ESPN Men's Basketball

INDIANAPOLIS -- It didn't take Michigan State forward Draymond Green very long to come up for an answer as to why the Spartans had so many problems scoring in Saturday night's 52-50 loss to Butler in the national semifinals of the NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"One thing that made it tough was not having Raymar," Green said.

Michigan State forward Raymar Morgan was saddled by foul trouble early and often against the Bulldogs. Morgan came into the game as the Spartans leading scorer with 11.5 points per game, but he finished with only four points on 2-for-7 shooting in 23 minutes.

"I think he could have caused a mismatch for them," Green said. "He was never able to get into a groove with the foul trouble."

Morgan, a 6-foot-8 senior from Canton, Ohio, never had a chance after he picked up two fouls in a 26-second span early in the first half. He left the court with 15:25 to play. He returned to the floor with 12:41 to play and picked up his third foul about 2.5 minutes later. He didn't play in the final eight minutes of the first half.

Morgan picked up his third foul after Butler's Willie Veasley pulled down an offensive rebound.

"They called the foul on me," Morgan said. "The refereeing is out of my hands. You've just got to play regardless of the calls. But I personally didn't think the foul was on me. Who knows? Maybe it was. I don't know."

It didn't matter what Morgan believed happened, because he was still sitting on MSU's bench. He picked up his fourth foul with 12:38 left to play and sat another four minutes on the bench.

"It's disappointing, but my teammates did a great job trying to pick me up," Morgan said. "Their effort was unbelievable for us to stay in the game and have a chance to win and only lose by two."

It was a disappointing finish to Morgan's college career. In Michigan State's 89-72 loss to North Carolina in the 2009 national championship game at Ford Field in Detroit, Morgan scored four points on 1-for-2 shooting.

"I think a couple of players let [the fouls] get to them," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "Raymar did. He really let it get to him early and that's not good. That's something I'll learn from."

Michigan State's starting frontcourt of Morgan, forward Delvon Roe and center Derrick Nix combined to score only eight points on 4-for-12 shooting.

"We're going to do a better job next year," Izzo said. "You think our 'war drill' is something now? Next year, it's going to be fistfighting because I'm going to make sure my guys are never, ever, ever, ever physically beaten out of a game again. And I thought tonight we were."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler is going to the NCAA tournament final. Read that sentence again. Still, 10 minutes after Gordon Hayward walked off the Lucas Oil court with a big wave and an even bigger smile to the Butler fans, it still barely seems plausible. But it happened. And here's how:

HOW THE GAME WAS WON: Butler's style prevailed. Again. The Bulldogs have had a simple formula for winning games in this NCAA tournament -- slow the game down, force teams to make shots over you, prevent penetration with help, get defensive rebounds, force turnovers, grind out a win. It worked against Syracuse. It worked against Kansas State. And it worked against Michigan State.

The Spartans kept turnovers at a minimum for much of the first half, but that didn't last in the second -- the Spartans committed 16 total turnovers -- and once Michigan State stopped hitting outside shots, the game began to fit the exact archetype Butler has thrived on all tournament long. From the 9:24 to the 3:46 marks in the second half, both teams combined for four points. Butler went more than 10 minutes without a field goal. Michigan State had their chances. Despite all that offensive impotence, the late opportunities were there. The Spartans just couldn't convert. And so they became the fifth team to score fewer than 60 points in an NCAA tournament game against Butler this year and the fifth team to fall by the wayside in Butler's magical run to the final game on Monday night. Amazing.

TURNING POINT: Butler looked shaky. The Bulldogs couldn't get anything to fall. Hayward had cooled off. And star guard Shelvin Mack was suffering from cramps in his hamstrings that kept him on the sideline throughout. It was 48-46, and the Spartans were coming; at this point, all that momentum, all that grind-it-out brilliance, looked ready to evaporate with a few unfortunate possessions.

And then Shawn Vanzant made a play. He drove baseline, found Gordon Hayward open on the corner baseline -- just the shot the Bulldogs needed -- and hit him. But Hayward's shot missed, causing a scrum under the hoop. Vanzant not only rebounded the ball, he managed to whip a perfect little pass to Hayward -- who had the presence of mind to leave his spot in the corner and cut furiously to the hoop -- which Hayward finished despite contact from MSU's Draymond Green. The basket gave Butler a four-point lead with 1:36 lead, a deficit Michigan State would never fully close again, eventually losing 52-50.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Gordon Hayward -- 19 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals. You probably don't need me to explain this, but I will anyway. Not only did Hayward take and make the majority of his team's shots throughout a low-scoring slugfest, he made the key plays down the stretch -- the above layup, and a crucial block on Green with eight seconds remaining and his team up by two -- that sealed the win. Hayward's story, the three-star recruit who took his small in-state school to the biggest stage in college basketball, is already incredible. It added another worthy chapter tonight.

PLAYER OF THE GAME II: Durrell Summers -- 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6-of-12 shooting. Summers' suddenly clicking play was one of the main reasons Michigan State made this unlikely and thoroughly admirable run to the Final Four, and while Summers is no doubt disappointed with the result, at least he can take solace in the fact that this tournament helped rid him of the "inconsistent" label. He was good all the time.

STAT OF THE GAME: Several stats of the game, so let's just jumble them all together.

50 -- the number of points Michigan State scored, making it the fifth team in this tournament to fall short of the 60-point barrier against Butler.
16 -- Michigan State's turnovers, nine of which came in the second half.
6 -- the number of offensive rebounds Michigan State grabbed all game.
55.6 -- Michigan State's free-throw percentage.
30.6 -- Butler's field goal percentage, a testament to how this team wins. It's like they don't need to score. Whoa, man. Whoa.

INJURY BLUES: Mack missed much of Butler's victorious second half with cramps. In the postgame, Brad Stevens didn't know whether he would be able to play on Monday night or not. It goes without saying that Butler's chances of completing this fairy tale run are significantly diminished if Mack's cramps don't improve.

RAYMAR'S NO GOOD VERY BAD NIGHT: Raymar Morgan missed much of the first half with foul trouble. Then, when Tom Izzo was upset with his play early in the second half, he sat some more. Then, with 12:38 left, Morgan was called for his fourth foul -- yet another unnecessary bit of contact that happened approximately 80 feet from Michigan State's basket. Even worse, the foul was Michigan State's seventh, which put Butler into the bonus. Morgan's absence in this game left Michigan State without a good option for stopping Hayward, and it made the Spartans far less balanced on offense. This is the second straight year Morgan has disappeared in the biggest game of his team's season.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Hometown favorite Butler has a 47-43 lead over Michigan State with less than six minutes to go in Saturday night's NCAA tournament national semifinals game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Can the Bulldogs close it out? Here are a few things to watch:

• After Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack carried the Bulldogs in the first half, junior forward Matt Howard and senior guard Willie Veasley are helping in the second half. Howard went to the bench and appears to be a little bit wobbly after a collision under the basket.

• How much do the Spartans miss sophomore guard Kalin Lucas, who is sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon? Michigan State has turned the ball over 14 times, and the Bulldogs have converted them into 19 points. The Spartans have seven turnovers this half; Butler has turned it over only once in the second half.

• After sizzling starts, both teams are struggling to score. Neither team had made a field goal for more than five minutes at the 6:04 mark.

• Michigan State has serious foul trouble. Forward Raymar Morgan has four fouls, and Delvon Roe, Chris Allen and Draymond Green each have three. Howard has three fouls for Butler.

INDIANAPOLIS -- We're halfway through what's thus far been an up-and-down game -- a torrid start followed by a major drought in the closing stretches. Fittingly enough, we're tied at 28. Here's some instant reaction and a look ahead to the second half:

HOW THE HALF WAS WON: Butler's guards couldn't contain Korie Lucious and Durrell Summers. The Bulldogs have been shutting down great guards throughout the tournament, holding Syracuse's Andy Rautins and Kansas State's Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente to minimal contributions in low-scoring games. Not so in the first half tonight. Lucious and Summers were able to find open looks, and for much of the half, they knocked them down.

TURNING POINT: With two minutes left in the first half, it looked like Butler was starting to fade. They couldn't get a bucket, and they had just been victimized by a perfect Lucious bounce pass through their defense, which Summers finished in stride for an easy layup and a 28-23 lead. But with 30 seconds left, Shelvin Mack caught the ball on the wing in the break and iced a 3, the Bulldogs' first since the four-minute mark, and their first non-Hayward bucket since there were eight minutes remaining.

PLAYER OF THE HALF: Gordon Hayward, Butler -- 13 points, three rebounds. Hayward's was 5-of-9 shooting -- including a barrage of 3s and one spinning fadeaway that had to make the NBA scouts in the house drool -- keeping Butler close throughout the first half. The Bulldogs weren't particularly bad from the field. But if Hayward hadn't made a few key 3s, the Spartans could have opened a lead in their torrid first few minutes.

PLAYER OF THE HALF II: Lucious of Michigan State -- eight points, one rebound, three assists, one steal. The aforementioned Lucious didn't just score and needle gorgeous bounce passes through Butler's vaunted defense. He also -- and most importantly -- didn't turn the ball over. Butler has been great at turning its opponents over in its run to the Final Four, but Lucious handled the ball well and Michigan State didn't waste any possessions against the grind-it-out Bulldogs.

STAT OF THE HALF: Offensive rebounds. Butler was never going to dominate Michigan State on the offensive glass, but the Bulldogs were almost invisible after their shots hit the rim. Butler grabbed three of their misses, good for a paltry 17.6 percent from the field. Butler doesn't need to grab many rebounds; Stevens prefers his guys get back and set up that difficult defense rather than crash the glass on the offensive end. But it wouldn't hurt for Butler to preserve a few more of their possessions in the second half.

STAT OF THE HALF II: Fouls. There were lots of them for both teams, a combined 16 total. Michigan State committed nine of those fouls, and Raymar Morgan got three of them, an affliction that caused him to miss much of the first half. The referees seem dedicated to keeping this game relatively free of overwhelming physicality, so Morgan will have to be especially careful in the early moments of the second.

WHAT BUTLER HAS TO DO TO WIN:
1. Hayward has to keep attacking the rim. Michigan State is struggling to match up with him, and with Morgan in foul trouble there's no one that should be able to stop him.
2. You too, Shelvin Mack. Don't settle.
3. Butler has to figure out a way to close down on Lucious, Summers, and the rest of Michigan State's athletic guards better. Butler got here by dominating its opponents on the perimeter, by making everything difficult, by forcing turnovers. That hasn't happened tonight.

WHAT MICHIGAN STATE HAS TO DO TO WIN:
1. Get lots of help on Hayward. You don't want to give up too many open looks, but rotating away from any non-Mack shooters in Butler's lineup is a pretty safe bet. Smart rotations could negate Butler's most effective player without revealing too many holes elsewhere.
2. Keep hitting shots. Simple, but true. It's hard to get good interior looks on Butler's defense. The help is too good. If the shots stop falling, some of that vaunted offensive rebounding wouldn't hurt.
3. Attack Matt Howard. Butler has been able to play without Howard in the past, but his rebounding would be a major boost on offense, and if MSU can keep him foul trouble, they can continue to dominate the glass.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Some thoughts at the half of Butler-Michigan State:

• I thought Butler would have more of a home-court advantage. Nope. There are certainly plenty of Butler folks, but it doesn’t sound like the Bulldogs have an overwhelming advantage.

• I’d love for the NCAA to alternate the seating in each section so we would have more balanced cheering. I don’t like seeing one whole side sitting down during the game.

• Gordon Hayward is the best pro prospect on the court. The Butler forward has a sweet stroke on 3s and had an NBA-level turnaround jumper. He has kept Butler in the game.

• Butler’s Matt Howard can’t stay out of foul trouble. He picked up his second foul only six minutes into the game.

• Michigan State’s Draymond Green has quite a skill set. He can make the face-the-basket shot and put the ball on the court and drive to the hoop.

• If Durrell Summers and Korie Lucious, who started out with a pair of 3s, can make shots in the second half, the Spartans should win. That’s a big "if" though.

• Butler has to get more production from other players beside Hayward and Shelvin Mack.

• Butler’s offensive rebounding has been awful. The Bulldogs went chunks of time without one in the first half. MSU is too good on the glass. Butler’s one-shot offense will only take it so far.

• Michigan State’s Raymar Morgan picked up three first-half fouls. Had he stayed in the game I’m not so sure the outcome would have been much different. The Spartans got quality play from Garrick Sherman.

• Mack’s 3-pointer to tie the game with 36 seconds left in the first half energized a crowd that had become somewhat listless.

• I love that I can look to my left and see clouds and blue sky. I’ve become a fan of Lucas Oil Stadium for college hoops. Still want to see this game in Conseco for the full-effect atmosphere.

INDIANAPOLIS -- We're less than a day away from the tip of the Final Four, which means the inexorable six-day stretch between NCAA tournament games is nearing its end. You know how it goes: Every April, these six days yield storylines that end up being chewed up and spit out before the teams even have to take the court.

This year, things are even more straightforward than usual. Butler is the "Hoosiers"-esque underdog. Michigan State is another example of Tom Izzo's brilliance. West Virginia's country roads led Bob Huggins home. And Duke, after failing to conquer the Sweet 16 six years in a row, finds itself once again among basketball's elite. These are the stories. They are not up for dispute.

At the risk of being too contrarian, though, it's probably worth throwing a few less-trod things to watch for in Saturday's games, things that have developed over this NCAA tournament that aren't receiving the same level of attention as the aforementioned four. So here are a few others. Four teams. Four storylines. And not the ones you've already heard:

West Virginia: Kevin Jones is awfully good. On Friday, I was asked by one of our chatters in the College Basketball Live chat to give my starting five drawn from players on any of the Final Four teams. My response? Jon Scheyer. Da'Sean Butler. Durrell Summers. Kyle Singler. Gordon Hayward. All worthy candidates, right? Except I happened to leave out one Mr. Kevin Jones, a horrible mistake that was -- of course -- made clear to me by a score of commenters in the Cover It Live window. And why not? Sleeping on Jones in this tournament is a major mistake. Jones is perhaps the Mountaineers' most well-rounded player, a guy who scores, rebounds, has the size to bang inside but can step out and shoot a tidy little 40 percent clip from beyond the arc. Lots of people have talked about Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks, and rightfully so, but Jones deserves more love than this. If he's the difference in a physical, hard-fought game against Duke Saturday afternoon, don't be surprised.

Duke: Is Coach K the greatest of all-time? OK, it's too early to say that yet. But if Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils come out of this weekend's Final Four with Coach K's fourth national championship, it's officially time to start the conversation. Seriously. The Duke haters among us won't like this -- and really, who doesn't like to hate on Duke from time to time? -- but it's true. Let's review the numbers. Over the course of 35 seasons: 868 wins. Eleven Final Fours. Twelve ACC titles. The most NCAA tournament wins of all-time (75) and the best winning percentage in the NCAA tournament of any active coach. Coach K will definitely eclipse former mentor Bob Knight's Division I wins record, which currently sits at 902, and is nearly as likely to notch 1,000 wins -- 1,000 wins! -- before his career his over. If Duke wins this Final Four, this discussion merely accelerates, but win or lose, the point remains: The man is a legend. You don't have to like him. But you should respect him.

Michigan State: Raymar's redemption. For as long as Raymar Morgan has been at Michigan State, we've all been waiting for great things. The kid is as naturally talented as they come -- a muscular 6-foot-8 frame, a reliable jump shot, the athleticism to dominate on the interior. Raymar Morgan should have owned college basketball for a year or two and then moved along to much, much greener pastures. But for whatever reason, Morgan has yet to really dominate at this level. He's good, sure; 11 points and six boards a game are nothing to sniff at. But he's not the sort of player, and he never has been, that can utterly take over a basketball game for long stretches of time. College hoops has never bent to his will. It would be fascinating to see Morgan suddenly find himself in these last two games of the season, complimenting a suddenly brilliant Durrell Summers and leading Michigan State to an unlikely NCAA title. Not necessary, of course. But fascinating all the same.

Butler: Will Gordon stay or will he go? This doesn't exactly qualify as a state secret, but it has been partially obscured by Butler's Cinderella run to its hometown Final Four: Gordon Hayward is the most NBA-ready player left in this tournament. At least that's what the NBA scouts think; Hayward is the only player in the Final Four ranked in the first round of Chad Ford's top 100. Hayward could conceivably come back after this year's run and make a go at the NCAA title next season with a fully loaded Butler squad -- none of the Bulldogs' key players this season are seniors. But Hayward also has to weight the financial considerations. Is it worth staying for another season and risking the chance of an NBA lockout in 2011? Or, more conventionally, a bad senior year that pushes his draft stock down into less lofty territory? That decision might have a lot to do with how Butler performs this weekend. Keep an eye out.

ST. LOUIS -- Quick thoughts from Michigan State 70, Tennessee 69.

• Brilliant basketball game. Splendid offense in the first half, relentless defense in the second half. Just an incredible battle waged at a very high level all 40 minutes.
• I don't know how Michigan State does it. This team is very flawed without Kalin Lucas, but it doesn't matter. Tom Izzo is at the height of his game now -- and that's really high.
• Salute to Tennessee for refusing to submit. Even down eight points midway through the second half, the Volunteers refused to fold and came back to lead late. Phenomenal effort by Bruce Pearl's team.
• Raymar Morgan made the winning free throw with 1.8 seconds left, but it was a genius pass inside from point power forward Draymond Green to Morgan that set up the play and drew the foul. Green gets my vote as the smartest player in college basketball.
• Tennessee will be haunted by some key missed free throws, none bigger than the one by Scotty Hopson with 11.2 seconds left. Hopson made one to tie the game, but could not hit the one that would have given UT the lead and really put pressure on that last possession for the Spartans.

SPOKANE, Wash. -- It was one of the great comebacks in NCAA tournament history. And then it wasn't.

Maryland trailed Michigan State by nine points with two minutes left. Then it took the lead -- twice -- in the final 35 seconds.

It was stunning.

Yet the final toss of fairy dust turned out to be green.

Korie Lucious, the Spartans backup point guard, playing at the end only because Kalin Lucas was out with a torn Achilles tendon, ripped a fade-away 3-pointer at the buzzer and Michigan State escaped with an 85-83 victory in the second round of the Midwest Regional.

It was stunning, take 2. As breathless a final two minutes as you'll see.

Heartbreak?

"It seemed like we were going to win the game and then it was taken away from us," said a stricken Maryland coach Gary Williams.

And euphoria: The Michigan State players piled on Lucious after his game-winner. Even Sparty joined the fray.

"Time was running out," Lucious said. "I just tried to get it up and it went in."

Spartans coach Tom Izzo is now 15-3 in second-round games as his team tries to reach its sixth Final Four in 12 seasons.

The Spartans dominated 38 minutes of the game. They did so with Lucas out the entire second half -- he's likely done for the tournament -- with fellow starting guard Chris Allen only able to play four minutes with a sprained foot and with forward Delvon Roe nursing bum knees.

It was another plot twist in a season that has been all over the place. From high rankings to player suspensions, to critical injuries and inconsistent play to -- now -- a third consecutive Sweet 16.

"Three weeks ago, we wouldn't have won this game," said Draymond Green, who thought he might have shot the game winner when he hit a jumper for an 82-81 lead with 20 seconds left.

But after Green's shot, Maryland raced down the court and Greivis Vasquez, who struggled against the physical defense of Raymar Morgan much of the afternoon, nailed a short jumper with six seconds left that put the Terrapins up 83-82.

Vasquez scored seven of his 26 points over the final 1:27.

"We had the game won for a moment," said Maryland's Eric Hayes, who scored 18 points with seven assists.

Only for a moment. The Spartans controlled the vast majority of the contest because they dominated the boards -- outrebounding Maryland 42-24 -- and their lone remaining starting guard, Durrell Summers was lights out.

Summers, who's been in Izzo's doghouse at various times this year, scored 26 points, hitting 6-of-7 from 3-point range. It's the season scoring high for any Spartan player.

"Durrell, he grew up a lot in the last two weeks," Izzo said.

He and the Spartans appear to be maturing at exactly the right time.

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Michigan State leads Maryland 48-39 at the half, but it may be without floor leader Kalin Lucas, who scored his first basket with 4:27 before the break, but then re-injured his sprained ankle on the ensuing Maryland possession.

Lucas, who had a career-high 25 points in the first-round win, couldn't put any weight on the ankle.

The Spartans came out in a frenzy, and it took a while for Maryland to match the pace, but the Terrapins woke up and it's hard to believe this one won't be still in question in the waning moments, particularly if Lucas can't return.

Some thoughts:

• Michigan State jumped ahead 22-10 with a dominating early run. The Spartans were 9-of-14 from the field -- Maryland was 3-of-13 -- and outrebounded the Terrapins 10-3. The Spartans had three blocked shots -- zero for the Terps.
• Lucas wasn't the only star who started slowly. Maryland's Greivis Vasquez didn't score until the 12:42 mark. Freshman Jordan Williams, who posted twin career-highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the win over Houston, didn't get his first bucket until the 7:22 mark. Vasquez ended up with nine points at the break and Williams had seven and four rebounds.
• Michigan State guard Chris Allen, typically a starter, didn't enter the game until the 10:16 mark. Allen injured his foot against New Mexico State. He played just three minutes and didn't score.
• Maryland is losing the battle on the glass. The Spartans have a 25-11 rebounding advantage.
• The Spartans have nine turnovers, Maryland has four.
• Raymar Morgan leads the Spartans with 13 points. Durrell Summers has 12. Eric Hayes, who hit two of the Terps' four 3-pointers, has 10 points and three assists.
• Midway through the half, a frustrated Vasquez sought out an official and said, "Both sides, both sides. Call it physical on both sides."

SPOKANE, Wash. -- A look at Sunday's second-round games in Spokane.

SOUTH Regional

No. 5 Texas A&M (24-9) vs. No. 4 Purdue (28-5)

Storyline: Both teams shot well and played tough defense in their first-round game. Neither got -- nor needed -- a big performance from their leading scorer. Might Texas A&M's Donald Sloan and Purdue's E'Twaun Moore make their presences felt in round two?

What to watch Boilermakers: Moore scored 12 points in the 72-64 win over Siena. He averages 16.4 points per game. JaJuan Johnson played the lead in the first round, scoring 23 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. A problem: Siena outrebounded Purdue 45-38. Texas A&M is a good rebounding team, so the Boilermakers need to step up on the glass. Purdue has won 22 straight when scoring more than 70 points. The Aggies hold foes to 64.5 ppg.

What to watch Aggies: Sloan, who leads the Aggies with 18 points per game, scored just 10 in Texas A&M's 69-53 win over Utah State, which ranked fourth on the team. Freshman Khris Middleton has become a key scoring option on the perimeter. He led the Aggies with 19 points and made 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Over the last four games, he's averaged 16.3 points and made 11-of-19 from 3-point range.

They said it: "When [Texas A&M is] shooting the ball well, they're a very, very tough team to beat because of what they do defensively," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "They have size, they have athleticism, they have guys who can break you down. It's going to be important for us with their size and our lack of size that we stay out of foul trouble."

MIDWEST

No. 5 Michigan State (25-8) vs. No. 4 Maryland (24-8)

Storyline: This looks like a classic matchup of a high-powered offense vs. a rugged defense. In the past eight games, Michigan State has held foes to 39 percent shooting and 60.2 ppg. Maryland averages 79 ppg and shoots 47 percent from the field. It also will be interesting to see if Spartans guards Kalin Lucas and Chris Allen, who are nursing ankle and foot injuries, can play and play effectively.

What to watch Terrapins: Freshman Jordan Williams posted twin career-highs with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the 89-77 win over Houston, while Landon Milbourne chipped in 19 points and seven rebounds. Those contributions allowed ACC player of the year Greivis Vasquez to take a secondary role. The Terps dominated the boards against Houston with a 50-29 advantage but they are not typically a great rebounding team. Vasquez needs five points to eclipse Len Bias and move into second place behind Juan Dixon on Maryland's career scoring list.

What to watch Spartans: Lucas scored a career-high 25 points in the 70-67 win over New Mexico State. The Spartans have outrebounded foes in 25 of 33 games (three ties). Over the past six games, Raymar Morgan is averaging 16.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, both team highs. Spartans coach Tom Izzo is 14-3 in second-round games and all three losses came to No. 1 seeds.

The said it: "I think we're pretty much past that point where [Coach Izzo is] frustrated," said Michigan State forward Draymond Green when asked why the Spartans have so frustrated Izzo this season. "It's one and done time. We have pretty much wiped our slate clean of everything that went on in the regular season. We're all working together as a team now."

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The first half suggested this might be an easy one for Michigan State. It wasn't.

The Spartans survived a furious second-half rally from New Mexico State and prevailed 70-67 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

Some thoughts.

• New Mexico State fans were unhappy with a lane violation on a missed Spartans free throw with :18.6 seconds left. Given a second chance, Raymar Morgan was on target, making the score 70-67, and thereby forcing the Aggies to shoot threes for the tie. They missed two chances on the other end.

• The Spartans led 42-29 at the half, but the Aggies made it a game with a 13-2 run to start the second half. How on fire were the Aggies? When they took a 53-52 lead, they were 10-of-12 from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range in the half. During that span, the Spartans were 4-of-16 from the field and 0-for-2 from 3-point range.

• As New Mexico State cranked open the offense, it also cranked up its defense, showing it was willing to get physical with the Spartans, unlike the first half. Let's just say things got chippy a few times.

• Kalin Lucas led all scorers with 25 points.

SPOKANE -- Does Michigan State have another run in it? Can Purdue go far without Robbie Hummel? Does the nation's leading scorer, Houston's Aubrey Coleman, have enough points in him to shock Maryland and ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez? Will Texas A&M slip because of poor free-throw shooting? Does Siena have another Cinderella win in it? Or is Utah State going to break through?

Those are a few of the many questions that will be settled in Spokane on Friday and Sunday.

SOUTH REGIONAL

No. 4 Purdue (27-5) vs. No. 13 Siena (27-6), 2:30 p.m.

Storyline: Purdue looked like a title contender at one point, but the loss of star Robbie Hummel to a torn ACL has most thinking the Boilermakers won't go far. Siena is dangerous because it's done this before: It's posted first-round upsets the past two tournaments.

What to watch Boilermakers: Will E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, who combine for 31 points per game, give Purdue enough scoring, or will someone else step up? The other three starters combine for just over 14 points per game. Watch out of senior Keaton Grant, who scored in double figures in four of the past eight games.

What to watch Saints: Four players average between 13.6 and 16.3 points per game, topped by Alex Franklin. Ryan Rossiter is the force inside (11.1 rebounds per game), while Ronald Moore is the distributor (7.8 assists per game, which leads the nation). On the downside: They don't consistently hit from 3-point range.

They said it: "The only thing we can do to prove anybody wrong is to win basketball games," Purdue guard Chris Kramer said. "There's a quote that says losers make excuses and winners make it happen. So we just got to go out there and make it happen."

No. 5 Texas A&M (23-9) vs. No. 12 Utah State (27-7), 5 p.m.

Storyline: Texas A&M can't shoot the 3 and struggles at the line, which are both Utah State strengths. Both teams play deliberately, which could mean a low-scoring game. Texas A&M might have noticed that a lot of folks are pegging it for an upset. One thing we know: The Aggies are going to win.

What to watch Texas A&M Aggies: Donald Sloan, a first-team All-Big 12 pick, averages 18.2 points per game. No other player averages in double figures, though though three average nine-plus points. The defense led the Big 12 in scoring (65.8 ppg). The Aggies have shot .475 from the field in their past four games. They are 30-0 under coach Mark Turgeon when they shoot at least 50 percent from the field.

What to watch Utah State Aggies: Point guard Jared Quayle is where Utah State's precise offense starts. He averages 12.5 points, 4.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. Nate Bendall and Tai Wesley are smart, capable post presences. Brian Green is the best 3-point shooter on a very good 3-point shooting team (42 percent).

The said it: "They run a ton of sets, obviously, and run them very well," Turgeon said of Utah State's offense."They have counters to counters to counters. And you've got to pick and choose what you show and how much you show. I have a couple of my seniors and I say, 'Is this a lot?' and they say, 'Yeah, this is a lot, coach'."

MIDWEST REGIONAL

No. 5 Michigan State (24-8) vs. No. 12 New Mexico State (22-11), 7:20 p.m.

Storyline: Did New Mexico State's leading scorer Jahmar Young tweak Michigan State's two-time first-team All-Big Ten point guard Kalin Lucas this week by replying, "Who?" when asked about Lucas. Absolutely. But Young clearly was making a statement that he -- and, by extension, his teammates -- aren't afraid of the Spartans.

What to watch for the Spartans: Lucas leads four players who average in double figures. Chris Allen, suspended for the Big Ten tournament, is the Spartans best threat from 3-point range. The Spartans aren't big but Raymar Morgan, Delvon Roe sixth man Draymond Green are particularly good at grabbing offensive rebounds.

What to watch for the Aggies: Young and fellow guard Jonathan Gibson combine for 38 points a game, but Wendell McKines, Hamidu Rahman and Troy Gillenwater are physical players who each averages in double-figures. The Aggies like to run-and-gun and try to force turnovers. They are 19-0 this season when they outshoot their opponents.

They said it: "I watched him. He can play. Everyone can play. What am I supposed to do, bow down because of what they say? That's not going to happen, but it's no disrespect to him at all," said Young when told that Lucas has been offended by his comments.

No. 4 Maryland (23-8) vs. No. 13 Houston (19-15), 9:50 p.m.

Storyline: It's ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez (19.5 ppg) vs. the nation's leading scorer, Aubrey Coleman (26.0 ppg). Both teams are hot. The Cougars won four games in four days to win the Conference USA Title. Maryland won nine of 10 to finish the regular season.

What to watch for the Terrapins: The Terrapins averaged 79 points per game, so it's obviously not just Vasquez, but the senior will have the ball in his hands if things are tight late. It's likely Maryland is eager to face a defense that allows foes to hit 46 percent of their shots.

What to watch for the Cougars: The 6-4 Coleman will get his points, but the Cougars upset chances probably require more than a one-man show. Guard Kelvin Lewis, the conference tournament MVP, averages 15.3 points per game and he likely will spend plenty of time guarding Vasquez. He also shoots nearly 40 percent from 3-point range.

They said it: "I'm not going to get caught up in trying to go back and forth with him. He's a great player in the ACC. And we know everybody is going against us because we are Conference USA," Coleman said of his matchup with Vasquez. "We don't have nothing to lose."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Minnesota continues to grind away toward a potential NCAA tournament berth, and the Gophers are halfway to a signature win. Michigan State missed 15 of its first 21 shots but found a rhythm late in the half to keep things close.

Some quick thoughts at the break of Friday's final quarterfinal matchup:

• Michigan State really missed suspended guard Chris Allen for most of the hard, as starters Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers both struggled. But sophomore Korie Lucious provided a much-needed boost in the final minutes, hitting two 3-pointers to cut into Minnesota's lead. The Spartans still will need more from Lucas and Summers, who combined to make only 3 of 13 field-goal attempts.
• If you enjoy a smooth shooting stroke, Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber has one of the best in the country. Hoffarber, whose heroics in this building two years ago are legendary, has connected on 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point range to lead Minnesota. Michigan State needs to put a body on him in the second half.
• I really like the spark Gophers forwards Damian Johnson and Colton Iverson provide. Johnson had no business being left off of the All-Big Ten Defensive team, and he seems to be taking it out on opponents in this tournament. The senior has six points and two huge blocks. Iverson (six points) also has two swats and seems comfortable mixing it up down low. It should be a good matchup in the second half between those two and Michigan State's Raymar Morgan and Draymond Green.

Every year, Tom Izzo comes up with something different. Smashing game tapes. Hitting each other with football pads. Good, old-fashioned, run-till-you-can't-see windsprints. Every year, Izzo's teams experience some sort of defining off-court moment, like the scene in basketball movies when the team begins to trust their coach and each other and comes together around a well-defined purpose. Cue montage.

This year? Izzo's methods were even less conventional: The Spartans had a sleepover in the Breslin Center, sleeping bags included.

The idea came from his players. Draymond Green, Raymar Morgan, Isaiah Dahlman and Kalin Lucas were comparing game tape from the 2008-09 season with this year's version, and saw more "communication and togetherness" in last year's bunch. So the foursome -- led by Green -- approached Izzo with an idea. They wanted to have a sleepover on the Breslin Center's main court. And they wanted Izzo to join them.

Naturally, last Friday night, he agreed:

They played video games, checkers, ate pizzas and then went to bed around 2 a.m. in sleeping bags on the hardwood.

"It was one for my book if I ever write one 20 years from now," Izzo said. "I've never seen anything like that. In my high school, we all lived so close together it was like having a sleepover every night. Kalin right away jumped up and said, 'Yeah, that's a great idea.' And Zeke (Dahlman) said, 'Yeah, we'll have a tournament of checkers and Xbox and ping-pong.'

"Was it good for us from a back standpoint? Probably not. Was it good for us from a rest standpoint? Probably not. Was it good for us from a togetherness standpoint? One of the great team-building events, and the best part is it goes back to my original thing I've believed in my whole career here: It was a player decision."

Warning: What follows is entirely unoriginal, but I'm going to write it anyway. Ready? This is what makes Izzo such a complete coach. He manages to maintain that aloof, authority-figure aura while at the same time trusting his players to the point that he would agree to sleep at midcourt on a sleeping bag after a night of pizza and Xbox. College basketball games come down to what happens on the court; it's easy to put too much stock into things like this. But it's likewise easy to completely ignore them. Coming together as a team certainly won't hurt the Spartans' NCAA tournament chances. And if you see a rejuvenated Sparty in the next few weeks, well, you'll know why.

(Hat tip: The Dagger)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- In the raucous visitors' locker room at Mackey Arena, one voice boomed above the rest.

"We outrebounded them by 26! 26!"

It didn't take long to find the source.

"Yeah, that was me," Michigan State forward Draymond Green said after his team's 53-44 win. "That's something that we really pride ourselves on, and we did a great job of it tonight."

There was little doubt No. 3 Purdue would miss star forward Robbie Hummel in Sunday's clash with No. 14 Michigan State. The unknowns: How much would Hummel's absence sting and in what specific areas?

After all, Hummel helped Purdue in so many ways: scoring (15.7 ppg, 2nd on team); rebounding (6.9 rpg, 2nd on team); assists (56, 2nd on team); steals (29, 3rd on team); free-throw shooting (90.2 percent, 1st on team).

The first phase of LWH (Life Without Hummel) left no mystery about where the star was missed the most.

Michigan State outrebounded Purdue 46-20. That's a difference of 26, as Green made sure anyone within earshot of Michigan State's locker room found out. The Spartans notched their first win against a ranked opponent since Jan. 6 and stayed alive in the Big Ten race.

"The game was lost for us on the glass," Boilers coach Matt Painter said after his team's 10-game win streak ended. "We had an effort, but you can't say, when someone outrebounds you by 26, we had a great effort."

Purdue's effort certainly revealed itself on the defensive end, as it forced 23 Michigan State turnovers, eight from reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas. But the Boilers couldn't convert defense into offense -- they shot just 30 percent for the game and had major cold spells to open each half -- and gave Michigan State way too many extra chances on the offensive end.

The Spartans had 16 offensive rebounds, four fewer than Purdue's game total.

"To think that our team outrebounded them the first time after watching that," Painter said, "it's a little amazing."

Purdue held a 31-30 edge in rebounds Feb. 9 in a win at the Breslin Center. Hummel had five boards and 15 points that night.

A sequence in the final minutes encapsulated how things have changed for Painter's team. Trailing 48-44, the Boilers had 6-3 guard Chris Kramer defend the 6-6, 235-pound Green. Kramer is one of the nation's best defenders and set the team's all-time steals record Sunday. But the size disadvantage proved too much, as Green missed a shot, missed a tip but made the second tip.

As the crowd deflated, Hummel watched from the end of Purdue's bench, crutches at his side.

"I'm guarding the other team's 4-man," Kramer said. "It's nothing [I haven't] done before."

Sure, in spurts. But Hummel's injury leaves Purdue with only one major contributor in the post, forward JaJuan Johnson, who struggled Sunday.

And when a team has multiple threats down low, like Michigan State has with Green (12 points, 11 rebounds), Raymar Morgan (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Derrick Nix (7 points), mismatches are inevitable.

"You can't expect [Hummel] to be there any more," Kramer said. "That's just part of it. We still did everything the same way as we normally do. Sure, Rob's another threat out there for us and can do a lot of thing, but our team's got to keep coming.

"This wasn't us tonight."

The NCAA tournament selection committee might not be convinced, especially after Sunday.

For the last six weeks, "us" looked like a bona fide Final Four contender. Purdue blitzed through the Big Ten and appeared poised to make the short trip down I-65 to Lucas Oil Stadium.

But one unfortunate step Wednesday night at Minnesota changed everything.

"Don't kid yourself," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "They missed him, and missed him a lot."

One of the many signs displayed Sunday in Purdue's spirited student section read, "Same Goals." Purdue can still win the Big Ten. It still could make a run in March.

But if the on-court product seen Sunday doesn't improve, Purdue will see its NCAA tournament seed slip and its promising season end much earlier than expected.

"As soon as Rob went down, our backs went to the wall," Kramer said. "It just comes down to us, coming together, correcting everything we did wrong today and just keep on moving forward.

"We can prove everybody wrong by winning the basketball games. There's no other way to do it."