Before the tournament began, almost everyone in America had the Spartans at least making the final four. Hell, many projected Tom Izzo’s bunch to cut down the nets in early April.
However, the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee had other plans as they pulled off one of the most improbable upsets in recent memory.
The Blue Raiders jumped out to a 15-2 lead, but of course, Sparty immediately came back to make things interesting.
Unfortunately for them, the score remained close throughout and as we all know by now, the longer you let an inferior team hang around, the more confident they’ll wind up being, which was the case here.
Every single time it appeared Michigan State would go on a run take the lead, Middle Tennessee would answer with either a big and one or three ball.
One thing I found interesting was the body language from both teams. If you weren’t familiar with the players or the color waves of each program, you’d think Middle Tennessee was the favorite. Their players were engaged, communicating and hustling, while the Spartans appeared rattled and unsure of themselves.
As we look ahead, the Blue Raiders will be facing the Syracuse Orange this Sunday, which is a very winnable game. To be honest, the Orange are very fortunate to even be in the tournament at all.
With Middle Tennessee’s versatility and switching defenses, this is a team that will be hard to prepare for.
You just gotta love March, well unless you’re a Spartans fan right now.