Michigan State, Fresno State Second Round Preview
3/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2001
GAME: No. 9 Fresno State (26-7) vs. No. 1 Michigan State (25-4).
REGIONAL: South, second round.
TIME: Sunday, 4:55 p.m. EST.
SITE: The Pyramid, Memphis, Tenn.
Top-seeded Michigan State hopes to show the country that it can play up-tempo when it takes on high-flying ninth seed Fresno State in the second round.
"A lot of people doubted that we could get up and down the court with Florida last year when we played for the national championship," Michigan State point guard Charlie Bell said. "We proved them wrong then, and we're ready to do the same again. We love to play a transition game by getting up and down the court quickly, but we don't get a chance to do it much.
"In the Big Ten, we have to grind it out in a lot of games with our half-court offense."
It was the Spartans' half-court defense that shut down Alabama State in the second half, holding the Hornets to an NCAA-record 10 points in Friday's 69-35 victory. The effort tied the lowest-scoring half in any NCAA tournament game since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985-86.
"They weren't afraid of anything," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said of the Hornets, who were down by only four at halftime. "(They) had us on their heels. We got a few more rebounds and a few more stops and that was the difference."
While Michigan State is looking to unveil its transition game, Fresno State is looking to earn some respect.
"Each and every one of us came here to play against teams with a status like Michigan State," Fresno State's Demetrius Porter said. "Now we have an opportunity to do so, and we just want to go out here and make a statement that we are just as good as any other team in the tournament."
While both teams feature very potent backcourts, it may be the play in the middle that decides the outcome. Fresno State, which averages 82 points per game, boasts 6-foot-10 center Melvin Ely, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 82-70 first-round victory over California.
"He did a lot of things that opened some of our eyes," Michigan State forward Andre Hutson said. "He's a force down low. We're definitely going to have to key in on him. If he gets off, it will be hard to beat them."
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Fresno State - F Chris Jeffries (15.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), F Shannon Swillis (7.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg), C Ely (15.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg), G Tito Maddox (13.9 ppg, 8.0 apg), G Porter (15.1 ppg, 3.2 apg).
Michigan State - F Hutson (13.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg), F Jason Richardson (15.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), C Zach Randolph (11.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg), G Marcus Taylor (7.8 ppg, 3.9 apg), G Bell (14.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.4 apg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Fresno State - At-large bid, Western Athletic Conference, defeated No. 8 California 82-70, first round. Michigan State - At-large bid, Big Ten Conference, defeated No. 16 Alabama State 69-35, first round.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Fresno State - 2-4, 5 years. Michigan State - 30-13, 15 years.
