Michigan State Spartans vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Michigan State Spartans morphed from a looked over team to the one that captured the nation’s heart strings in March and April last year. The Spartans were a pick me up for a region hit hard by the economic hardships as they went to the Final Four and were the runners up in the National Championship to North Carolina.

This was in stark contrast to the regular season and the early part of the tournament when pundits constantly overlooked the Spartans (1-0) and their conference. But that is not the case. Michigan State is ranked number two in the nation and is one the favorites to capture the national title.

To stay number two could prove to be tough because annual Michigan State plays one of the most brutal non-conference schedule in the country and losses seem to be a certainty, but coach Tom Izzo insists these early tests prepare his kids to play in the tournament a few months from now.

Michigan State will face Florida, their nemesis from the title game, North Carolina and at Texas before Big Ten play, in a vastly improved conference, dawns.

Their first test is a Gonzaga team on Tuesday, from East Lansing, also a tournament veteran and no stranger to tough non-conference schedules.

This will be the fourth time that the two notable national programs have met, Gonzaga’s 109-106 triple overtime winning in the 2005 Maui Invitational, was the last time they have played.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (1-0) have youth on their side this season, a catchy term for a rebuilding effort, yet coach Mark Few is not backing down from their grueling schedule that includes Wake Forest, Arizona or Wisconsin in the Maui in a week, Duke, Oklahoma, Memphis and Illinois.

Meanwhile Michigan State returns seven of its top nine scores, including All-American Kalin Lucas, who was one of several Spartan stars that spurned the NBA draft to return for one more crack at a championship.

The Spartans lead the series 2-1, including the only game played between the schools at the Breslin Center in 1997. Michigan State has won 33 straight home games and 40 straight non-conference home games.

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