Locked On Spartans - Daily Podcast On Michigan State Spartans Football & Basketball · Locked On Podcast Network, Matt Sheehan

ADVANTAGE SPARTANS?: Why Louisville's style of play FITS what Michigan State basketball wants to do

·33 min·2 clips

Louisville's best path runs through Ryan Conwell, but Tom Izzo will circle him on the scouting report.

1. Locked On Spartans and Locked On Louisville preview Michigan State vs Louisville in the NCAA Tournament round of 32. 2. Matt Sheehan hosts from Locked On Spartans, and Dalton Pence represents Locked On Louisville, so both sides explain their team's path. 3. The episode asks whether Louisville's pace and three-point volume fit Michigan State's rebounding and physical defense. 4. Dalton Pence says Louisville needs hot perimeter shooting, early momentum, and better work on the glass to beat Tom Izzo's team. 5. Matt Sheehan says Michigan State wins by controlling rebounds and avoiding the scoring droughts that hurt them against Michigan and UCLA. 6. Pence points out that Louisville has only one Quadrant 1 win in the recent stretch and that Michigan State is a tougher matchup than Miami. 7. Sheehan notes that Louisville has shot above 50% from three only five times this season, including in Buffalo. 8. Both hosts agree that Mikel Brown Jr. is expected to miss the game after the school's statement ruled him out for the first weekend. 9. Pence says Louisville has gone 4-1 without Brown in five games, but the offense still depends on Ryan Conwell. 10. Sheehan says Michigan State's defense slipped from top five to 16th in adjusted efficiency after Divine Ukachukwu's injury. 11. Pence says Louisville's offense can look different from game to game, from the first 30 minutes against South Florida to the final 10 minutes. 12. Sheehan says the Spartans can punish that inconsistency by forcing half-court possessions and defensive rebounds. 13. Pence highlights Isaac McNeely's seven three-pointers and 23 points against South Florida as a model for Louisville's ceiling. 14. Sheehan says Louisville's best front-court answer may require bigger lineups because Cohen Carr and Michigan State attack the paint. 15. Pence says Louisville's defense has struggled against teams with length, and he specifically mentions Arkansas and Tennessee. 16. Sheehan says Trey Fort has re-entered the rotation, while Denim Wojcik remains the backup point guard if Jeremy Fears sits. 17. The episode sounds like a back-and-forth scouting session with repeated cross-examination from both hosts. 18. The tone stays analytical, familiar, and conversational, with the hosts moving from stats to rotation questions to score predictions. 19. Best for NCAA Tournament fans tracking Michigan State or Louisville. 20. Skip it if you want general bracket talk without team-specific details.

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