season.

Green is an amazing athlete. But that could be a curse for this squad in March if the Spartans rely on him too often.

What if?

What if Tom Crean brings this team to the NCAA tournament? What if he can produce this effort beyond the walls of Assembly Hall?

Indiana roughed up the Big Ten’s bully, Michigan State, on Tuesday night during a 70-55 victory in the noteworthy venue.

The Hoosiers topped the Buckeyes at Assembly Hall on New Year’s Eve. And No. 1 Kentucky took a loss there in December, the only blemish on its résumé.

Hoosiers. Assembly Hall. Special.

This Indiana team has defeated three top-five squads at home this season, the third team to accomplish that feat over the past 10 years. The last Indiana team that equaled that achievement was the 1975-76 edition that went undefeated.

Since that Dec. 31 victory over the Buckeyes, however, the Hoosiers have vacillated between potency and perplexity. The latter often involved a road trip.

Crean’s squad finished with a 3-6 mark in Big Ten road games this season. Since the start of the Big Ten season, Indiana has been a different team outside Assembly Hall.

Against the Spartans on Tuesday, the Hoosiers once again confirmed they’re talented enough to contend with any team in America. They beat Michigan State, even though Big Ten player of the year favorite Draymond Green scored 29 points and went 10-for-17 from the floor. The rest of his team, however, shot 10-for-34.

Indiana forced 13 Michigan State turnovers and shot 48 percent from the field. In the victories over Kentucky, Ohio State and Michigan State at Assembly Hall, it forced 46 turnovers combined. It hit 45 percent of its shots (75-for-165 combined in three games). And never backed down.

But that’s not the team Crean has taken on the road this season.

The Road Hoosiers struggled at Penn State. They lost at Nebraska. They scored 50 points at Wisconsin, 56 points at Michigan. And after beating Iowa 103-89 on Jan. 29, the Road Hoosiers suffered a 78-66 loss against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Feb. 19.

With a victory, Michigan State had a chance to win the Big Ten title outright and continue on its path toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

But Cody Zeller (18 points) & Co. (four Indiana teammates also recorded double figures) stopped that momentum.

It was another impressive victory for the Hoosiers. But I’m still not convinced their Assembly Hall magic will be duplicated on neutral floors in March.

If Crean, however, can get this team to play with the same fire it’s had at Assembly Hall this season once the NCAA tournament begins, Indiana will be one of the most dangerous teams in the field.

That’s if ...

What if?

What if Draymond Green has to do it alone? What if his supporting cast abandons him again?

Green looked like the undisputed Big Ten player of the year Tuesday in defeat. He scored 16 points in the first half, and finished with 29 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 turnovers.

His overall effort was impressive as usual. But where was everyone else?

Green was the only Michigan State player to hit double figures.

At times, he forced shots. Not surprising, because he didn’t have a reliable sidekick when he needed one.

Green cannot do this alone.

Yes, Tom Izzo’s team has Final Four potential. No, it won’t reach New Orleans unless it gets consistent contributions from the players surrounding Green.

Keith Appling went 2-for-6 (6 points). Branden Dawson went 1-for-3 (3 points). Brandon Wood went 0-for-5. Derrick Nix went 2-for-7 (5 points).

That won’t cut it in March. The Spartans know that.

When they beat Ohio State on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Appling, Green and Adreian Payne all recorded double figures. When they defeated Wisconsin in East Lansing, Mich., five days later, Green and Appling recorded 20 points apiece and Nix added 12.

Appling has been the No. 2 guy for the bulk of the season, but he’s recorded single digits in three of his past four games. Dawson has the talent to be THE GUY in March. Nix and Wood have the prerequisite experience.

It just has to be someone.

If Tuesday’s game proved anything, it’s that Michigan State is a team that won’t function well in March if Green alone excels.

It’s not time to make brash assessments of Michigan State based on one game. This is a very solid team. And let me repeat, I think the Spartans have the goods to reach New Orleans.

But I know they won’t get there with the kind of imbalanced effort they produced against Indiana.

Green will need help in the NCAA tournament. And he will need it every night.

Saturday afternoon transitioned into Saturday night as smoothly as Kentucky transitions from an Anthony Davis block to the fast break. In the process, we saw Michigan State defend like crazy at Ohio State, Creighton take a beatdown by Wichita State and the aforementioned Wildcats again assert their dominance, this time at Vanderbilt. That and more in the evening edition of What We Learned.

[Editor's note: For recaps of all the afternoon games, click here.]

No. 12 Michigan State 58, No. 3 Ohio State 48: As far back as August, Tom Izzo -- in typical Izzonian fashion -- proclaimed far and wide how much he loved his team. Not necessarily because he knew the Spartans would be good or because he knew they would keep getting better (although he often seemed to assume as much), but because this Michigan State team, perhaps more than any other in recent years, does the two things Izzo seems to value most: It rebounds. It defends.

The Spartans began Saturday allowing the fourth-fewest points per possession in the country (adjusted, per Ken Pomeroy). They also ranked in the top 10 in both relevant rebounding categories, chasing down 39.9 percent of their misses on offense and yielding second chances on just 26.1 percent of opponents' possessions. Throw in the focused vocal leadership of forward Draymond Green, the back-from-the-dead reclamation of Derrick Nix, one of the toughest point guards in the country in Keith Appling and a batch of dedicated supporting pieces, and, well, no wonder Izzo loves this team. Compared to last season's incoherent, apathetic bunch, he must occasionally feel like he's coaching an entirely different game.

For as consistently as Michigan State has demonstrated those qualities throughout this season, never have they been more clear than Saturday night. Izzo's team held the third-ranked Buckeyes -- in Columbus, mind you -- to a mere .75 points per trip. How? How do you stop a team with so many weapons, with one of the best forwards in the country anchoring it all, in a building where it has won 39 in a row? The Spartans know how: You scrap. You claw. You fight. You make everything difficult for that team's best player. You frustrate him at every turn.

Jared Sullinger was, of course, the focal point of MSU's defensive strategy, and it worked. Sullinger still scored 17 points and grabbed 16 boards, but he needed a 5-of-15 performance to get there, and he committed 10 turnovers in the process. (The 17-16-10 is the first turnover-laden triple-double of the college basketball season, per ESPN Stats & Info. Former Buck Evan Turner had two of them in his final season. The Evan Turner Special lives!) Sullinger was noticeably frustrated throughout the game, arguing for fouls (sometimes rightly, oftentimes wrongly) and forcing shots into the teeth of State's interior defense, anchored brilliantly by forward Adreian Payne (who was also 6-of-6 from the field).

The performance reminded me of Ohio State's loss to Kentucky in last season's Sweet 16, when UK forward Josh Harrellson harassed and harangued Sullinger into a performance far below his usual standards. Harrellson was one of the few players in the country with the size and strength to hold his ground against Sully's girth. Nearly a year later, Payne and Nix demonstrated the same abilities. It's a testament to Sullinger's ability that he still grabbed 16 rebounds, eight of them offensive, but every putback was challenged, every touch contested, every dribble met with reaching slaps.

Sullinger didn't get much help from his teammates. William Buford and Deshaun Thomas combined to shoot 4-of-24 (!!), Aaron Craft was 3-of-7, and all told, the Buckeyes shot 2-of-15 from beyond the arc and 26 percent overall -- its third-worst shooting performance of the past 15 years. Yikes.

The Spartans weren't great on offense (.91 points per trip). Ohio State's defense is its best quality, and the Buckeyes were again good on that end of the floor. But Michigan State didn't have to light it up to get this victory. When you defend this well, when you execute your defensive game plan this perfectly, when you thoroughly dominate one of the nation's elite teams in its own building, you don't have to put up points in bunches to get the job done. No team in the country this season has posted 40 minutes of defense this strong against a team this good.

So, yeah, Tom Izzo loves this team. Can you blame him?

No. 1 Kentucky 69, Vanderbilt 63: You have to hand it to the Commodores: They didn't go away.

That's the biggest positive Kevin Stallings' team can draw from this loss. From the opening tip, UK's brilliant defense was again, well, brilliant. As late as the 4:42 mark in the first half, Vanderbilt had scored just 13 points. The Commodores finished the first half with a whopping 23 as Kentucky led by 13. Terrence Jones was engaged. Anthony Davis was dominant. As it has so often in the past three weeks, John Calipari's team appeared ready to roll to another very impressive SEC victory. Ho and hum.

Then, only a few moments into the second half, things just sort of ... opened up. The Dores not only started finding open shots, they started making them. Brad Tinsley, Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins came alive on the perimeter, while Festus Ezeli started finishing things down low. Soon -- almost before you knew it -- what "GameDay" host Rece Davis called Kentucky's "aura of invincibility" fell away. By the 8:26 mark in the second half, the Commodores led 55-51, the culmination of a 32-17 run.

They would score just eight more points the rest of the game. No one could have known it at the time, but Tinsley's jumper at the 4:09 mark would be Vanderbilt's last bucket of the day. Just as soon as VU had opened the game with solid man offense, crisp passing and accurate shooting, Kentucky shut it down. Davis recorded four blocks in the final seven minutes of the game; he finished with seven total. One of the major themes of the broadcast was Calipari's stated desire to see his team challenged, to see how it would respond. The Wildcats were. Vanderbilt kept swinging. Kentucky took Vandy's best punch. It absorbed a combo or two. And then, as all great fighters do, it emerged stronger and stronger as the game wore on. If Calipari wanted to see how his team would react to a challenge, he had to be thrilled with the result.

Kentucky played a solid, experienced team. It played said solid, experienced team in said team's unique building, with its weird sight lines and elevated court and baseline benches. It did so in front of a crowd that had spent all day goosed by "GameDay," hyped for the glorious chance at knocking off No. 1, something this school has done six times over the years. It didn't matter. Kentucky went 3-of-14 from 3. And it still emerged unscathed.

If Christian Watford's last-second shot doesn't fall in Assembly Hall on Dec. 10 -- back when Kentucky was still figuring things out -- the Cats are undefeated and we're talking less about this sudden surge of brilliance than whether UK could make it to the NCAA tournament with an unbeaten record. This team is one shot -- one 10-second defensive breakdown -- away from legendary comparisons.

Oh, well. As it is, Calipari's team is rounding into one of the most complete -- if not the most complete -- of his career. Davis is a transcendent force anchoring a team with zero defensive holes. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is one of the best two-way players in the country. Jones can dominate when he wants. Doron Lamb is a lights-out shooter. Darius Miller is an underrated offensive presence and an all-around glue guy extraordinaire.

There's a reason this team is awash in that so-called aura of invincibility. The Wildcats aren't actually invincible, of course. But right now, they're the closest thing going.

Wichita State 89, No. 15 Creighton 68: When you've got a national player of the year candidate ripping through each and every opposing defense he sees with a rare blend of volume and efficiency, it's easy to disguise your team's warts. After Wichita State's end-to-end dismantling of the Bluejays on Saturday, those warts are now fully exposed.

The score line tells the story here, but it's nothing new: Creighton is, at best, a fairly mediocre defensive team. The Bluejays entered this Valley showdown ranked No. 119 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per Pomeroy. They force turnovers on just 16.3 percent of their defensive possessions, which ranks them No. 336 out of 345 Division I teams. This so-so defense has been hidden well all season because Creighton outscores everybody. Doug McDermott and company have the nation's highest effective field goal percentage and its sixth-most efficient offense overall. But in the past three games -- losses to Northern Iowa, Evansville and now Wichita State -- the Bluejays' offense has suddenly cooled off. Creighton's effective field goal percentage figures in its past three games are 46.5, 44.2 and 44.7 percent.

And therein lies Saturday's problem: Wichita State is not a one-way team. Rather, Gregg Marshall's squad combines excellent defense (KenPom rank: No. 26) with efficient offense (KenPom: No. 11), tops in MVC play in both metrics. Despite their hugely impressive per-possession stats, the Shockers have flown below the radar recently thanks in large part to that triple-overtime loss at Drake in late January. But in basically every other Valley affair, even the 68-61 loss at home to Creighton in this series' first game, the Shockers have been comprehensively good.

Does that mean Wichita is 21 points better than Creighton, home, away or neutral? No. Is its offense as good as the 1.4 points per trip it poured in Saturday night? Probably not. But this lopsided result in front of a huge crowd in Omaha does reveal some notable truths about both teams. For Creighton, it laid bare just how important the Jays' offense is to their chances of making a run in the NCAA tournament; it's no coincidence this three-game losing streak came in three mediocre shooting performances. Greg McDermott's team can't afford to miss shots, because it can't get the stops it needs to keep things close.

For Wichita State, well, if you didn't know, now you know: The Shockers are good. Not "dangerous." Not "plucky." Just flat-out good.

Temple 85, Xavier 72: If you're still waiting for a team to round into its full form on Feb. 11, there's a good chance you'll still be waiting on March 11. That appears to be the case with Xavier. The Musketeers haven't been bad in Atlantic 10 play -- they ranked fourth in A-10 efficiency margin as of this week -- but they haven't been particularly good, let alone their usual brand of good, the one that led them to a 15-1 league record last season. Instead, these Musketeers are just sort of, well, mediocre.

Which is to take nothing away from Temple, which blitzed Chris Mack's team early and never looked back. Guard Ramone Moore went off, scoring 30 points on 9-of-16 from the field, while Khalif Wyatt put up 18 points, four assists and three steals, and Micheal Eric contributed 11 points and 16 rebounds. The Owls' backcourt is the undisputed strength of the team, and Fran Dunphy's squad continues to look more and more like the A-10's clear favorite each time that backcourt makes life so difficult for opponents on both ends of the floor. Temple is alone atop the league at 8-2.

The contrast between these two teams is glaring. One is whole, complete, playing its best basketball at the right time. The other is scattershot, struggling, not bad but far worse than it has any right to be, given its talent. The temptation to connect X's continued struggles to the Dec. 10 brawl is worth resisting here. Does it play a part? Maybe. Has guard Mark Lyons (who didn't start) been unpredictable and frustrating since? Oh yeah. But at this point, it's also possible Xavier just wasn't all that good in the first place. Whatever the reasons, the Musketeers -- perennial NCAA tournament fixtures -- are running out of time to figure it out.

A few more observations from the night of hoops:

• Harvard's preordained run to its first NCAA tournament in decades -- the Crimson are clearly the best team in the Ivy League and were the heaviest of favorites to win it outright -- got just a little shakier Saturday night. Tommy Amaker's team fell to the old-world perennial Ivy favorite, Princeton, 70-62. It's a sign of Harvard's changed status that Princeton students -- who are fans of a program that is the historical Ivy elite, and which just beat one of the league's longtime losers -- rushed the court after their team's 23rd consecutive home victory over the Crimson. Despite the loss, Harvard's chances of winning the league are still very good. Its schedule -- which features Yale, Princeton and Penn at home before a season-ending two-game road swing at Columbia and Cornell -- is a major advantage. Plus, the No. 21 Crimson still own a one-game lead in the standings. But they will be eager to avoid any further slip-ups. If they end up in another one-game tiebreak (the Ivy League awards its NCAA tournament bid to the regular-season winner), anything can happen. Amaker's bunch, which lost its trip to the tourney to Princeton on a tiebreak buzzer-beater last season, knows all too well what can happen when you leave the preordained to chance.
• We let this one slip by in the afternoon frenzy, but Mississippi State's loss to Georgia probably deserves a mention. The Bulldogs were undone by freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's big-time step-back 3 in overtime (not to mention his other 17 points and eight rebounds), and hey, yeah, sometimes you take a tough OT loss. But Mississippi State's inconsistency is a bad sign for a team with major tournament aspirations. Not a good performance at all.
• Southern Miss held on for a 78-74 home victory over UCF, yet another gritty, close win in a Golden Eagles season full of them. Don't look now, but Southern Miss is 21-4 on the season with a top-15 RPI. Wednesday night's loss at UAB is certainly a black mark -- especially considering the Blazers lost by 34 to Memphis on Saturday night -- but other than that, this team has a shockingly strong at-large case. Larry Eustachy is reborn!
• Phil Martelli's team picked up another A-10 home win, as Saint Joseph's took down upstart UMass 73-62 and damaged the Minutemen's outside chances of an at-large bid. Massachusetts could have gone to 8-3 with a win. Instead, it moves backward, into the thick of the league's muddled middle, alongside the Hawks and many others.
• If there is any justice in the world, tiny Wabash College will find its way to the "SportsCenter" top plays in the coming days. Why? Because of Aaron Zinnerman's shot, one of the more insane and unlikely you'll ever see. The YouTube clip is here. Enjoy. (Important correction! This post incorrectly cited Wabash as the alma mater of Butler coach Brad Stevens. Rather, as numerous alums have informed me, Stevens actually went to rival DePauw. I always mistake the two, but nonetheless regret the error. My bad, everyone.)

When and where: Saturday (ESPN, 6 p.m. ET), Value City Arena (Columbus, Ohio)

Michigan State breakdown: The Spartans have played their best basketball since early losses against North Carolina and Duke dropped them off the radar screen for a while. Like always, Tom Izzo and his team went to work and improved through tough practices and intense competition. This is not Izzo’s best team, but it is a group he relishes going to battle with, and one that he really likes. But with this game against the Buckeyes, Michigan State begins a brutal seven-game stretch in which the Spartans play six teams ranked in the KenPom.com top 50, four of which are games against top 10 teams.

Michigan State, as always, is an outstanding rebounding team that can get second shots and limit your second chances. The Spartans boast a plus-10.8 rebound margin and grab more than 40 percent of their misses. Defensively, the Spartans bend but don’t break and have done a really nice job all season of making it tough to get open, unchallenged shots. MSU leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense in conference games at 38.6 percent, which is just ahead of Ohio State. This is the best help and gap-protection defense the Spartans have played in a few years, and it shows in every defensive metric. On the offensive end, Michigan State is solid but not spectacular. It is a good shooting team, hitting 48 percent of its shots from the floor in conference and more than 38 percent of its 3-point shots.

Ohio State breakdown: The Buckeyes have the best low-post scoring big man in the country in Jared Sullinger, one of the top scoring wings in William Buford and the best on-ball defender in Aaron Craft. Ohio State also has a lefty third scorer in Deshaun Thomas, who put up 30 points this season against South Carolina.

Ohio State’s numbers are surprisingly similar to Michigan State’s. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage at 49 percent (with Michigan State second) and are second in the league in field goal percentage defense (with Michigan State second) at 38 percent. Earlier in the season, OSU dropped a few games, in large measure because of Sullinger was out with an injury for a time. The key improvement for Ohio State has been on the defensive end. Thad Matta has spent more time on team defense this season than at any time in his career in Columbus. The Buckeyes are rated as the No. 1 overall defense by KenPom.com, and Ohio State is able to force turnovers at a high rate, while limiting fouls and keeping the opponent off the free throw line.

Spartan studs: There is no question that Draymond Green is the heart and soul of the Spartans. Green averages 15.2 points and a league-leading 10.6 rebounds; he averages nearly double figures in defensive rebounds alone. He is a good passer and really works as a defender. Green is playing with a sense of urgency and seems to know that this team has a chance to do something special in the NCAA tournament. Keith Appling has done a great job handling the ball and is averaging nearly 12 points and 3.3 rebounds. Appling has been attacking more off the bounce and has done a solid job. A real key is Branden Dawson, a McDonald’s All-American who is a terrific player and looks like he was chiseled out of stone. Dawson has played very well in Big Ten games and will be crucial if Michigan State is to steal a victory in Columbus. Brandon Wood and Travis Trice have come in and done a nice job for Izzo and have added to Michigan State’s ability to hit perimeter shots and run the team.

Buckeyes’ best: Sullinger is, by a fair margin, the best low-post scorer in the country. In Big Ten games, Sullinger averages 18.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, and he can be the very best player in the country. He, along with Craft, do a magnificent job of filling their roles. Ohio State has been resolute in getting the ball inside to Sullinger, and he was dominant in last Saturday's win over Wisconsin. But Thomas and Buford have become legitimate threats. Lenzelle Smith didn’t make a Namath-like guarantee, but he has played very well over the past three weeks. Smith is a terrific athlete who can really guard. He can also hit open shots.

X-factors: Thomas and Derrick Nix. Thomas is one of the best scorers in the Big Ten. Nix has improved his body, his mobility and his confidence. Nix has been a real factor and it will be interesting to see if he can hang with the Buckeyes and stay out of foul trouble. Both Nix and Adreian Payne will have to keep a body on Sullinger in any attempt to limit him. One thing they cannot do is foul Sullinger and allow him to shoot free throws.

Key stat: Rebounding. In a game that features the top two defenses in Big Ten play, a premium will be on the backboards. Michigan State sends three and sometimes four to the offensive glass to get second shots, and the Spartans do a very good job of limiting you to one shot. These are also the top two rebounding teams in the league.

Who wins: Ohio State, 66-62. With the Buckeyes at home, I favor Brutus. Michigan State cannot afford to worry should it play well and lose. The remaining six games are difficult and important, punctuated by a rematch with Ohio State at the Breslin Center in the regular-season finale. Win or lose, the next game will be really important for Michigan State. For Ohio State, the same schedule applies. The Buckeyes play just as tough of a slate to end the season as MSU, with six of the final seven games against the KenPom.com top 50.

Editor’s note: ESPN.com writers Eamonn Brennan and Jason King are joined by ESPN Insider John Gasaway to discuss several burning questions in college basketball. Chief among them: what to make of Ohio State?

Which struggling team is more likely to turn it around: Wisconsin or Louisville?

Jason King: I'm not all that confident in either team's chances for a dramatic turnaround, but it wouldn't shock me if Wisconsin still managed to finish between third and fifth in the Big Ten. The Badgers' next six games -- at home against Nebraska, Northwestern and Indiana; on the road against Purdue, Illinois and Penn State -- are all winnable. So there are still plenty of opportunities to re-establish confidence in time for a nice run at the end. Jordan Taylor will snap out of his funk eventually. He has to, right?

John Gasaway: Louisville gets the gift of a home game against DePaul as its next test while Wisconsin has to go to Purdue, but long-term I'll still say the Badgers are in a better position to turn things around. Bo Ryan's team has been sleepwalking, but at some point I think their 3s will start falling again. The Cardinals, on the other hand, might be in something closer to a coma. They've scored just 0.95 points per trip in Big East play thus far.

Eamonn Brennan: Can I say both? I don't think either team is nearly as bad as it has appeared in its past three or four games. That said, I'm a little less worried about Wisconsin than Louisville. The Badgers have managed to play really solid per-possession defense, even in their cold-shooting losses. Louisville, meanwhile, is a much worse offensive team than Wisconsin and relies much more heavily on defense, and the Cardinals just gave up 90 points to Providence on the road. If that's a harbinger of future leniency to come, the Cardinals could be in for a long Big East ride.

Ohio State is healthy now, but is still just 2-2 in its past four. Any concern?

Brennan: Nah. Maybe Ohio State isn't quite the offensive juggernaut it was last season, when Jon Diebler was shooting insanely well from beyond the arc, but the Buckeyes still play very good defense, and their two losses both came on the road in Big Ten play. Indiana appears to be flat-out good. Illinois got a record-setting, historic-level outlier shooting performance -- to the tune of 8-of-10 from 3 and 43 points -- from the usually inefficient Brandon Paul. It happens. The Buckeyes will be fine.

King: I think it's foolish to overreact when a team drops a game or two, especially in early January. But I am a bit surprised that the Buckeyes fell at Illinois, which isn't that great of a team. Ohio State seems to have lost its swagger a bit. But I'm guessing Thad Matta's squad will get it back Sunday against Indiana.

Gasaway: None. Brandon Paul of Illinois had one of the best individual games of the 2000s against the Buckeyes, and the Illini still won by just five points on their home floor. Thad Matta's team resembles this year what Kentucky was last year: an unquestionably talented group that drops some close road games in-conference and gets people unnecessarily worried before mounting a Final Four run.

We practically handed OSU the Big Ten crown in the preseason. Do you still see the Buckeyes taking it? If not, who will it be?

Brennan: I still think the Buckeyes are favorites, but I'd call them co-favorites alongside Michigan State. Tom Izzo hasn't had a team this good on the defensive end in years, and Draymond Green, Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne have returned the Spartans to their all-encompassing identity as one of the nation's best rebounding teams. Those two factors could make the Spartans nearly impossible to beat at home, and very difficult to handle on the road.

Gasaway: They'll have to beat Michigan State, which is looking awfully strong. (Ask Indiana about how their Dec. 28 visit went.) Fortunately, the Spartans and Buckeyes face off against each other twice this season, including the regular-season finale in East Lansing. I'm guessing that game will have some implications for the Big Ten crown.

King: I think Ohio State will still win it. As I mentioned earlier, two road losses aren't enough to make me write off any team -- much less a squad that has enough talent and experience to win an NCAA title. The Buckeyes might have hit a minor dry spell, but they're not going to implode.

We also handed Xavier the Atlantic 10 crown in the preseason. The race appears wide-open now. Who do you see winning it?

Gasaway: Xavier. The Musketeers lost at La Salle (no shame there, by the way -- the Explorers are tough), but Chris Mack's team looks like it’s finally rounding into form after the suspensions stemming from the Cincinnati game on Dec. 10. Last night Xavier hammered Duquesne by 28 at home, and Tu Holloway finally made some shots. This is still the most talented team in the league.

King: Twelve of the league's 13 teams already have a conference loss. And that includes Xavier, which is 2-1 following Wednesday's 28-point win against Duquesne. The lopsided victory was just what the Musketeers needed as Atlantic 10 play heats up. Tu Holloway is too good of a player and Chris Mack is too good of a coach to let things fall apart completely. I think Xavier -- which plays three of its next four games at home -- bounces back and wins yet another conference crown.

Brennan: Believe it or not, I'm going to stick with Xavier. Don't get me wrong: The A-10 race is incredibly wide-open, and I wouldn't be surprised if Temple, Saint Louis, Dayton and even La Salle and St. Joe's all had a piece of the action in the final few weeks of the season. Temple seems to have turned a corner since the Duke win; from a tempo-free standpoint, SLU has been the best team in the league, despite losses to Dayton and Temple. But Xavier is still far and away the most talented team in the league, and as things settle down and this team settles into its conference comfort zone, I think they'll hold off the rest of the contending pack.

When we heard from Tom Izzo last season, the tone was usually one of frustration and anxiety. For the first time in a long time, Izzo's team wasn't improving in January and February. It wasn't defending or rebounding particularly well. It wasn't showing signs of progress.

In August, Izzo said the prospect of the 2011-12 season made him the most excited he'd been in years. He had a promising mix of players, sure, but more than anything, he just seemed excited to be done with 2011. Can you blame him?

Now 10 weeks into the 2011-12 season, Izzo is excited for slightly different reasons. His squad (which hosts Iowa in East Lansing tonight) has won its last 14 games, most recently an overtime thriller at Wisconsin, and that mix of players has rounded into something much more than "not the guys from 2011." Sophomore guard Keith Appling has been a revelation. Guard Branden Dawson is one of the purest frosh talents in the country. Forward Derrick Nix -- who was close to quitting the program last year -- is in better shape and more productive than ever before. And Draymond Green, a beloved and versatile veteran, is leading the way.

All of this has Izzo excited in a new way -- so excited, according to the Detroit Free-Press, that he's even having trouble sleeping:

"It's not sleeping because of excitement and thinking [about] where we can go," he said Monday. "If we could get a little more consistent ... this team can be awfully good." [...] When Izzo lies awake at night he is imagining crisper execution and longer periods of consistent play. He does not worry about effort. He thinks this team defends as well as any he has had in recent memory.

On that front, he's entirely right. To this point in the season, on a per-possession basis, no Michigan State team has defended as well in recent years; the closest was the 2008-09 team, when Goran Suton and Travis Walton were still banging bodies at the Breslin Center. The Spartans rank No. 7 in Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency. Perhaps more importantly, they have that classic Izzo trait, the one that prior to the past two seasons always seemed to set his teams apart: rebounding. The Spartans take care of the defensive glass, and they attack their offensive misses. Few teams in the country are as effective at both.

This year, at least thus far, the world of Michigan State hoops has tilted back on its rightful axis.

One imagines Izzo missed a lot of sleep last season, too. But for entirely different reasons.

SAN DIEGO -- After an event aboard the USS Carl Vinson that will be a lifetime memory, the Michigan State basketball team found that its identity mirrored in some small way the servicemen and women it entertained Friday night.

The Spartans will have to be tough and rugged and able to adjust on the fly if they are going to be a success this season.

"We played hard, we made the hustle plays," said an emotionally drained Tom Izzo. "We can be better offensively."

The Spartans lost to top-ranked North Carolina 67-55, despite outrebounding the Tar Heels by 15. MSU dealt with multiple players in foul trouble and a woeful 30.6 shooting percentage as a slight breeze blew across the deck. The weather couldn't mask a 2-for-20 effort from behind the 3-point arc, though.

Austin Thornton was a brutal 0-for-7 from the field, while freshman Travis Trice began his career 1-for-8. But Michigan State's Keith Appling said the wind wasn't an excuse he or teammates were willing to give.

The Spartans got off to decent start in the first few minutes when they were controlling the offensive backboard. But that was before the Tar Heels started to click and run past MSU.

The Spartans weren't helped by a first-half injury to freshman forward Branden Dawson, who tweaked his right knee on a center-court logo. Izzo said at halftime and again after the game that the decals are a detriment to players and a serious concern for coaches and players. Dawson said he was a bit nervous after he went down.

He worked on his knee behind the basket, doing slide drills to loosen it up. It worked, as he ended up playing all but five minutes. But he wasn't as effective in the second half, scoring only 4 points and grabbing two of his seven rebounds after the break.

Dawson had ice on his knee after the game, but didn't appear to be having any issues. He will have to be a major factor for the Spartans, helping Draymond Green as well as Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix inside. The Spartans are already down one forward with Delvon Roe having to give up the sport due to injury.

"Coach Izzo told me I have to keep going to the glass," Dawson said. "We know that's what we have to do."

Green was down on himself for his play (6-of-19 from the field), but he did finish with 18 boards.

"We outrebounded them by 15 so you can see that we can be the old Michigan State," Green said. "We have to shoot the ball better, but we can win a lot of games rebounding like that."

The Spartans play Duke on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic in New York City. The Blue Devils have their tallest team in years, giving MSU another challenge inside.

But the Spartans love every minute of this. Izzo said he wouldn't have it any other way, playing the No. 1 Heels in Friday's spectacular and moving environment and then going across the country to play Duke on what could be coach Mike Krzyzewski's clinching victory to own the all-time win record.

"I do this because I'm selfish," Izzo said. "I want to be at these games. We're still building our program. We got something out of this. We competed. There was a different look in our players' eyes. There were no issues, none with the weather. It was just great."

SAN DIEGO -- A quick look at North Carolina’s 67-55 victory Friday over Michigan State in the Carrier Classic aboard the USS Carl Vinson:

What it means: It means nothing in the big scheme of things -- one game in November won’t make or break either of these teams. But certainly North Carolina didn’t want to come out in its first game and lay an egg, not with all the preseason excitement around this team. And the Tar Heels didn’t. They acquitted themselves well. Meanwhile, Michigan State also is what we expected. The Spartans have some good interior play with Draymond Green, Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix, but they need help outside and didn't get it Friday night (finished 2-of-20 from 3).

How it happened: No smoke and mirrors here. The Tar Heels simply have better players than the Spartans -- and lots of them. They were able to force Michigan State into mistakes and get out in transition to open up the game in their favor. Carolina was beaten on the boards, but it shot a respectable 46 percent given the conditions. Just 31 percent for MSU. Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 17 points, while teammate John Henson was 6-of-10 from the field. Kendall Marshall and Dexter Strickland dished out five assists apiece for UNC.

Halftime: Beat up on the boards early, North Carolina erased a seven-point first-half deficit by going to its bread and butter, its transition offense. The Tar Heels capitalized on missed Michigan State shots and forced turnovers to get out on the break, where the Spartans are simply no match. By the half, UNC led 36-25.

Hubbub: Since this wasn’t a typical game, time to point out some of the not-so-typical stuff. The pregame featured an all-sailor rock band, called The Destroyers, and in-game it was the tunes of the Navy Band. ... Some fans got to the flight deck by taking the lift used to bring the planes on board. ... Both teams sported camouflage-themed uniforms, and the UNC coaching staff wore khaki cargo pants tucked into military boots.

Quotable: "As some of you may know, because it was reported, the men and women of this ship were part of the critical mission to bring Osama bin Laden to justice" -- President Barack Obama addressing the crowd before the tip.

What’s next: North Carolina will charter to Asheville, N.C., arriving sometime around 5 a.m. and playing UNC Asheville at 4 p.m. Sunday. The Bulldogs are opening a new arena, and Asheville is Roy Williams’ hometown. ... Michigan State, meantime, jets cross-country for a Tuesday-night tip against No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Spartans will make a quick stop in East Lansing, heading to New York on Monday.

Dana O’Neil wrote about the top 25 things she’s looking forward to this season. Now the rest of our experts weigh in with their selections.

Stephen Bardo: I'm looking forward to seeing if the trend of mid-major teams advancing deep into the NCAA tournament continues. We've seen Butler, VCU, and George Mason crash the Final Four in recent seasons. This season should have more mid-majors capable of surprise runs, including Belmont, Creighton, Drexel, Fairfield, Harvard and Wichita State.

Jay Bilas: The Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. This could be the last season of the Big East as, hands down, the best conference in the country. Before West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and perhaps others bolt the league, the last Big East tourney with all of the participants will bring great drama -- and some tears. Things change, but I will miss the Big East tournament.

Eamonn Brennan: The upheaval in the Big Ten. We know Ohio State is the league's best team, and you can bank on Jordan Taylor and the ever-steady Wisconsin Badgers pushing the Buckeyes at the top of the conference. But after those two, the league is more unpredictable than any time in recent memory. Will Michigan State bounce back? Will a retooled Illinois team emerge? Can Indiana fight out of the cellar? Will Northwestern finally make the tournament? Where's Michigan's ceiling? Can an experienced Nebraska team make an impact? The search for answers to those questions -- and many more -- begins this week.

Fran Fraschilla: Madison Square Garden in March. Sadly, I am looking forward to watching the final Big East tournament as I’ve known it. Regardless of how conference realignment turns out, there will never be another 30-year period in a college basketball conference like we’ve seen in the Big East. UConn’s five-day run through the tournament last March was emblematic of the type of excitement we expected in New York. From Ewing to Mullin to Pearl to Ray Allen to Gerry and Kemba, it’s never going to be the same.

John Gasaway: The last (real) Big East tournament. I'm as realistic and progressive as the next guy. I don't fear change, and there's no doubt in my mind the ACC will be a much better basketball conference once Syracuse and Pitt join it next season. But for the past couple of decades, the Big East tournament has had something that -- to be quite honest -- no other major-conference tournament has had. And with the league losing programs like Syracuse and Pitt (and West Virginia to the Big 12), that "something" is about to disappear. But not before we enjoy one last good old-fashioned Big East tournament, March 6-10, at the Garden. It’s as if someone said this will be the last season we play football on Thanksgiving. I'll see you at the Garden in March.

Doug Gottlieb: Legit big men in the college game. Having a wealth of young and experienced big men make the games more balanced and better to watch. Jared Sullinger, Tyler Zeller, Joshua Smith, the Plumlee brothers, Thomas Robinson, Quincy Acy, Harper Kamp, Aziz N'Diaye, Derrick Nix, Alex Oriakhi and Festus Ezeli are just a few names you will hear about this season. With overall point guard play being down -- in terms of transcendent lead guards -- the focus on size and improving skill will be refreshing. Add to that list, several new talents like Anthony Davis, Cody Zeller and even Andre Drummond, all of whom are very confident and maybe more comfortable on the floor, the intrigue grows. The closer we get to conference play and postseason play, the games generally slow down and become half-court affairs. Expect these big men to become huge storylines this season.

Andy Katz: How does North Carolina handle the expectation of being No. 1? Will Kentucky be able to mesh a talented roster yet again with a new point guard? What are the chances Connecticut can repeat behind the newcomer Drummond? Will this finally be the season that Xavier or Gonzaga break through to the Final Four? But more than anything, I’m looking forward to seeing how Creighton, New Mexico, Wichita State, Drexel, Detroit and others develop over the course of the season. We’ve been spoiled with Butler and VCU in March. Can we possibly get another sleeper in 2012?

Jason King: Conference races. North Carolina seems like a shoo-in to win the ACC, but the other Big Six leagues are intriguing. Kentucky, Vanderbilt or Florida in the SEC? Kansas or Baylor in the Big 12? Connecticut, Syracuse, Louisville or Pittsburgh in the Big East? Ohio State or Wisconsin in the Big Ten? Cal, UCLA, Arizona or Washington in the Pac-12? And I haven’t even mentioned darkhorses such as Marquette, Texas A&M, Alabama and Oregon. As much as I love the NCAA tournament, I’m more impressed with teams that emerge as league champions after a brutal 16-to-18-game stretch of games.

Diamond Leung: I'm most looking forward to seeing how teams coming off conference championships last season do in the underdog role. Inexperienced Kansas, the perennial favorite in the Big 12, shares the coaches’ preseason top spot with Texas A&M. In the Big East, Pittsburgh has defending national champion UConn and Syracuse to contend with. Florida lost its starting frontcourt, while Kentucky is getting all the preseason hype in the SEC. Arizona no longer has Derrick Williams and will rely on freshmen for production. San Diego State and Utah State only return one starter each. How will these championship-caliber teams from past seasons respond now?

Joe Lunardi: I can't wait for a reprieve, however temporary, from the stories of realignment and greed in college athletics. It's been a miserable offseason on so many fronts, but we may have a season for the ages once the games begin. Take the three superpowers at the top of the rankings -- Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State -- along with the last true Big East season we'll ever see, and it's going to be a battle royal for No. 1 seeds and the Final Four.

Myron Medcalf: I'm most looking forward to watching the race in the Big 12. Kansas has dominated the league for years. And Bill Self will find a way to keep the Jayhawks in the mix. But they'll have to get past a talented Baylor squad. Missouri is also dangerous, and Texas A&M will be tough, too. Those are the teams we're talking about now. Iowa State features a bunch of guys who've been off the grid for a few years. But Royce White & Co. certainly possess the mojo to make a lot of noise in the league. This season, the Big 12 is must-see TV.

Miles Simon: The thing that I am most looking forward to is watching all the super sophomores that came back to school. The trend with the one-and-done-rule has been for players to leave for the NBA -- whether they were ready or not. Now this season, I get to see elite level players like Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Terrence Jones, Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb compete for the national title. All of these players passed up big money for the love of their school, coaches and teammates. Having coached in college, I also believe the biggest growth in a player’s game comes between their freshman and sophomore seasons (i.e. Derrick Williams for Arizona last season). If these guys produce like I think they will, college basketball will be unbelievable in 2011-12.

Dick Vitale: I always look forward to seeing the diaper dandies, and there is a great crop coming in this season. Kentucky has Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague. I cannot wait to see Andre Drummond in the middle for Connecticut. Austin Rivers will have an instant impact, and the Dukie fans will love him. I also want to see if North Carolina can live up to its hype. Hall of Famer Roy Williams loves the challenge. Look what he did in 2005 and 2009.

Jay Williams: I’m looking forward to watching UNC handle the pressure of starting the season at No. 1 and trying to finish as a national champion. Having the most talent doesn't always translate to winning a title. Questions for the Tar Heels revolve around consistent outside shooting and who handles the point guard spot if foul trouble or injury occurs to Kendall Marshall?