Run, run, as fast as you can — Previewing the West Region

(Printable bracket here)

While I was driving home from Indianapolis, I caught a national radio interview with Long Island-Brooklyn head coach Jim Ferry.

At the end of the interview, the radio host told Ferry he was excited to watch the contrast of styles between LIU-Brooklyn, which likes to run and create a lot of possessions, and MSU, which likes to slow it down and "just dump it in to Draymond Green." Again, that was according to the radio host.

Ferry must have agreed, because he told the New York Post: "Everything (MSU does) is about toughness and strength, and they try to bang you inside and beat you on the glass. We’re going to have to get the game going up and down the court, which they don’t really do.”

I'm just going to call it The Wisconsin Effect or something. Playing in a conference with teams that like to slow it down and, you know, emphasize defense gives a lot of people nationally the perception that Big Ten teams don't like to run, including MSU.



As often is the case, MSU led the Big Ten in fast-break points this season, and playing against teams that like to run will help MSU's chances. Six of the top 12 teams in possessions per game play in the West Region, and seven teams in the region led their conference in transition points. The Spartans are going to run and, while they're missing some guys that would excel in it, they've got a team that enjoys doing it, led by Keith Appling, who is better on the break than in the halfcourt offense.