CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Virginia is the favorite with the high seed and the expected partisan crowd.
Michigan State has one advantage on its side: Magic Johnson, arguably its most famous alum.
The NBA Hall-of-Famer spent some time with the team on Saturday, helping the seventh-seeded Spartans prepare for No. 2 Virginia in Sunday's NCAA Tournament East Region third-round game.
"He sat there and when he talked to them today, I said to my assistants, they must think I had a meeting with him before and gave him all these things to say because he analyzed their team way better than I did," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo joked. "So it's just special for me and I think it's special for my team that a man of his stature would take the time on a regular basis."
Johnson, of course, won't be able to help the underdog Spartans when the ball is tossed up in a rematch of last year's Sweet 16 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The Cavaliers (30-3) seem to be rounding into form at the right time, getting back dynamic junior guard Justin Anderson after an eight-game absence because of a fractured finger on his left hand and an appendectomy. Anderson finally looked like himself in Friday's 79-67 win over No. 15 Belmont, scoring 15 points. Virginia's greatest strength lies on the defensive end, where it holds the opposition to 51.2 points per game, fewest in the country.
"They're about as mistake-free as a team on both ends of the court offensively and defensively [as you're going to see]," Izzo said. "You're going to earn your keep when you play them. He said something to me last year, it was a war last year and I remember [Virginia coach Tony Bennett] walking by and saying that's the way the game should be played, and you know what, I felt the same way. It was a dogfight right to the end and I think both teams played hard as well and hopefully it will be the same tomorrow."
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have been waiting to face Michigan State (24-11) for an entire year, after losing that game at the Garden last March. The first thing several Virginia players noticed when the bracket came out was a possible second-round showdown with the Spartans. Yet, they also don't want to let the moment get the best of them.
"We are just going to go out there and play like we want to continue to keep moving on in this tournament," Virginia junior forward Anthony Gill said.
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