NCAA tournament Sweet 16 preview: Oklahoma vs. Michigan State
No. 3 Oklahoma (24-10) vs. No. 7 Michigan State (25-11)
Time, TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, TBS
Where: Syracuse, N.Y.
Why Oklahoma will win: The Sooners reached the Sweet 16 without Buddy Hield truly playing the level he's capable of — particularly in terms of his scoring ability. To beat Michigan State, Oklahoma will need the Big 12 Player of the Year to really get going — and he appears due.
Why Michigan State will win: The Spartans appear to be peaking at the exact right time of year — which is no surprise considering they still have Tom Izzo on the sidelines. Travis Trice is coming off a 23-point performance that helped lift Michigan State past Virginia, and it's reasonable to expect him and other veteran players to continue elevating themselves in big games. That's what experienced players do.
History lesson: Under Tom Izzo, the Spartans have reached the Final Four more times (six) than they have been bounced in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament (five).
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