Game preview: Duke Blue Devils vs. Michigan State Spartans

Duke vs. Michigan State
When: 9:45 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
TV: CBS
Subplots:
• Ryan Kelly's body stretches the floor -- his shot could stretch the difference on the scoreboard.
• Soon-to-be Northwestern head coach Chris Collins feels a bit like a senior now

Scouting Michigan State (27-8)

RPI: 8

How they got here: At-large bid; finished the regular season tied for second in the Big 10

Keep an eye on: Gary Harris

The Big 10 freshman of the year, the first-ever for the Spartans, has the athleticism to give Duke fits if he drives off the dribble. With Quinn Cook guarding on the ball and Rasheed Sulaimon taking on 6-foot-6 Brandon Dawson, that leaves Seth Curry to match up with Harris. Curry had success limiting Temple's Khalif Wyatt earlier this year, holding him to six points on 3-of-15 shooting.

A few of the Spartans, Tom Izzo included, compared Harris to Sulaimon.

"Their game is very similar, aggressive," Dawson said. "He's not really as athletic as Gary, but he can shoot it."

Key mismatch:

There really isn't one. The Spartans are most concerned with containing Duke's perimeter. Curry has scored at least 15 points in every postseason game, and Sulaimon added 21 against Creighton. If the shooters--Ryan Kelly included--are hitting from downtown, the Blue Devils are tough to beat.

Number to know:
18

Second-chance points the Spartans are averaging in the NCAA Tournament.

Pulse check:

No one could be faulted for picking either team to win this matchup. It's a tough call--even for Tom Izzo's 13-year-old son, Steven.

"He had his whole bracket filled out, and I get a big enlarged one," Izzo said. "In our bracket, the only one that wasn't filled out to the end, I said, You haven't finished this one. He said, I'm having trouble with a game. I said, What game? He said, I got you getting to Duke, Dad. I said, That's good. I said, Where are we going from there? I don't know, you know. I don't know, Dad. I don't know.

"So I just kind of -- I tried to be a real parent, you know, not push your kid. Help him make intelligent decisions, like all of us do. And I said, Steven, I love you, man. Do it with your head, not your heart. Don't worry about Mom or Dad. The damn kid didn't do it. He didn't worry about us at all. He picked Duke and we move on.

"So as I told a lot of people, I love my kid. He's a skinny little guy that won't be eating for a month if we lose this game. That's the way it works. That's the way it goes."

Projected Starters

Michigan State
G Keith Appling, Jr., 13.3 ppg, 3.4 apg
G Gary Harris, Fr., 13.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg
F Branden Dawson, So., 9.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg
F Adreian Payne, Jr., 10.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg
F Derrick Nix, Sr., 10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg

Duke
G Quinn Cook, So., 12.0 ppg, 5.4 apg
G Seth Curry, Sr., 17.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg
G Rasheed Sulaimon, Fr., 11.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg
F Ryan Kelly, Sr., 13.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg
F Mason Plumlee, Sr., 17.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg

N.C. State stars Lorenzo Brown, T.J. Warren still undecided on NBA future

N.C. State could lose as many as three starters early to the NBA draft. The Wolfpack could also get C.J. Leslie, Lorenzo Brown or T.J. Warren back for another season.

The parents of Brown and Warren said Tuesday that no decision has been made about their sons' respective futures.

CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that both Brown and Leslie, both juniors, were expected to leave for the NBA.

Back in October, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said he expected to lose both juniors after the season. N.C. State went 24-11 this season and lost to Temple in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Brown, a 6-5 point guard, led the ACC in assists, with 7.2 per game, and Leslie, a 6-8 forward, led the Wolfpack in scoring (15.1 points per game) for the second straight season.

Kim Banks, Brown's mom, said she would be in Raleigh this week to talk to her son about his future. She also refuted the CBS report.

"I've seen the rumors," Banks said. "I don't know where they get that from. He hasn't made a decision yet."

Leslie, who almost left for the NBA last April, also seemed to deny the report on his Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon.

"Who said I was leaving," Leslie tweeted.

Gottfried has previously said he expects to lose both Leslie and Brown, and has recruited accordingly, but Warren's departure would be a surprise.

The 6-8 forward from Durham averaged 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman and led the ACC in field goal percentage (62.2).

DraftExpress.com ranks Warren, who started the final 10 games of the season and improved his draft stock in the process, as the best prospect of the three Wolfpack underclassmen.

Warren's dad, Tony, said he has paid attention to the draft projections but that he hasn't talked to his son about the decision.

"If he's a first-round pick, I think it would be a good decision," said Warren, a former Wolfpack player who was an eighth-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1979.

But Warren also said he felt his son could be a lottery pick next year after a big sophomore season as the centerpiece of N.C. State's offense.

"It's too early to tell," Warren said. "I want to see what he wants to do. It's up to him but he knows he can play at the next level."

-- Joe Giglio

2013 Sweet 16 matchups

Here's a glance at the Round of 16 in the 2013 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Thursday, Washington

Miami (29-6) vs. Marquette (25-8), 7:15 p.m.

Indiana (29-6) vs. Syracuse (28-9), 30 minutes following

Thursday, Los Angeles

Arizona (27-7) vs. Ohio State (28-7), 7:47 p.m.

Wichita State (28-8) vs. La Salle (24-9), 30 minutes following

Friday, Arlington, Texas

Kansas (31-5) vs. Michigan (28-7), 7:37 p.m.

Florida Gulf Coast (26-10) vs. Florida (28-7), 30 minutes following

Friday, Indianapolis

Louisville (31-5) vs. Oregon (28-8), 7:15 p.m.

Duke (29-5) vs. Michigan State (27-8) , 30 minutes following

Video: Roy Williams, UNC set for rematch with Kansas Jayhawks

In last year's NCAA Tournament, Kansas defeated North Carolina, 80-67 in the Elite 8. Roy Williams talks about last season's loss and the keys to defeating the Jayhawks on Sunday.

Video: Duke Blue Devils ready for Creighton Bluejays

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke glowingly about Creighton's offense and its star player, Doug McDermott. The Blue Devils and Bluejays tip on Sunday night with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.

Video: Coach K, Seth Curry discuss Duke win over Albany

Seth Curry scored 26 points and Mason Plumlee added 23 to help Duke get by Albany 73-61. Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski and Seth Curry discussed the win over the Great Danes in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Video: Andrew Carter analyzes UNC loss in ACC title game

North Carolina lost to Miami for the third time this season, falling 87-77 in the ACC Championship on Sunday in Greensboro. The News and Observer's Andrew Carter reports.

UNC coach Roy Williams disappointed in NCAA tournament selection committee

North Carolina coach Roy Williams voiced his displeasure earlier Sunday with the NCAA tournament selection committee, which awarded three ACC teams with at-large bids for the NCAA tournament.

Miami, which defeated North Carolina 87-77 in the ACC tournament championship game on Sunday, earned the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Hurricanes became the first team in history not to receive a No. 1 seed after winning both the ACC regular season outright and winning the conference tournament.

Duke, which finished second to Miami in the regular season, received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels and N.C. State are both No. 8 seeds.

"I am somewhat surprised and disappointed that only four ACC teams are in the field and that the league only received two No. 2 and two No. 8 seeds," Williams said in a statement UNC released on Sunday night. "I think the ACC deserved better than that."

While Williams expressed frustration that only four ACC teams made the field, he kept private his thoughts about a potential matchup against Kansas in the round of 32. If UNC, seeded eighth in the South Region, beats Villanova on Friday, the Tar Heels would likely advance to play against Williams' old team.

The possibility of that is likely to come up a time or two this week.

- Andrew Carter

UNC gets No. 8 seed in NCAA tournament

North Carolina coach Roy Williams could coach against his old team in the third round of the NCAA tournament. First, though, the Tar Heels will need to beat Villanova.

UNC is a No. 8 seed in the South Region of tournament, and will play on Friday in Kansas City against eighth-seeded Villanova. The winner would likely advance to play against Kansas, which is the top seed in the region.

Williams spent 15 seasons as Kansas' head coach.

The Tar Heels on Sunday suffered an 87-77 defeat against Miami in the ACC tournament championship game. Stay tuned for much more analysis and thoughts about UNC's tournament draw ...

- Andrew Carter

N.C. State on NCAA bubble alert after ACC loss

Durand Scott scored 32 points to help lift Miami over N.C. State in Saturday's ACC tournament semifinals. The Charlotte Observer's Joe Giglio breaks down the Wolfpack's loss and their shot at an NCAA tournament bid.