The Kansas Jayhawks easily found their way into the Second Round with a huge win over UC Davis, but the next test is a suddenly hot Michigan State Spartans team that blew out Miami in their first game. Can Kansas avoid another Second Round upset to earn a trip to the Midwest Regional in Kansas City next week?
Mike: Meh. I’m actually not too worried here. I’m sure a lot of people are like ooooo Tom Izzo but a coach is limited by his players, and they’ve lost 14 times this year. KU is way better than Northeastern, Ohio State, and Illinois, just to name three teams that have beaten Sparty this season. What up now, Tom? Kansas 81, Michigan State 76.
David: End of the line. Michigan State is doing what Michigan State does. They wander through the regular season and then they go nuclear in March. Their biggest problem is turning it over, and KU simply doesn't exploit that vulnerability in opponents. Michigan State will hit a bunch of threes, build up a big lead, and KU’s comeback (and season) will fall just short. Michigan State 80, Kansas 72
Fizzle406: I like Kansas here. Too nervous to give more analysis than that. Kansas 76, Michigan State 75
dnoll5: Well, I've been in Lyon, France (Highly recommended by the way - One of the best French cities I've been to) since KU lost to TCU. I saw the UC-Davis score when I woke up on Saturday morning, and am ready to make a prediction. I know nothing about Michigan State, but I know that Kansas doesn't want to lose to them, so I'll say that the motivation to get to KC is enough to propel KU to victory. Also, I think Kansas is the better team. Une très bien prediction, oui? Kansas 81, Michigan State 69.
Andy: I said in the podcast that this was the matchup I was concerned about, less about the talent on this MSU team than the knack of Coach Izzo to get his teams further in the NCAA Tournament than he should. Ultimately, I still think Kansas is able to pull this out, but Carlton Bragg and Dwight Coleby are going to have to contribute heavily as I think Landen Lucas gets in foil foul trouble pretty early in the first half. Kansas 87, Michigan State 79.