What champions do

This may be it for Michigan State, this stirring victory that looked very improbable late in the first half, and unlikely at best with three minutes left. Louisville looked like the Lakers tonight.

   Then again, MSU sure has some mental toughness. And Tom Izzo can finally turn this season's underlying motivation -- Detroit -- into an all-out battle cry for the best 40 minutes the Spartans can possibly give.
    "When you've got everything on the line, and you've got an opportunity of a lifetime, that only a few people have ... we are going to waste 10 minutes (talking about it), because I have been holding off for the whole fricking year," Izzo said after MSU reached the Elite Eight for the sixth time in 11 years -- the most in the nation.
    Speaking of the nation, say hello to Kalin Lucas. The 3-point play on Sherron Collins, preceded by a clutch steal of a Collins pass, preceded by a drive and dish to Raymar Morgan for a tying dunk, said a lot about Lucas. He's a star.
    The same was true of Goran Suton on Friday, with his 20 points, nine boards and crafty defense. Durrell Summers made some gigantic plays in crunch time. Travis Walton, Draymond Green and Chris Allen all had a big hand in this.
    And then there's Raymar Morgan, who struggled again but went up strong for that dunk and fortified the defense in the final two minutes. He played the first three minutes of the second half, took an elbow in the nose from Delvon Roe, and sat until the end.
    Izzo said Morgan's benching was partially because of his ineffectiveness, partially because of the nose. If MSU doesn't get all of Morgan on Sunday, it will have zero chance to win.
    A lot of people probably think that's the case anyway.
    For some strange reason, I'm not so sure.