If I were to give a pep talk to Michigan State before Saturday’s game, I would simply play a Rodney Dangerfield clip over and over.

“I don’t get no respect.”

State beat the No. 1 overall team in the tournament, yet there are few who believe the Spartans have anything left in the tank.

While UConn will present hard match ups in the inside with Stanley Robinson, Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet, MSU will not be dominated on the boards. State, not UConn, led the nation in rebounding this margin with a 9.6 rebounding advantage a game.

Besides, with State center Goran Suton hitting shots from behind-the-arc, Thabeet will have to leave the paint. This will cause UConn to be less dominant on the boards.

MSU will also present problems to the Huskies’ backcourt. MSU guard Kalin Lucas, Big Ten player of the year, has the ability to take control of the game whenever it’s needed. And then there’s Spartan guard Travis Walton. The Big Ten defensive player of the year will frustrate UConn’s offense along with the rest of the Spartans’ defense.

And then there’s the intangible fact State is playing only 75 miles away from its campus.
If State can pull off a close win over the Huskies, it most likely will get the rematch it’s been waiting for all year: North Carolina at Ford Field. And I’m sure the Spartans have plenty of motivation to take out the Tar Heels.

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