It couldn't have been scripted much better.
MSU vs. Marquette. Tom Izzo vs. Tom Crean. Teacher vs. student.
The screenplay is probably being drafted as we speak.
But when the Spartans and Golden Eagles face off in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C., at least one person won't be interested in those made-for-Hollywood story lines.
"It doesn't change things as much as you think," Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference. "It's one-day news."
Crean was an assistant coach for Izzo's first four seasons at MSU, including the Spartans' Final Four run in 1999. He took the head position at Marquette after that season, leading the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2003 and borrowing heavily from the blueprint he and Izzo established at MSU.
That bond still persists today — Izzo said he and Crean were exchanging plays as recently as three weeks ago.
"Probably neither one of us will run those this weekend," he said with a smile.
But other than the general familiarity the coaches have with each other's systems, Izzo insists the preparation for this game won't be any different.
"The first thing I said after the Wisconsin game was, 'Boy, it's going to be nice to play someone that doesn't know all of our stuff,'" Izzo said. "And we're probably playing maybe the only team in the country that knows all of our stuff. So that's kind of tough. But for me, the disappointment of playing against a friend and a situation like that is far underscored compared to getting in the tournament."
Crean's Golden Eagles (24-9 overall, 10-6 Big East) aren't an exact replica of the Spartans. They're more guard-oriented, more likely to penetrate and kick out, and more reliant on the fast break — at least this season.
Led by undersized guard Dominic James, Marquette is averaging 72.5 points a game — MSU (22-11, 8-8 Big Ten) is scoring just more than 65.
"They run constantly, and James pushes it as well as anyone I've ever seen," Izzo said.
One clamp on Marquette's overdrive offense has been guard Jerel McNeal's injured thumb, which has kept him out of the last three games. McNeal, Marquette's second-leading scorer at 14.7 a game, isn't expected to play Thursday.
Marquette also was struggling before McNeal's injury, losing four of its final six regular-season games. That's enough cause for optimism for Izzo, who believes his team's tenacity could foreshadow some postseason success.
"If the Cinderella slipper could fit anybody, it's this kind of team — one that has earned its keep," Izzo said. "It's incredible the number of games we've won, but what's even more incredible is the number of games we've been right there with a chance to win. There are not many times when we haven't at least been knocking on the door. You keep knocking, sooner or later, it opens."
