WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s a TV mounted on the wall in Michigan State’s locker room at Capital One Arena, the host site of the NCAA Tournament East Regional.
On Thursday morning, it was another prop in a packed room, but now the UConn-Michigan State hockey semifinal is being broadcast live. Between questions from reporters, the Spartans are watching.
Friday night, No. 2 UConn and No. 3 Michigan State meet on the basketball court. Despite the two big-stakes matchups in as many days, the schools aren’t rivals. But the basketball teams are bound together — by coaches Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley, by big men Jaxon Kohler and Tarris Reed Jr. and by the eight games they’ve split over 28 years.
Sunday, Hurley told the media that St. John’s was the opponent he anticipated playing the most, but on Thursday, he only spoke about Izzo.
“I see (Hurley) on the recruiting trail and I’m with Coach,” Spartans assistant coach Thomas Kelley told Hoops HQ. “And the first thing (Hurley) does is” — Kelley puts his hands in the air and bows, three times — “and what he says is, ‘You the GOAT.’”
This year, the teams coached by Izzo and Hurley have played high-efficiency, physical basketball. Both teams rebound well, control pace and go on runs.
“Coach was talking about some of the numbers and how we’re similar. When you’re neck-and-neck, it comes down to turnovers. Rebounds. Who’s hot that day, and who’s not,” Michigan State 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Jeremy Fears told Hoops HQ. “We need to get stops. Getting stops starts everything.”
In October, UConn met Michigan State in a preseason exhibition in Hartford. The Huskies controlled the momentum and won behind a balanced attack led by 6-foot-4 junior guard Solo Ball and 6-foot-8 senior forward Alex Karaban. The Spartans logged two individual double-doubles but looked fractured and inexperienced —a far cry from the collective whole they’ve been in the NCAA Tournament.
“We were a lot different. We were all young — first time, second time playing with each other,” Fears said. “We had a whole year. We found our rotations, our guys, our positions and our roles. I think we’re a lot better.”
The UConn team Sparty looks to eliminate Friday also is better; it’s deeper, faster and more physical. These teams recall each other’s strengths but no longer can exploit months-old weaknesses.
“The physicality they play with, the rebounding, how fast they play, the pace they play at. There’s a couple key pointers that you can remember,” Karaban told reporters. “(But) they’re so different from October to March, just like we are.”
Karaban is running hot after posting the highest-scoring two-game stretch (49) of his 147-game UConn career. Reed, a 6-foot-11 senior, has 41 points and 40 rebounds in two NCAA games; he had the tournament’s best rebounding performance since 1973 with 27 in a first-round win over Furman. Hurley’s game plan is straightforward.
“They surround Tarris Reed with shooters,” 6-foot-11 Spartans senior center Carson Cooper told Hoops HQ, “They can punch it to him any time.”
Stopping Reed is tougher. Izzo’s solution is a grudge matchup — 6-foot-10 Kohler, who committed to Michigan State the same year Reed committed to Michigan.
“There was a rivalry from the start,” Reed told reporters. “He transformed his game and developed since we were both freshmen. Now we’re both seniors. He has been tremendous. Seen him a lot in high school, played against him my two years when I was at Michigan. This is probably going to be our last matchup.”
UConn’s defense is tied to its offense. The Huskies’ five losses have come in games where its shooters — Karaban, Ball and 6-foot-6 freshman guard Braylon Mullins — have struggled. When the shots stop falling, the defense wilts and UConn fades. In the Huskies’ final game before the Big East Tournament, a Marquette team that finished 12-20 held Karaban, Ball and Mullins to a combined 6-of-31 from the field. As the Huskies lost confidence, the Golden Eagles rallied in the second half and knocked down a series of weakly contested 3-pointers to pull the upset.
For Michigan State to win, they will have to contest shots and keep Reed from dominating on the boards. Izzo will allow Fears and sharpshooting junior forward Coen Carr to run the offense and focus on breaking UConn’s momentum. Connecticut is a motion-oriented team that can make runs. If the Huskies control the tempo and hit their shots, Michigan State will lose.
“It’s the movement and the constant movement. It’s something you know you have to guard and you have to respect because any given moment, somebody can cut, somebody can be sprinting off, could be shooting, doing anything,” Fears said. “So you always try to stay consistent, know where your guy is and what’s going on.”
For UConn to win, they must be stellar from beyond the arc and excel at shot creation. Michigan State has struggled to defend high-volume range shooters, and could collapse under the combination of Reed’s low-post game and UConn’s presence on the perimeter. But the Spartans are the strongest defensive rebounding team in the nation and specialize in disruption. If they’re able to break the Huskies’ rhythm with rebounds, fast breaks and superior guard play, UConn will lose.
This is a Final Four-worthy matchup. Between these coaches are three national titles, 20 Sweet Sixteens (credit Izzo), and a fistful of future NBA talent. This also is the last chance for Karaban, Reed, Cooper and Kohler to win a title — Izzo and Hurley will coach as if it is theirs, too.
By the way, Michigan State won the hockey game.
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