Thursday will showcase three separate matchups of No. 1 and No. 4 seeds, one of which is the showdown between the Michigan State Spartans and the Louisville Cardinals. Both teams finished with around the same record - 29-7 for Michigan State and 28-9 for Louisville. So with the game set for 7:47 p.m. eastern on Thursday, we'll take a look at what the team blogs think of all of this.
Well, SB Nation's blog for the Spartans had a bit to say in their preview - starting with the fact that they didn't want to start by mentioning the 2009 Elite 8 showdown between these two. But they did. In all, there wasn't a solid prediction, but the full post did have some stats. The wrap-up?
No prediction this time, because I feel that if I predict an MSU win will jinx the Spartans, and I don't want to think about Michigan State losing this game. The logical part of my mind feels like Michigan State should win this game. Both teams have elite defenses, but Michigan State's half-court offense is superior to Louisville's, and I feel that's where the difference will be made. My illogical part is reminding me that Michigan State can still be turnover prone (but much less so this year, this is the first season in recent memory where the Spartans have turned it over less than one in every five possessions), shots can be missed, and games can be lost.
So there's that. There's nervous energy mixed with some numbers. Now what about Card Chronicle, SB Nation's blog for Louisville? They're not necessarily throwing down the predictions either, and instead have decided they'd much rather freak out:
Already freaking out. Just put a salt shaker in the refrigerator. Salt shakers don't belong in the refrigerator. Wait, do salt shakers belong in the refrigerator? No, they don't. Losing it.
Even if the fans can't commit to a solid prediction, out of fear or what have you, the teams are set to go Thursday night on TBS at 7:47 eastern. Also, Louisville is writing poetry. Didn't want to leave that one out.
You can find more about the Michigan State Spartans at The Only Colors. For more coverage of the 2012 NCAA tournament, visit SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream. Also, make sure to check out SB Nation's NCAA tournament hub and our printable NCAA tournament bracket.
