ST. LOUIS — As the final seconds ticked off Michigan State’s 59-52 victory over Northern Iowa on Friday night, Tennessee volunteer manager Houston Fancher analyzed the team the Vols will play Sunday in the Midwest Regional final.
“Two things stand out,” the former Appalachian State head coach said. “Transition defense and rebounding. And their physicality is at another level. They’re definitely a reflection of their coach (Tom Izzo), who’s as tough as they come.”
This is how tough: The Spartans shook off the loss of point guard Kalin Lucas in the NCAA tournament’s opening weekend well enough to send Cinderella home about 10 minutes before midnight.
Having stunned overall No. 1 seed Kansas last Saturday, Northern Iowa looked eminently capable of taking out the short-handed Spartans when they tied the game at 51 with 2:51 to play.
But from there the Edward Jones Dome was all Spartans. They closed out the game on an 8-1 run that was equal parts defense, offense and boardwork.
First, forward Raymar Morgan hit a jumper to put MSU up 53-51. Then Korie Lucious, who played 39 minutes at point in place of Lucas, hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to hike the margin to 55-51 with 1:31 to go.
Then Draymond Green broke the Panthers’ hearts for good with two late free throws.
“I thought the big keys were our defense and our rebounding in the second half,” said Izzo, echoing the sentiments of Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl a game earlier. “And Korie did a heck of a job. He made an incredible shot. It also isn’t easy playing point guard for Michigan State.”
Indeed, Lucious turned it over only twice against intense pressure, finishing with 10 points and four assists. Durrell Summers led the winners with 19 points, including four 3-pointers. Adam Koch led Northern Iowa (30-5) with 13 points.
And after struggling on the glass in the opening period as NIU ran out to a 29-22 halftime lead, MSU (27-8) won the rebounding war 32-26 and wound up with a 22-18 edge on points in the lane and a 17-6 cushion in bench points.
So how does it feel to reach the championship game, someone asked Green afterward.
“You mean the region championship,” he said, which is usually how you’d look at it when your school has been to the Final Four five times since 1999.