March 16, 2008

Tournament Central

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Drew Neitzel knows that first-round NCAA Tournament foe Temple is the Atlantic 10 champion, is nicknamed the Owls and is located in Philadelphia.

The Michigan State guard also knows that his team is capable of a long run as a fifth seed, as it proved in 2005 when it won four games and beat Duke and Kentucky.

"We have all the ingredients and all the potential in the world to make a long tournament run," Neitzel said Sunday after the Spartans learned they will start on Thursday in Denver. "We were a 5 seed my freshman year when we made it to the Final Four."

Michigan State (25-8) will be making its 11th-straight NCAA appearance, the fifth-longest streak in the nation. If it beats the Owls (21-12), it will meet No. 4 seed Pittsburgh (26-9), the Big East champion, or No. 13 Oral Roberts (24-8) on Saturday.

"A 5 seed is more than fair," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. "I thought we'd be a 5 or a 6. When I saw Indiana was an 8, I thought we might slip to a 7. But it's not about winning a game in the tournament. You have to win the weekend."

Two wins would send the Spartans to Houston, where they could meet top-seeded Memphis and face second-seeded Texas, a team they beat in December at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Michigan State and Big Ten champ Wisconsin beat the Longhorns on successive Saturdays in December. But the Spartans are more concerned with playing the way they can this week as they try to reach their fifth Final Four in 10 years.

"What happened in the Big Ten is over now," Neitzel said of a disappointing fourth-place finish. "We're putting that behind us. I'm just happy for the opportunity we have. Not many programs can say they've made 11 straight NCAAs."

That streak is the second-longest in Big Ten history. But the Spartans' last league title came in 2001, the year they beat Temple 69-62 in an Elite Eight matchup in Atlanta.

John Chaney has been replaced by Fran Dunphy as coach of the Owls, who have a seven-game winning streak, including two victories over NCAA 11th seed St. Joseph's.

Michigan State will have to contain Dionte Christmas, who averages 20.2 points per game. But Izzo is more concerned with how his team plays.

"You've got to get your guys playing well, and we're getting some life out of Neitzel again," he said of a player who averaged 27 points over the weekend. "Normally, I wish we could play Friday and Sunday.

"But to get the sour taste out of my mouth from Saturday, it's just as good that we play right away. I'd have given my right arm to play in Detroit."

Many Michigan State fans bought tickets for the Midwest Region games at Ford Field, 90 minutes from campus. But when the foul-plagued Spartans lost to Wisconsin 65-63 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, the Badgers became the No. 3 seed in that bracket.

"We're a little disappointed about that, but we didn't do the things we needed to do," Neitzel said. "We'll just have to find another way to get to San Antonio."

Listen To Spartan Sports Podcasts
Coach Izzo Press Conference - Part I
Coach Izzo Press Conference - Part II
Drew Neitzel Interview With Reporters
Raymar Morgan Interview
Travis Walton Interview