John Feinstein: Michigan State Spartans Bring Joy to Detroit

DETROIT

There were all sorts of reasons for Michigan State's surprising 82-73 victory over Connecticut on Saturday night in the opening game of the Final Four. The Spartans played great interior defense, collapsing on Hasheem Thabeet every time the ball got anywhere near him. They consistently beat the Huskies down the court for easy baskets after creating turnovers. They blinked just a bit near the end, but got their act together and attacked when U-Conn. least expected it in the final moments.

But there was one other reason that Michigan State, and not Connecticut, will play in Monday's national championship game: joy.

This has become a joy ride, not just for this basketball team, but for a city and a state that has known almost nothing but heartache in the past year. Ford Field was predictably packed with people in green and white Saturday night and even in the cavernous confines of this massive building, it was apparent all evening that they were very much along for this ride.

"It's very hard to explain the emotions of this day," Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said not long after reaching his second national championship game. "I told the players before the game that I'd coached in four Final Fours, but I didn't think anything that happened in them could prepare me for what it was going to feel like walking out of that tunnel tonight. I was right; I've never felt anything quite like that."

Connecticut is an experienced team, one that has been through a myriad of ups and downs this season that have included key injuries, a six-overtime loss in the Big East tournament and an embarrassing NCAA investigation that began 10 days ago. Coach Jim Calhoun made a point of saying that the crowd -- an announced 72,456 -- had no effect on the Huskies' play, and his players said the same. But the emotions attached to this game went well beyond crowd noise, which Calhoun was keenly aware of.

"I think Tommy Izzo has done a masterful job of putting the woes of an entire city and the auto industry on his back," he said. "I was shocked by the way they beat Louisville [in the Midwest Region final]. They were not the same team then or tonight that I'd seen on tape. They became special. They had a cause, and they did a great job rallying around that cause."

Ever since the Spartans beat Louisville last Sunday, Izzo has spoken emotionally about how this Final Four run is like no other he has been involved with. He has talked to his players often about bringing happiness to people desperately in need of something to feel good about.

"We've talked about the fact that just by being in the Final Four we're bringing hope to a lot of people who have had tough times," point guard Travis Walton said. "We've felt all week like we were bringing some joy to Detroit."

Right from the beginning Saturday, Michigan State was the aggressor. Izzo believed his Spartans, contrary to the image of his team and his league, could beat the Huskies down the court and, by doing so, take Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 center, out of the game.

"People think of our league as a plodding league," Izzo said. "Part of that is because we all check pretty good. But we can run when we want to and tonight we thought it was going to be important."