Michigan State vs. North Dakota State Preview

I am not going to sit here and tell you that I feel completely normal about Michigan State’s first NCAA tournament game, because that would be a lie, and frankly, this is not the month for lying to ourselves.

This is March. Nobody feels normal in March.

You can tell yourself Michigan State should win this game, and you would be right. You can tell yourself the Spartans are the better team, the more athletic team, the more physical team, and the deeper high-major program that should be moving on. You would be right about all of that, too.

But that does not mean you get to feel peace.

Because North Dakota State does have a few things that can make this game annoying. Maybe even sweaty. Maybe even one of those games where everyone spends the last 10 minutes pacing around the room and muttering things they cannot repeat in front of children.

So let us start with the fear factor, because there is some real stuff here.

First and foremost, North Dakota State is a team that loves to shoot the three, and they are not shy about it. They do not need much encouragement, they do not need a heater to start launching, and they do not need one guy carrying the whole thing. This is just what they do. They have multiple guys who can make shots, and that is what makes them dangerous.

Damari Wheeler-Thomas is the name that sticks out first, and for good reason. He is their point guard, he has been on a really nice run lately, and he looks like the guy most capable of putting together one of those classic March underdog performances where you look up and realize he has 18 points before you have even processed what is happening. He can score at all three levels, he has confidence right now, and he is the kind of veteran guard who can absolutely make a favorite uncomfortable if you let him get downhill and see a few jumpers go in.

But it is not just him.

Tay Smith can get hot. Trevian Carson is an experienced guard. Emil Skyttä can shoot it. Markhi Strickland gives them another veteran option on the perimeter. So when I say the three-point shooting is the biggest warning sign in this game, I am not saying that because North Dakota State has one flamethrower and a prayer. I am saying that because they have enough competent shooters that one or two of them can pop on any given night, and that is how these games get weird.

If Michigan State is late on closeouts, if it loses discipline for a few possessions, if it lets the Bison get loose and confident from deep, then yes, this game can absolutely get more interesting than anybody in green and white wants it to.

And then there is the rebounding piece, which I think is one of the more fascinating parts of the matchup.