3. Michigan State shouldn't be in Virginia's region
Any joy Virginia coach Tony Bennett experienced when his team landed a No. 1 seed had to have vanished quickly when he saw the No. 2 seed with which the Cavaliers were paired.
It's Michigan State, the same team that eliminated Virginia from the NCAA tournament both of the past two seasons.
In 2014, the fourth-seeded Spartans upset the top-seeded Cavaliers 61-59 in the Sweet 16. Last March, seventh-seeded Michigan State jumpstarted a surprise Final Four run by toppling Virginia again in the round of 32.
This year's Spartans are better than either of those previous teams and they are clearly confident playing at Virginia's pace and attacking Virginia's pack-line defense, too. Oh, and if the matchup happens in the Elite Eight, it will take place in Chicago in front of what's sure to be a pro-Michigan State crowd.
It's entirely possible that this is a moot point and that either Michigan State or Virginia fall prior to the Elite Eight, but it's unfair to the Cavaliers that another matchup is even a possibility before the Final Four. In a national tournament, Virginia shouldn't have to encounter the same road block in its regional year after year.
Any joy Virginia coach Tony Bennett experienced when his team landed a No. 1 seed had to have vanished quickly when he saw the No. 2 seed with which the Cavaliers were paired.
It's Michigan State, the same team that eliminated Virginia from the NCAA tournament both of the past two seasons.
In 2014, the fourth-seeded Spartans upset the top-seeded Cavaliers 61-59 in the Sweet 16. Last March, seventh-seeded Michigan State jumpstarted a surprise Final Four run by toppling Virginia again in the round of 32.
This year's Spartans are better than either of those previous teams and they are clearly confident playing at Virginia's pace and attacking Virginia's pack-line defense, too. Oh, and if the matchup happens in the Elite Eight, it will take place in Chicago in front of what's sure to be a pro-Michigan State crowd.
It's entirely possible that this is a moot point and that either Michigan State or Virginia fall prior to the Elite Eight, but it's unfair to the Cavaliers that another matchup is even a possibility before the Final Four. In a national tournament, Virginia shouldn't have to encounter the same road block in its regional year after year.