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Those were not scheme wins. Yes, MSU made a big defensive change and so didn't go into the game with a dinoscheme as it has in the past, but Michigan played very well in the first half of both games, and the numbers do not suggest anything out of the ordinary. Michigan scored enough to win with it's regular defense, and defended well enough to win with it's usual crappy offense. But MSU starts 2 seniors and its best player is a very experienced junior. That's probably why Michigan's kids lost the plot both times and MSU's didn't. Twice they were in the position they found themselves all year with about 15 minutes to go.
Incredibly important game, IMO. I'd love to be the 2 out west, and it seems to me to be complete nonsense to let Gonzaga hang on to that one seed after losing in their conference tournament. But more importantly I'd worry about 3 losses to MSU putting a monkey on their backs at the wrong time. This team seems to me to lack leadership and can crumble at key points, and there's no Mo-level scorer good enough to take over a game offensively when it's needed and to get everybody fired up in the process. This year was supposed to be about learning to play as a contender and coming into the tournament with a high seed and expectations that a Final Four run wouldn't be just a nice surprise but a good opportunity to take the whole thing. Easy to see how the intangibles mandate a win today and challenge the narrative with a loss.
Incredibly important game, IMO. I'd love to be the 2 out west, and it seems to me to be complete nonsense to let Gonzaga hang on to that one seed after losing in their conference tournament. But more importantly I'd worry about 3 losses to MSU putting a monkey on their backs at the wrong time. This team seems to me to lack leadership and can crumble at key points, and there's no Mo-level scorer good enough to take over a game offensively when it's needed and to get everybody fired up in the process. This year was supposed to be about learning to play as a contender and coming into the tournament with a high seed and expectations that a Final Four run wouldn't be just a nice surprise but a good opportunity to take the whole thing. Easy to see how the intangibles mandate a win today and challenge the narrative with a loss.
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