The No. 23 MSU women's basketball team hopes to see its first NCAA Tournament win since 1997 when it faces Arizona on Sunday.
The Spartans (21-8 overall), the No. 8 seed in the West Region, will square off against No. 9 seed Wildcats at approximately 9:30 p.m. in Austin, Texas, at the Frank Erwin Center.
"This game will be a lot about controlling the tempo of the game," senior forward Julie Pagel said. "We want to slow the tempo down and choose our spots to run."
The matchup is a clash between two different styles of play. MSU plays a half-court game, while Arizona (24-8) looks to run up and down the floor. The Wildcats average 72.7 points per game, a challenge for the Spartans defense, which gives up just 55.2 points per game.
"Our style is to be possession-oriented, take care of the basketball and to run when we can run," MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "We need to play solid defense, and rebounding will be critical because they are such an athletic team."
Arizona is led by guard Dee-Dee Wheeler and center Shawntinice Polk. Wheeler runs the point for the Wildcats, and averaged 17.1 points and almost five assists per game. Polk, who stands 6-feet-5 and weighs well more than 250 pounds, does the inside work for Arizona, averaging 10.3 rebounds and 16.4 points per game.
After seeing film on their opponents from Tucson, Ariz., the Spartans are well aware of what the team can do, and McCallie knows Wheeler and Polk are the key players to stop.
"Wheeler is their heartbeat, their key," McCallie said. "Polk is a very good player, too. She is the kind of player who's going to get some points just based on sheer physical nature."
ESPN Analyst Stacey Dales-Schuman, a former player at Oklahoma, said she feels MSU is a tough matchup for any team. She said she knows the Spartans don't have a star player, but she likes the way they play.
"Michigan State is a gritty team," Dales-Schuman said. "They play strong defense and are tough boards. (Arizona) is going to have their hands full."
This is McCallie's fourth year at MSU and the Spartans' second-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Her players hope they are en route to making the MSU women's basketball program a successful one.
"We're definitely heading in the right direction," Pagel said. "Every year we want to improve and this year we want to make a statement about what this program and this team can do."
Led by two sophomores and two juniors, McCallie said she feels now is the time to stop making youth an excuse.
"We'd like to make a run of any sort to really find out how good we can be," McCallie said. "I want to see us go out there with a sense of urgency. I feel like we've been young and immature long enough."
