DTM’s College Hoops NCAA Tourney 1st Round Special | MSU vs. MIA

NCAA TOURNEY 1ST ROUND – MIDWEST REGION

#8 Miami Hurricanes vs. #9 Michigan State Spartans

When: 9:20 PM ET, Friday, March 17, 2017

Where: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma

America’s Bookie Line: Miami -2

TV Coverage: TNT

By Dan Leach

Follow Dan on Twitter @DanLeach971

Two teams that could have been a lot better this year get a chance to redeem themselves as the first round gets going in the Big Dance. The Spartans are lucky to just get into the tournament with 14 losses and about as inconsistent of a team that Tom Izzo has had during his tenure.

The Canes had their sights set on really competing for the top of the ACC, but faltered late in the season. Both teams have the ability if they are playing their optimal best to go on a mini run, but neither seems to be playing anywhere near the level they need to be to do anything more than win this game and get wrecked by Kansas in the second round.

MSU is playing severely undermanned as they have lost senior guard Eron Harris for the season and lost big man Gavin Schilling early in the season, so it is up to their super freshman Nick Ward, Cassius Winston, and likely NBA lottery pick if he leaves in Miles “Bridges Over Trouble Water”.

The Canes get scoring from all over the floor in Davon Reed, Bruce Brown, and Ja’Quan Newton and they are going to be tough for the Spartans to stop with their lack of depth.

Look for Miami to run and gun from the tip and for MSU to have its moments, but in the end they just won’t have enough to set themselves up to win this one. It will be back to back years of first round disappointment for Michigan State, which under Izzo for the past two decades is an absolute rarity. They shouldn’t feel too bad as the Canes happiness will be short lived as they will be blasted by a championship caliber team in Kansas in the next round.

8 DTM Bagels and Locks on the Hurricanes (MIA -2)

Dan Leach was the world’s first human to live under the sea for more than 60 days, created what is now used as the International Olympic Flag, was the basis of Denzel Washington’s character Frank Lucas in “American Gangster”, Is often consulted on matters of national “Sports Security”, was the first human to interview Dracula, started the American Revolution on a dare, once sat in on drums with Led Zeppelin, and is a noted expert in the field of Time Travel.