END OF GAME: Michigan State advances to the Final Four! Thank you for joining me in today's game!
OT (:45) - MSU calls a timeout.
OT (1) - Blackshear is fouled and makes both.
OT (1) - Rozier makes the shot after Valentine hits one.
OT (2) - Forbes is headed to the line. He makes both.
OT (3) - Michigan State commits a shot clock violation.
OT (4) - He makes one.
OT (4) - Schilling fouls out and Harrel is headed to the line.
OT (4) - Forbes drains a three.
2nd (:4) - He makes the first one. Then he misses it. OVERTIME.
2nd (:3) - Mathiang is fouled and is headed to the line.
2nd (:21) - Clark misses both.
2nd (:30) - Clark makes the shot.
2nd (1) - Blackshear is fouled and makes both.
2nd (1) - Blackshear with the huge three! Michigan State calls a timeout.
2nd (2) - Harrell makes one free throw.
2nd (2) - Valentine scores but Costello fouls out.
2nd (3) - Louisville calls the timeout so Blackshear can come back in.
2nd (3) - Blackshear makes the lay up and is headed to the line.
2nd (3) - Trice makes both free throws.
2nd (4) - Blackshear has his 4th foul and Trice is headed to the line.
2nd (5) - Harrell is back to the free throw line. He makes both.
2nd (5) - Valentine makes the easy shot.
2nd (6) - Rozier makes the fast break lay up.
2nd (6) - Harrell misses the free throw.
2nd (7) - Trice drains the three as Louisville is struggling.
2nd (8) - Forbes drains the three as Louisville calls a timeout.
2nd (8) - Costello make the lay up and the game is tied.
2nd (9) - Schilling makes both free throws.
2nd (9) - Foul on Mathiang as MSU gets the ball back.
2nd (11) - Rozier steals the ball and makes the lay up.
2nd (12) - Gill travels on the other end.
2nd (12) - Nairn is fouled and makes one.
2nd (13) - Trice is fouled as Blackshear has 3 fouls.
2nd (14) - Forbes drains the three.
2nd (14) - Blackshear is fouled on the three and is going to the line. He makes all of them.
2nd (15) - Dawson catches the oop for a great dunk. Blackshear is fouled on the shot. He makes both of them.
2nd (15) - Blackshear is fouled and is headed to the line. He makes both of them.
2nd (15) - He makes a single one.
2nd (15) - Costello is fouled by Mathiang and is headed to the line.
2nd (16) - Costello makes the easy lay up and Louisville calls a timeut.
2nd (17) - MSU makes a tear drop shot and Louisville looks lost.
2nd (17) - Harrell is fouled on the shot. He misses both free throws.
2nd (18) - Rozier steals the ball and makes a wide dunk.
2nd (18) - Dawson hits the jump shot then is fouled and makes the free throw.
2nd (19) - Mathiang turns the ball over as MSU looks more composed.
END OF 1ST HALF: The Cardinals lead Michigan State by 8 points at halftime. Louisville has won 94 straight games when leading by at least 6 points at halftime. Blackshear and Harrel have combined for 22 point and Trice and Valentine are combined for 19 points.
1st (:5)- Johnson hits a tip in as Louisville leads by 8 heading into halftime.
1st (:53) - MSU calls a timeout as they need to get momentum.
1st (1) - Rozier continues to struggle as Snider is headed to the free thow line. He misses both of them.
1st (2) - Mathiang is fouled and is headed to the foul line. He makes a single one.
1st (3) - Valentine picks up his 2nd foul as we are headed to a timeout.
1st (3) - Rozier gets the steal for a lay up.
1st (4) - Blackshear hits another three then Trice hits a contested lay up.
1st (4) - Blackshear hits the bomb to respond. Clark hits he three to respond.
1st (5) - Trice drains the crazy three.
1st (6) - Onuaku makes the great tip in then Snider hits the lay up.
1st (7) - Rozier hits the free throw then Dawson hit a lay up. Blackshear hits the open three.
1st (8) - Valentine cans the three as they are shoong it well. Rozier hits the basket and is fouled.
1st (8) - Harrell wth the great tip in then Sparty turns it over.
1st (9) - Onuaku commits the foul as MSU is headed to the line.
1st (10) - Gill traveled as he comes in the game.
1st (10) - Dawson commits the offensive charge as we head to another timeout.
1st (10) - Trice with the cold blooded jump shot then Harrell hits the shot.
1st (11) - Schilling with the dunk as Rozier is struggling.
1st (12) - Harrell with the shot from no man's land and Blackshear commits the foul.
1st (12) - MSU with the over and back violation.
1st (12) - Blackshear converts the shot and is fouled. He makes the free throw.
1st (13) - Valentine makes a spinning shot and Pitino calls a timeout.
1st (14) - Valentine makes the inside shot then Harrell responds with a jump shot then Valentine hits a jump shot.
1st (14) - Snider with the great pass as Mathiang makes the dunk then Harrell makes a fastbreak dunk.
1st (15) - Forbes makes the three to put them back on top.
1st (15) - We are headed to our first timeout as it's a close game with Louisville leading 4-3.
1st (16) - Snider with the sweet turn around shot as MSU turns it over.
1st (17) - Trice hits the three as the Spartans get on the board.
1st (18) - Harrell has a dunk for the first points of the game.
1st (19) - MSU gets the tip as we are under way! Shot clock violation for the first play.
Freshman Quentin Snider has played 109 minutes and has only commited 2 turnovers for Louisville.
20 minutes until the game! Travis Trice and Terry Rozier are the best guards in the game and will play a key part.
The winner of today's game will play the winner of Duke and Gonzaga in the Final Four.
The starters will be the usual for both teams. It's really going to be the big 3 - the big 3. Both teams are outstanding.
Game time is almost here! Michigan State is favored by 2.5 points as the 7 seed over Louisville.
The tip-off is at 2:20 PM EST between Louisville and Michigan State in Syracuse, New York. Follow this article for live scores and analysis of today’s game! The winner of today’s game plays the winner of Duke and Gonzaga in the Final Four.
Predictions: It’s hard to pick between Izzo and Pitino in March. Basically, this game is a coin flip decision with how evenly matched both teams are. If Harrell dominates this game like he did NC State then watch out Sparty because he can be impossible to contain. If Trice gets Michigan State to an early lead and is hitting his shots in the beginning then the momentum will be hard to stop. This will be a fantastic game that will come down to who can throw the last blow. My prediction is that Louisville gets it done 71-65 with Rozier and Harrell each scoring 20 or more points.
Keys to the Game: Michigan State is a horrible free throw shooting team which could come into factor late. Louisville isn’t great either but they have been better as of late. Michigan State isn’t a fairly deep team but they won’t be worn down in the final stretch. The Cardinals don’t play many bench players but do have big players to throw down in the paint that can contribute. Harrell vs Dawson is a big matchup because whoever gets in foul trouble first will determine the game. It’s worth noting that Harrell, didn’t pick up his first foul until the 2nd half against NC State, and played all 40 minutes. Blackshear has to be on the floor as much as possible and don’t count on another Gill savior moment. Rozier vs Trice will be the best matchup of the game as they are very similar in styles of how they play. Rozier isn’t afraid to take you to the paint and punch you in the mouth. He’s very aggressive and can either hit the contested lay up or make the step back jumper. Trice is very confident in his outside shooting and won’t turn the ball over. He won’t back down from the challenge of Rozier and will challenge every shot that he takes.
Battle of the Big Threes: Louisville has a big three consisting of Rozier, Blackshear, and Harrell. They have all been on top of their form all tournament long. Rozier and Harrell dominated NC State on Friday and will have to be fantastic against Michigan State. Rozier is a high scoring rebounding guard that will get whatever shot he wants. Blackshear is the senior leader that is a great defensive player that can make it rain beyond the arc. Harrell is a man among boys that can take over a game when he’s needed. The big three for Sparty is Trice, Valentine, and Dawson. Trice has been dominating all tournament long scoring 20 or more points in every game. Valentine is a big three point threat who is a huge body. Dawson is a defensive monster that can contain any player in the game. The interesting thing is that all six players are in the same position as each other so they might be matched up against each other.
Past Tournament History: These teams have some major hatred toward each other in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville was the overall top seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and Michigan State embarrassed Louisville by winning by 12 points to advance to the Final Four. Then both teams met once again in the Sweet 16 of 2012. Michigan State was the heavily favored 1 seed going against the 4th seed Cardinals. Louisville won the game in impressive fashion to eventually advance to the Final Four. Now, Louisville and Michigan State will play in the Elite 8 for a Final Four berth that will be huge for either team.
Michigan State’s Path to the Elite 8: The first test for Sparty was Georgia who provided a challenge but they got past it with ease. The next two games were brutal for the Spartans. Up first was the Virginia Cavaliers who were the two seed and a Final Four potential team. They came out hot and carried the momentum to a huge upset victory. Travis Trice has been the man for MSU, he has scored more points in each tournament game as they advanced. Finally was the Oklahoma Sooners the three seed who gave them a whole different monster to face in Buddy Hield. They pulled away late to advance to the Elite 8. The final opponent before the Final Four is Rick Pitino and Louisville.
Louisville’s Path to the Elite 8: The Cardinals had to go against a 7’6 Behemoth of UC Irvine and only won by 2 points in a thriller. The next two games were double digits victories that were close throughout. Next up, was the Northern Iowa Panthers who were a trendy Final Four pick. The Cardinals had a lead throughout and won by 13 points. Finally, it was the NC State Wolfpack who defeated Louisville earlier in the season and were coming off a win over the top seed Villanova. Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier dominated as the Cards cruised to a 10 point victory. The final opponent before the Final Four is Tom Izzo and Michigan State.
The Louisville Cardinals and the Michigan State Spartans are meeting in this year’s East Region final. The last time these two met was in 2012 when Louisville defeated top seed Michigan State to advance to the Elite 8. The game is at 2:20 PM EST in Syracuse, New York. Follow this article for a preview, predictions, and live score with analysis of today’s game.