Commentary: Spartans Rule College Hoops

Michigan State is a deserving national champion. Everybody loves the upset, including me, but I’m not disappointed that the Spartans won. In a tournament where top seeds were falling all around them, the Spartans played like national champions. Tom Izzo’s crew was hardly tested in the six game run to the crown. Their best opponent was Iowa State. The Cyclones hung with Michigan State for the first 35 minutes or so, but a crushing run at the end left little doubt about which team was superior. In Indianapolis, MSU showed amazing versatility, beating Wisconsin and Florida at their own games. The Spartans played slow-down with the rough and tumble Badgers, and beat them for a fourth time. Florida likes to run and gun. Fine. Michigan State ran up 89 points, the most the Gators have allowed all season. Florida couldn’t keep up. Michigan State’s seniors, Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, and A.J. Granger played like seniors, scoring 58 of MSU’s 89 points. Florida’s freshmen and sophomores played like freshmen and sophomores, throwing up 18 three pointers and hitting just six of them. It doesn’t always happen this way in the NCAA tournament, but this year, the best team won.