Michigan State - Pittsburgh Preview

South- Round Two
Michigan State Spartans (5) Vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (4)
Saturday, March 22 @ 9:10 pm
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In the first round, Michigan State made it look relatively easy against the Temple Owls, beating them 72- 61. State outscored the Owls 35- 26 in the first-half. Making the second stanza of the game an uphill battle for Temple. Maddux Sports' college basketball picks season members cleaned up in this game cashing an easy ticket on the Spartans.

A balanced Michigan attack and accurate shooting accounted for the Spartan victory. Michigan used its big men upfront to inflict major scoring damage. Forward Raymar Morgan was the high scorer for the Spartans, going 7 for 9 and scoring a total of 15 points. Center Drew Naymick pumped in 10 points and snatched 9 rebounds. Center Goran Suton, who had 6 points, grabbed 9 rebbies.

Off the bench, guard Chris Allen went 2 for 5 from downtown, putting in a total of 12 points. The Spartans used their size to advantage as they out rebounded the Owls 33- 27. But it came down to shooting accuracy. Michigan State shot 48.1% from the floor to Temple’s 37.5% and 88.9% from the free throw line to the Owl’s 68.4%.

The Pittsburgh Panthers hammered Oral Roberts in the first-half, outscoring them 47- 24. In the end, it was the Panthers 82 and the Golden Eagles 63, a very easy cover against the NCAA basketball point spread. For the Panthers, junior guard Levance Fields was massive, putting in 23 points, dishing off 7 assists and handling 4 rebounds. Fields was 4 of 7 from the three-point hash. Although Oral Roberts blocked five shots, they were unable to keep up with the Panther’s scoring chops. Pittsburgh shot 46.4% from the field and 76.9% from the charity stripe.

Against the Golden Eagles, the Panthers had a tough time defending the three-pointer and lost the ball to 6 steals, while having 5 shots blocked. However, Pittsburgh was tough off the boards, which gave the team numerous second shots. Michigan State moved the ball around and shot exceptionally well. However, like Pittsburgh, they gave the ball away too many times. In this next game, State can afford to make a few more mistakes than Pittsburgh. If the Spartans can neutralize Fields, that will help. Somehow, the Panthers have to control Michigan’s game upfront to advance in the 2008 NCAA tournament.