NCAA Tournament Southeast Region Second Round
#7 UCLA Bruins vs #10 Michigan St Spartans
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida
Thursday, March 17, 2011, 9:20 pm Eastern, TV: TBS
Opening Line: Michigan St -1
Current Line: Michigan St -1 1/2
Opening Total: 125
Current Total: 125
Money Line: MSU-125 / UCLA +105
At the beginning of the season, if someone told you UCLA and Michigan St would be playing an NCAA tournament game you probably would have said it would be in the sweet 16 or elite 8. However these two blue blood programs are playing the second round of the tournament. UCLA is the #7 seed and finished second in the Pac 10 with a 22-10 overall record and 13-5 in league play. The Bruins are one of the streakiest teams in the country. They started off 3-0, lost their next 4, won 6, lost 2, went 10-1 in their next 11 games and finished the season going 3-3. They had an ugly 76-59 loss against Oregon in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament. Michigan St started off the season ranked #2 in the pre-season polls after going to back to back Final Fours the last 2 seasons. However, the toughest schedule in the nation took its toll and Michigan St dropped out f the top 25 during the course of the season. A month ago a bid to the NCAA tournament was anything but a sure thing, but the Spartans finished the regular season 19-14 and went 9-9 in the Big Ten. They finished in a four way tie for fourth in the Big Ten, and slipped into the tournament as a #10 seed. The Spartans lost to Penn St in the Big Ten semifinals 61-48.
UCLA leads the overall series against Michigan St 5-2. UCLA won the last game between the two teams in 2007. These two illustrious programs have never met in the NCAA tournament. Michigan St went 6-13 against tournament teams and UCLA was 4-7 against teams that made the tournament. Michigan St is 11-19 ATS in all games this season including 6-15 as a favorite, 6-13 after a conference game and 8-16 versus teams with winning records.
Michigan St has dismissed guard Korrie Lucious for violating team rules. Lucious led the team in assists with 4.1 a game and scored 6.5 points a game. Michigan St is led by senior guard Kalin Lucas who averages 17.2 points to lead the team, 2.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1 steal a game. Junior forward Draymond Green is averaging 12.3 points, 8.6 rebounds to lead the team, 4 assists to lead the team, 1.7 steals to also lead the team, and 1.2 blocks a game to tie for the team lead. Senior guard Durrell Summers is averaging 11.5 points, and 4.4 rebounds a game. Delvon Roe averages 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a game to lead the team. Michigan St is outscoring opponents 69-66 this season. The Spartans are shooting 43.2% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range. Spartan opponents are shooting 42.2% from the field. Michigan St is shooting 69.9% from the free throw line. The Spartans average 37 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of +4.2. MSU averages 14.8 assists and 13.3 turnovers a game. Michigan St forces 13.3 turnovers a game on defense. The Spartans average 6.4 steals and 4.8 blocks a game.
UCLA guard Malcolm Lee (knee) and forward Tyler Honeycutt (Illness) are both listed as probable against Michigan St. UCLA is led by forward Reeves Nelson who is averaging 13.9 points to lead the team, 9 rebounds to lead the team, and 1.6 assists a game. Lee averages 13 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists a game. Honeycutt averages 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and leads the team in blocks with 2 a game. Center Joshua Smith averages 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.1 block a game. Guard Lazeric Jones averages 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and leads the team in assists with 3.7 and steals with 1.1 a game. UCLA is outscoring opponents 70-66 on the year. The Bruins are shooting 45.6% from the field and and 32.9% from 3-point range. Bruin opponents are shooting 41.6% from the field. The Bruins shoot 68.3% from the free throw line. UCLA averages 37.3 rebounds a game and has a rebounding margin of +4.7. The Bruins average 14.6 assists and 14.9 turnovers a game. UCLA forces 12.1 turnovers a game on defense. UCLA averages 5.5 steals and 5.8 blocks a game.
Keep an eye on the Honeycutt and Lee situations but I expect them to play. The winner of this game will most likely play Florida in the third round. This game features teams that are evenly matched statistically and it could go either way.
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