To some, third-seeded Iowa State vs. seventh-seeded UConn is really DeAndre Kane vs. Shabazz Napier.
And though trying to deny that was the case, Napier couldn’t help but give the argument some credence.
“Kane is a great player,” Napier said Thursday at the Garden, where the teams will meet in an East Regional Sweet 16 clash Friday night. “I think he’s definitely their motor, he gets them going. That’s what great players do.”
Kane is no doubt the focal point for Fred Hoiberg’s Cyclones after transferring from Marshall, where he was dismissed from the program after playing for three seasons.
Kane also insisted there was more to the game than he and Napier.
“I’m not looking at it as a one-on-one matchup,” Kane said. “I know a lot of people [are]. He’s a great player. He does a lot of things for his team. He’s a leader out there.”
The 6-foot-4 Kane has the size advantage over the 6-foot Napier, but both already have left their marks on the tournament.
That’s not surprising considering Kane never made it in his time with Marshall and Napier missed it a year ago since the Huskies were ineligible because of poor academics.
“I just wanted to go somewhere where I can start over fresh,” Kane said. “I have one year of [college] basketball left. Marshall and I, we did great things there but we didn’t win a lot. I had a lot of individual awards, but I wanted to make the tournament.”
This is the third trip to the New York area this season for fourth-seeded Michigan State. The Spartans beat Virginia Tech and Oklahoma at Barclays Center in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Nov. 21-22 and on Feb. 1 lost to Georgetown at the Garden. Michigan State is 2-10 all-time at the Garden and coach Tom Izzo is 2-6.
“I think my wife reminded me we lose here a lot,’’ Izzo said. “On the other side of it, look who we played. We don’t come here and play Northern Michigan. We don’t fly them in here.”
Izzo said former Michigan State great Magic Johnson will attend the games here, and so will another past Spartans star, Steve Smith. Mateen Cleaves, who helped Izzo win his only national championship in 2000, is already on the scene.
“I can be with that guy morning noon and night,’’ Izzo said of Cleaves. “He’s just a special guy. He still calls after every loss and he’s still so fired up. I hate to say it, but he might be as excited about the Sweet 16 as all of our players, he’s just giddy about it. He’s special to our program.”
Virginia coach Tony Bennett was especially eager to get to the Garden. “I’m actually fascinated to see the floor out there because I played and we played the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals in ’93.”
Bennett played three years for the Charlotte Hornets (1992-95). But the famous Knicks court was covered by the NCAA logos used at all tournament sites.