When you’re a giant killer like Northern Iowa, you become everyone’s darling in the NCAA tournament. But now you’re looking down the barrel of the second weekend of this month long party and the tables have started to turn. How’re you supposed to deal with that?
A week ago, hardly anyone outside of the Missouri Valley Conference had ever heard the name Ali Faroukmanesh. Suddenly, he’s a household word. Everybody seems to be rolling it off their tongue. Faroukmanesh! For a play-by-play guy it’s a great name to call out after he buries a long trey.
First he took down UNLV with a last trey. Then he did the unthinkable and what we’ve all come to expect from college kids in this grand tournament.....don’t think just do it. When he should have been running out the clock, he fires up a three and seals an Upset over top ranked Kansas. Can he and his Panther teammates keep it up?
They’ve already gotten a break in the Sweet 16. Kalin Lucas, the former Big 10 Player of the year is down and out for Michigan State, victim of a torn achilles. The Spartans are the wounded dog in this Friday night fight in St. Louis. Can they rise to the occasion again under coach Tom Izzo? Or will Panther coach Ben Jacobson have the game plan to get Northern Iowa to the Elite Eight?
Can seven footer Jordan Eglesder shake up the Spartans with a pair of three’s as he did against Kansas? Will Adam Koch come up big against their Big 10 opponent? When you’re the little guy with nothing to lose you play with a chip on your shoulder, but what does Michigan State have to lose? They’ve already lost their best player and not many people predicted they’d get this far.
It’s an intriguing matchup. Can Korie Lucious fill Lucas’ shoes for Sparty? No one knows for sure. But he was confident enough to want to take the final shot against Maryland and hit it. I you love the tournament, this is a game that you’ll want to watch. If you’re not an alum, just pick a side and start cheering.
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