The game was evenly played for almost 38 minutes, but in the end SC fell for the same reason they've fallen the past two NCAA tournaments: lack of front-court depth. You can argue that bad officiating was a major factor, but unfortunately it is part of the game and a legitimate reason why you need depth to win championships.
As soon as Taj picked up his 4th foul off a ridiculous call away from the ball, the game was essentially over. SC fought strong with a small line-up but the lack of post presence and the need to team rebound only created open shots for Michigan State on the perimeter and to their credit they knocked them down at key moments.
Next Season
As for next season, at this point I think Demar and Taj will jump to the NBA. Demar's stock has risen in the past month and he's a lock to become a lottery pick, so that means goodbye. Taj will need to enter the draft if he has hopes of making the NBA. As the past two years have shown, he's not going to get any bigger, and the fact that he's old for his class will only work against him the longer he stays in college.
Daniel Hackett is another player that could possibly leave early to play in Italy, although it's less likely since his dad is on staff, but I wouldn't rule it out completely.
Next year's team has solid potential with the core of possibly Daniel Hackett, Dwight Lewis, Leonard Washington, Nikola Vucevic, possibly Marcus Johnson (if NCAA gives him extra year), possibly Marcus Simmons (if he doesn't transfer) plus Alex Stepheson, the transfer from UNC, and an excellent incoming class. Oh, and who can forget LiL RoMeO? The x-factor of course.
