MSU hoping for best of times in NCAA Tourney

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The NCAA Tournament is one of the most exciting, dramatic times of the year.

A team can go from the high of a thrilling win to the low of a last-second loss in the span of two days.

That’s why they call it March Madness. It simply is the wildest time of the year and a basketball fan’s dream.

Because of the wild variation of emotions March can bring, some would call it the best of times. For others, it’s the worst of times. The same concept can be applied to the 64 teams that will participate in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. With Connecticut the prohibitive favorite, it seems like the other 63 teams are battling for second place.

Still, a lot can be accomplished.

For a team like Bowling Green, which will meet MSU at 12:11 p.m. Saturday in first-round action, a win against the Spartans would make its season a wild success.

On the other hand, if MSU was to lose that first-round game to the Falcons, its season would be classified as a great disappointment.

That’s what makes March so great. For the Spartans, it can just as easily be the worst of times as it can be the best of times.

Two key areas for the Spartans (and really, most teams) this postseason are going to be scoring and rebounding.

Will it be the best of times or the worst of times?

Scoring

Best of times: MSU’s nine-deep rotation continues to produce a balanced offense. The Spartans don’t need a 20-point scorer each night to win games; they just need three to four people scoring 10-15 points. MSU almost certainly will be successful if senior center Allyssa DeHaan, junior forward Kalisha Keane and junior guard Brittney Thomas are in double figures each game. And if seniors Aisha Jefferson and Lauren Aitch get going, the Spartans will be a tough out.

Worst of times: DeHaan’s back spasms flare up, she is severely limited and the stone touch everybody except Jefferson showed in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Iowa returns.

Keane is the key figure here. She was the Big Ten’s Sixth Player of the Year for a reason. She made a big impact for much of the Big Ten season and was a big reason for the team’s success. Against undersized teams, she must be a threat both in the post and on the perimeter. If she floats and isn’t hitting from outside, it could be bad news for MSU. She is the make-or-break player for the Spartans this postseason.

If she performs well, the team has a chance to go to Kansas City, if not further.

Rebounding

Best of times: The Spartans torch the glass and use their size advantage to dominate their opponents inside.

The dominance on the glass allows MSU to get out on the run, which has led to much success this season, and score easy buckets, which takes pressure off everybody to hit jumpers. Clearing off the defensive glass limits second-chance points, which will be huge against teams that shoot a lot of outside shots. Stopping those second-chance opportunities won’t give a team a chance to catch fire from outside. MSU’s strength on the glass deflates teams and leads to wins.

Worst of times: The Spartans rebound like they did in the final six games, which was not impressive at all (tied or outrebounded in 4-of-6 games after only being outrebounded three times in the first 25 games). DeHaan’s back spasms get the best of her and Aitch gets in foul trouble, which keeps her off the court. Sophomore forward Lykendra Johnson stays in her rebounding funk that has seen her average only three boards per game the last three games. The team gives up multiple second-chance opportunities and can’t make up for it on the other end.

Matt Bishop is the State News women’s basketball reporter. He can be reached at_ bishop20@msu.edu

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