Spartans have advantage vs. hometown favorites

---

Tweet

Indianapolis — Four teams have rounded the last bend and are heading for the finish line.

Before Butler, MSU, Duke or West Virginia get the checkered flag, the four squads will square off in two national semifinal games Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

MSU and Butler have met 23 times (MSU is 13-10 against the Bulldogs) but not since 1971, when MSU won 77-71 in Indianapolis.

Here is a breakdown of Saturday’s game:

Backcourt

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said Butler’s guards were as sound defensively as any he’s seen in years. With MSU’s backcourt banged up, it could mean two things: The Bulldogs will have a serious advantage, and junior guard Durrell Summers, the Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player, will need to be better than ever. With the abilities of Butler guard-forward Gordon Hayward and guard Shelvin Mack, MSU will need junior guard Chris Allen, who said he hopes to be 85 percent by Saturday. Also, with the defensive tenacity of Butler’s backcourt, sophomore guard Korie Lucious’ role will be as crucial as ever in taking care of the ball.

Advantage: Butler

Frontcourt

All season, the Spartans’ frontcourt has been limiting big men who are bigger, sometimes faster and sometimes more talented. Now, they finally catch a break. If they can keep forward Matt Howard in check (the big guy is susceptible to foul trouble) the bigs have a real chance at this one. They’ve finally got a guy who is sophomore forward Draymond Green’s size but not as versatile or strong. And Howard is a guy who might have more skills but less athleticism than sophomore forward Delvon Roe. With Howard in check, Roe, Green and senior forward Raymar Morgan could have a field day in the post.

Advantage: MSU

Bench

After beating a deep Tennessee team, MSU faces another team that relies on a nucleus of players. Especially with junior guard Kalin Lucas out and Allen not at full strength, the Spartans have gone deeper on their bench. They now have nine players averaging seven minutes or more on the season, including seven at 20 minutes or more. The reserves are led by Green, who is averaging 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have five players logging more than 25 minutes per game, but no player earning fewer minutes than that scores more than 5.1 points per game.

Advantage: MSU

Coaching

With the job Brad Stevens has done at Butler, he makes this a close call. In just his third year with the Bulldogs, Stevens has led Butler to its first Final Four and a nation-best 24-game winning streak. He has this team grounded with the opinion that they belong — as they do. And with all of Izzo’s chronicled success in the NCAA Tournament, the regional semifinal has not always been pretty. The Spartans are just 2-3 in those games. But this is a situation Izzo is familiar with, while Stevens has never been on such a stage. Stevens could learn a thing or two from Izzo and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski this weekend.

Advantage: MSU

Intangibles

The Spartans might be 7-0 in Indianapolis, but the pressure’s on MSU. If the Bulldogs lose, it’ll still be a thrill for them to have made their first Final Four, and Indianapolis will embrace them even more. And although Lucas Oil has a reputation for muting crowd noise, there could be 50,000 people cheering for Butler in Saturday’s game. But the Spartans know that doesn’t always determine the outcome (see: 2009 National Championship). Still, the world is pulling for the Bulldogs and the Spartans — not in name, but in game context — are the dogs here.

Advantage: Butler

Prediction: MSU 73, Butler 63

---