Bryan Tibaldi never made it to the NCAA national championship as a player. But sitting in the corner of a Ford Field locker room on Sunday, the former MSU walk-on turned graduate manager was doing everything he could to make sure his first trip to college basketball’s biggest stage was going to be a success.
Throughout the postseason, MSU senior center Goran Suton has opened a lot of eyes with his offensive versatility. However, it’s Suton’s talent on defense that could play a much bigger role tonight in the national championship game against North Carolina.
One win would give North Carolina the 2009 national championship. It would also give its eight-man senior class — which includes Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough — 124 career wins, the most of any class in North Carolina history.
When asked to compare his team to North Carolina, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo didn’t sugarcoat his feelings. “If we play good and they play good, we’re losing,” Izzo said during a press conference Sunday at Ford Field. “That’s the way I look at it.”
Detroit — After weeks of operating incognito, the man behind the mask finally revealed his true identity. And he couldn’t have picked a better time — or a bigger stage — to do it.
Detroit — Sophomore guards Chris Allen and Durrell Summers were scoreless in the first half. So was senior center Goran Suton. But the MSU men’s basketball team was beating Connecticut on Saturday night in the national semifinals and once again the Spartans proved why no single player is the face of the team.
Detroit — At the first NCAA Tournament press conference in Minneapolis, Raymar Morgan told reporters he was going to show the world what they had been missing. It took him five games to deliver on his statement, but it was well worth the wait for the junior forward and the MSU men’s basketball team.
Detroit — As the final seconds ticked down, the dancing began in downtown Detroit. MSU fans of all ages embraced and cheered as their Spartans moved into the national championship with a 82-73 victory over Connecticut.
Detroit — Before his team’s game against Connecticut, MSU sophomore guard Kalin Lucas made a special request. Instead of being listed as a native of Sterling Heights, which has been the case all season, Lucas wanted the world to know where he was really from.
Spartans fans of all ages bled green and white tonight at Breslin Center. About 4,000 fans, ranging from ages 2 to more than 70, came to Breslin to watch the men’s basketball team secure a win over Connecticut.
Detroit — As expected, the majority of people flowing into Detroit are Spartan fans. Cheli’s Chilli Bar is the designated bar for MSU fans and opened at 9 a.m. By 3 p.m., people in line were waiting an hour and a half to get in, the majority of whom were recent MSU graduates.
Senior pitcher Nolan Moody threw the first pitch in the inaugural game at McLane Baseball Stadium – the MSU baseball team’s new home. Moody also threw the last pitch of the game before finding himself on the bottom of a bench-clearing dog pile. Moments before being swarmed by his teammates, the Spartans turned a double play to end the game – thus sealing the deal on Moody’s first ever complete game no-hitter in MSU’s 2-0 victory over Northwestern.
Detroit — Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet is getting most of the publicity heading into the Final Four, but MSU has a foreign center of its own that could pay huge dividends Saturday night. And it isn’t Goran Suton.
Detroit — Although it cruised through the West Region to reach the Final Four, it’s been anything but smooth sailing for the Connecticut men’s basketball team this season.
From the Upper Peninsula to the southeast corner, the Rust Belt to the western frontier, the MSU basketball program has Michigan covered. MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo emphasizes building his program on local products, and perhaps no team represents the entire state better than his 2009 Final Four squad. When the team takes the court against Connecticut on Saturday evening, it will be playing for more than fans back in East Lansing.
Playing just a short drive from Breslin Center, the MSU men’s basketball team will try to knock off its second consecutive Big East opponent when it faces Connecticut at 6:07 p.m. Saturday in the Final Four at Ford Field. The Huskies (31-4) finished second in the talented Big East this year while the Spartans (30-6) won the Big Ten regular season championship.
Senior guard Travis Walton said the MSU men’s basketball team is going to go inside against Connecticut and its 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet. Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas, however, said the Spartans can’t go to the basket because of the risk of getting blocked by Thabeet.
During his sophomore year, Travis Walton was sitting at a barbershop when he overheard a man talking about God. “Do you really believe that?” Walton asked the stranger. He replied that he did. The man was Jesse Brown, a pastor at Rivers of Life Church, 2495 N. Cedar St., in Lansing. His message struck Walton, now a senior guard on the MSU men’s basketball team. Interested and intrigued by Brown and his beliefs, Walton began going to Rivers of Life regularly — although only after his grandmother met and approved of Brown.
A few years ago, MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo was sitting in his office at the Alfred Berkowitz Basketball Complex. Across from Izzo was Kalin Lucas, an ultra-fast high school guard, and Lucas’ parents, Kenneth and Tina.
Of the four teams left in the field, the MSU men’s basketball team has arguably the least NBA talent on its roster. On Thursday, senior guard Travis Walton was asked if he was concerned his team’s lack of star talent hurts its chances.