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Duke-Michigan State Game Preview
Posted: Thursday March 25, 1999 11:01 AM
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MSU can't leave Duke's Elton Brand open for a second -- he's too dangerous when he has room to move. AP |
Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis (who covered Duke and the East Region) and
Grant Wahl (who covered Michigan State and the Midwest Region) preview
Saturday's second national semifinal (approx. 8:15 p.m.
ET).
For Duke to
win:
The guards need to hit their threes and stay out of foul trouble. Trajan Langdon
and William Avery are the only true guards on the entire roster, and their
ability to stretch the defense is what gives Elton Brand the requisite room to
maneuver under the rim.--
SD
For Michigan State to
win:
Mateen Cleaves has to produce. That doesn't mean he has to score, but it does
mean that he can't go 3-for-17, as he did in MSU's 73-67 loss to Duke in
December. Michigan State's defense and rebounding is better than Duke's, which
leaves it to Cleaves. If he passes, penetrates and makes smart decisions from
the start of the game, the Spartans have a chance.-- GW
Duke player to watch:
Pick your poison on this one. Everything starts with Brand, but Langdon is the
senior and unquestioned leader.--
SD
Michigan State player to
watch:
Will Andre Hutson be able to handle Elton Brand again? When these two teams
played in December, Brand was forced into committing a Duke-high six turnovers,
losing his starting spot for the next two games. Don't think Brand doesn't
remember that.-- GW
Duke's X factor:
Foul trouble and injuries. Don't expect Duke to be mentally or emotionally
unready to play. --
SD
Michigan State's X
factor:
Outside shooting. Jason Klein, the Spartans' normally dependable marksman, has
been in a shooting funk. That means MSU will rely even more on A.J. Granger, who
has come on strong in recent weeks with a soft outside touch. If either one of
those players can hit a few shots from the outside, Cleaves will have more room
to create havoc with his penetration. -- GW
For Duke, the game will turn on:
Whether or not Michigan State's guards are hitting their outside shots. If not,
that will allow Duke to concentrate on rebounding, which is a potential weak
spot. -- SD
For Michigan State, the game will turn on:
The first eight minutes. Michigan State has a bad habit of getting off to
horrible starts and then coming back to win. It can't afford to do that in this
game. If the Spartans are close eight minutes in, expect it to be close until
the
end. -- GW
Seth Davis' prediction:
Michigan State will be able to hang with Duke if it's able to keep the tempo
relatively slow. Still, the Blue Devils have just too many weapons. It'll be
tight, but Duke pulls away down the
stretch.
Grant Wahl's prediction:
Coach Tom Izzo told me last week that Duke has improved three times as much as
Michigan State since their game in December. Hogwash. In my mind, Michigan State
is one of the most woefully underrated teams in the last decade of college
basketball. Think about it. The Spartans have won 21 straight games and lost
only four -- and those were to Temple, UConn, Duke and Wisconsin. They don't
play attractive basketball, but they find ways to wear you down and, eventually,
win. I don't think they'll beat Duke, but they'll give the Dookies a great game.
Expect it to go down to the wire, perhaps OT. Scores in the 60s. Duke
wins by
four.
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