U of L notes: MSU preps for Harrell; Rozier OK
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – -- On Friday night, after his team's Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo went back to his hotel here in Syracuse and started working on game film for Louisville.
The two teams meet at 2:20 p.m. Sunday in the East region final at the Carrier Dome. With just a one-day turnaround before their matchup, Izzo wanted to get a head start on scouting the fourth-seeded Cardinals.
He had his team watch 10 or 15 minutes of game tape with, as Izzo said, the hope that his players would "get rid of the team we just played and start dreaming about the team you're going to play." But, Izzo later added, he had his video coordinator make a few important edits to the U of L film.
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"I made sure that Montrezl Harrell was invisible because I didn't want them to have nightmares," Izzo said, prompting a roar of laughter from the assembled media at the press conference.
"We had our video guy cut out anything where he was living with his head and feet on the rim."
The 6-foot-8 Harrell chuckled when informed of Izzo's line. The preseason All-American tallied 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Louisville's 75-65 win over NC State, and perhaps more than anyone else poses the biggest matchup problem to a Michigan State team built around guards.
The Spartans (26-11) will turn to forward Branden Dawson, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior, to try to slow Harrell down. Dawson admitted it wouldn't be easy.
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"He's a bona fide scorer," Dawson said. "He's relentless (and) plays with high energy on both ends ... We can't get in foul trouble, and we definitely have to rebound the ball. I think if we play solid and don't get rattled, I think we'll be fine."
Rozier's back OK: Sophomore guard Terry Rozier said his back was sore, but not enough to derail his practice participation on Saturday or availability for Sunday. He said the main reason he didn't run through the full-contact practice was because he played all 40 minutes against NC State.
"Just a little sore, but it's fine," Rozier said.
Gill moving on: Friday's unexpected hero Anton Gill was swarmed by his teammates in the locker room after scoring seven critical points in Louisville win over NC State. But on Saturday, while still a bit of a media darling in interviews, the 6-foot-3 sophomore said he was ready to move on.
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"I woke up and, honestly, I'm just trying to forget about it and just move on," Gill said. "It was a good game but that's not going to help us beat Michigan State. It's a whole new game, a whole new game plan, and we have to be ready for that."
Snider's ball security: Izzo had already told reporters that he cut Montrezl Harrell out of Louisville's scout film because he didn't want his players to have nightmares. Then, when told that 6-foot-1 freshman point guard Quentin Snider only has two turnovers in three NCAA tournament games, Izzo shook his head and deadpanned his answer.
"Sounds to me like you're trying to ruin a good press conference," he cracked. "I've got enough I didn't sleep about last night. I've got a guy (Harrell) that's dunking with his ankles, and you tell me about a guy who doesn't turn the ball over.
"He's the facilitator and not taking chances and doing what a freshman should do, so now he's moved up another notch."
Odds and ends: Louisville is 4-1 in the NCAA tournament againt No. 7 seeds, and Pitino, over his career, is 44-7 against teams seeded lower than his ... The Cardinals matched their lowest number of turnovers in an NCAA tournament game on Friday ... U of L is now 31-4 on neutral courts over the past four seasons ... Louisville has won 13 of its last 14 against AP Top 25 teams in games that were played on March 5 or later.
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).