Saturday's NCAA tournament coverage

Click on the links for each story.

Pat Caputo column on Michigan breaking out of its tournament funk with Saturday's win

Pat Caputo column on MSU passing the opening weekend of the tournament with flying colors

Story on Michigan's Mitch McGary and his fullback-like mindset on the floor

Story on MSU's Adreian Payne and his impact in the second half of Saturday's win over Memphis

MSU notebook, headlined by Keith Appling's interesting day

Michigan notebook, led with the Wolverines now leaving the comforts of home

Story on Oakland University's reaction to hosting this weekend's games

Memphis vs. Michigan State Breakdown & Prediction

No. 6 Memphis vs. No. 3 Michigan State

Preview Story

Time: 2:45 p.m.

Venue: The Palace of Auburn Hills

TV: CBS

Records: Memphis 31-4; Michigan State 26-8

Memphis stat leaders: Points – Joe Jackson (13.7 ppg); Rebounds – D.J. Stephens (6.7 rpg); Assists – Jackson (4.9 apg); Steals – Geron Johnson (1.8 spg).

Michigan State stat leaders: Points – Keith Appling (13.6 ppg); Rebounds – Adreian Payne (7.4 rpg); Assists – Appling (3.5 apg); Steals – Branden Dawson (1.6 spg).

Current Streaks: Memphis W7, Michigan State W1

Point Spread: MSU -6

Prediction: I think Memphis has a pretty good team and is athletic, but I don’t think the Tigers are going to present Michigan State anything it hasn’t seen before. The Spartans will have to play smart and committed on defense, or else Memphis can pile up the points. I think the Spartans should be able to stay balanced on offense. Derrick Nix still has a size advantage on anyone Memphis has and the Spartans have more shooting options than the Tigers. I think Tom Izzo will have a few tricks up his sleeve for Josh Pastner as well. Based on the vibe I get from Pastner and Memphis, Thursday’s win was an accomplishment in itself. I don’t think the Tigers are ready to take things to another level against MSU. Michigan State 67, Memphis 60

VCU vs. Michigan Breakdown & Prediction

No. 5 VCU vs. No. 4 Michigan

Preview story

Time: 12:15PM ET

Venue: The Palace of Auburn Hills

TV: CBS

Records: VCU 27-8; Michigan 27-7

VCU stat leaders: Points – Treveon Graham (15.2 ppg); Rebounds – Juvonte Reddic (8.2 rpg); Assists – Darius Theus (4.9 apg); Steals – Briante Weber (2.7 spg).

Michigan stat leaders: Points – Trey Burke (18.8 ppg); Rebounds – Mitch McGary (5.6 rpg); Assists – Burke (6.7 apg); Steals – Burke (1.6 spg).

Current Streaks: VCU W1, Michigan W1

Point Spread: Michigan -3.5

Prediction: I have gone back and forth on this game. I really think it should be a fantastic contest. I think VCU will pose its problems for Michigan with the aggressive press, but I also think the Wolverines will find their fair share of transition baskets thanks to their solid ball handling. Michigan will turn it over more than usual, but it will also get some good looks at the basket in the paint and from 3-point land. With the game being at The Palace, and Michigan getting the support from the crowd, I see it shooting well. The real key will be how well Michigan plays on defense and if it can keep VCU from getting high-percentage looks. In the end, I think Michigan will do just enough to win. Michigan 76, VCU 71

Thursday's NCAA Tournament Coverage

Click on the links to ready all of The Oakland Press' coverage from Thursday's NCAA tournament action at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Be sure to update as the night goes on.

Pat Caputo's column on how MSU used toughness to advance to Saturday's round of 32

My story on MSU center Derrick Nix and how he was able to overpower Valparaiso in the Spartans' victory.

Pat Caputo's column on how Michigan persevered in Thursday's win over South Dakota State

Column from Randy Castro on Michigan's Trey Burke and his impressive college career.

Paul Kampe's story on Michigan's supporting cast stepping up with Trey Burke having an off night.

My column on Memphis coach Josh Pastner and the importance of Thursday's win on his career.

My column on VCU and coach Shaka Smart turning the Rams into more than a one-hit wonder

Paul Kampe's news & notes from Thursday's action at The Palace

Does Michigan or MSU have the tougher road to the Final Four?

Now that we have all had a day to chew on the NCAA Tournament field, it is time to start really breaking it down.

MSU

I think there isn’t much debate that Michigan State has a tough draw. The Midwest region looks to be the toughest of the four regions. What the Spartans have in their favor is that they play their first two games at the Palace, and then would have to go to Indianapolis for the regional final four.

Valparaiso poses an interesting opening challenge for the Spartans. Valpo is ranked 59^th in the RPI but was 0-2 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI, falling to Saint Louis and New Mexico, both by 13 points. Valpo averages an impressive 71.7 points per game, but struggles in the rebounding department, ranking 248^th in the nation at 32.9 per game.

Should MSU get past Valpo, it will likely encounter Memphis in the round of 32. The Tigers have an impressive resume, winning 30 games and sitting 14^th in the RPI. Memphis went 9-4 against the RPI top 100, but 0-2 against the top 25 in the RPI. The Tigers have an up-tempo offense that could give the Spartans problems, and they also battle in the paint, ranking 39^th in the nation in rebounding.

I think MSU can win both games in Detroit, partly due to the home-crowd support. The real test comes in the second weekend with the potential of having to beat Duke and Louisville to get to the Final Four. Michigan State certainly can beat both teams, but the Spartans will have to come out and play with the intensity it had when it hosted Michigan. I don’t count out Tom Izzo in the NCAA Tournament, but a Final Four appearance doesn’t seem in the cards to me.

Michigan

Michigan faces an intriguing opponent in its first game, as the Wolverines play Summit League champion, South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits sit 63^rd in the RPI rankings and were 4-4 against RPI top 100 teams, including a 70-65 win over New Mexico. SDSU averages 73.9 points per game and is led by one of the top players in the country, Nate Wolters, who averages 22.7 points per game. I think Michigan is okay in this game because the Wolverines have the ability to score with most teams. The Jackrabbits don’t rely on overwhelming defense and physical play to win games, which is what gives Michigan the most trouble.

The real intriguing game comes in the Round of 32 as Michigan will be matched up with VCU or Akron. VCU is the expected opponent as the No. 5 seed. The Rams are 24^th in the RPI and come out of the very-competitive Atlantic 10 conference. VCU has experience of getting to the Final Four under head coach Shaka Smart. The Rams were 12-8 against top 100 RPI teams and 3-3 against Top 25 RPI teams. VCU plays a very aggressive style of basketball, averaging 78 points per game and 11.8 steals per game. The Rams force just under 20 turnovers a game for their opponents. I do think this is a matchup that could be a problem for many teams, but it should be something Michigan can handle. Trey Burke handles the ball well most games and, if Michigan can break the press of VCU, it will get a lot of high-percentage shots.

Like MSU, Michigan has the luxury of playing its first two games at the Palace, which should help settle the nerves of postseason play. I do think Michigan makes it to the second weekend of the tournament, but I see the Wolverines have trouble beating Kansas in the regional semifinal, especially against a pro-Kansas crowd in Dallas. Michigan has the talent to compete with anyone, but we haven’t seen that total team performance on the road in a big game. If Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III are able to step up, it could be a very successful tournament run for Michigan.

Who has the tougher road to the Final Four