NCAA Tournaments

Paths cross again for Izzo, Kruger

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo directs his team against Virginia during the second half of an NCAA tournament college basketball game in the Round of 32 in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, March 22, 2015.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo directs his team against Virginia during the second half of an NCAA tournament college basketball game in the Round of 32 in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, March 22, 2015.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo isn't sure where his career would have led had he accepted the Atlanta Hawks' offer some 15 years ago.

photo

AP

Men's Division 1 Basketball Championship bracket.

"I'd have probably been fired a week later," Izzo said with a self-deprecating smile on Thursday.

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Michigan St.

TIME/TV 9:07 p.m. Central/TBS WHERE Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y. COACHES Oklahoma, Lon Kruger; Michigan State, Tom Izzo LAST SWEET 16 Oklahoma: 2009, lost to North Carolina in Elite Eight; Michigan State: 2014, lost to Connecticut in Elite Eight LINE Michigan State by 2

And Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger isn't going to hold it against Izzo for turning down the Hawks' job and recommending they hire him.

"I don't know if I should thank him or not," Kruger joked, recalling how he was fired after two-plus seasons. "Other than getting fired in Atlanta, it was all good. Yeah, I wouldn't change anything."

The two coaches whose careers have taken divergent paths reunite in an NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinal at Syracuse tonight. That's when the third-seeded Sooners (24-10) face the seventh-seeded Spartans (25-11).

This is old hat for Izzo, who has reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year, and 13th in 20 seasons at Michigan State.

Kruger, who has taken more of a scenic route to coaching, has reached the regional round for the fourth time and with his fourth team.

Whatever works, said Izzo, referring to Kruger, 62, who is at his sixth school in a 27-year college career.

"I think Lon Kruger has proven that no matter where he goes, he can make tweaks in what he does, but his system works," Izzo said.

The Spartans are 5-3 all-time against Oklahoma, and won their only tournament meeting in 1999. That's when the Izzo-coached Spartans beat the Sooners 54-46 in the Midwest Regional semifinal.

After playing two defensive-minded teams, Izzo is looking forward to facing a more up-tempo style opponent in the Sooners. Not that it matters to him after noting the Spartans are capable of playing any style. "We can play smash-mouth and we can play race-horse," he said.

The Sooners are just the latest example of Kruger's rebuilding ability. In four years under Kruger, Oklahoma is making its deepest tournament push since the Blake Griffin-led Sooners reached the Elite 8 in 2009.

Oklahoma features a stifling defense that's limiting opponents to a 38.6 field-goal percentage. On offense, they're led by Bahamian-born guard Buddy Hield, the Big 12 player of the year, who is averaging 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

The Spartans are one of the tournament's surprise teams after a 60-54 victory over second-seeded Virginia last weekend.

They've won six of seven, and done it with timely shooting and aggressive defense in making up for a team that lost three of its four top scorers last spring.

Spartans guard Travis Trice has been on a roll this season. After just eight starts in his first three years, he's leading the Spartans in scoring (15 points) and assists (5.1). In the past 13 games, he's upped his scoring average to 17.8 points.

The Spartans certainly don't look much different to Kruger since he left the Big Ten for the NBA after four years at Illinois.

"They're more similar than they are different," Kruger said. "If you asked that about Tom's club 15 years ago, I probably would have said the same things."

Kruger had an easy time emphasizing the importance of defense last offseason after the Sooners gave up an average 76 points and lost their tournament opener 80-75 in overtime to North Dakota State.

"It wasn't a tough sales job," Kruger said, noting how Oklahoma is now allowing just under 63 points per game.

Added forward Ryan Spangler: "Defense is the reason we're this far this year."

When guard Tum Tum Nairn was deciding where to attend college, Hield offered a few words of advice for his fellow Bahamian.

"I told Tum Tum, 'Go wherever is best for Tum Tum. Don't go where you think is good for Buddy,' " said Hield, who hosted Nairn on his recruiting visit to Norman, Okla. The two played together at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan.

Nairn eventually chose to play at Michigan State, where he is only the fourth true freshman point guard to start for the Spartans.

"I consider him my brother," Hield said. "Someone's going to lose tomorrow, and I hope it's not me."

Sports on 03/27/2015

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