Michigan State begins quest for return trip to the Final Four against Wisconsin-Milwaukee

3/16/2006 2:49 AM

Michigan State would love to make a return trip to the national championship game, but this season's squad is not making comparisons to the success of a year ago.

The 16th-ranked Spartans (22-9), seeded fourth in the NCAA tournament, will make their school-record fourth straight appearance against 13th-seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee (22-8) Saturday in a first-round matchup at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., as part of the Bridgeport Regional.

The winner of this game will play fifth-seeded Kentucky or No. 12 seed Chattanooga in the second round Monday.

The Spartans, who boast an 8-6 NCAA tournament record, advanced past the second round for the first time last season and made a run to the championship game before falling 84-62 to Baylor.

Michigan State's road to the Final Four included wins over Alcorn State, USC, Vanderbilt and Stanford. The Spartans rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat Tennessee 68-64 in the national semifinals.

But Michigan State senior guard Lindsay Bowen is only looking forward.

``This year is this team,'' said Bowen, who averages 12.6 points and is the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers with 289. ``We can't compare it to last year. That's over. But you have to play the best to be the best. We don't want any cupcake teams.''

The Spartans loaded their schedule with some of the best in the tournament field, playing eight games this season against teams seeded first, second or third. Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie said that experience has prepared her team, which is itching to get on the court.

``You've got that pit in your belly because you want to get started,'' McCallie said Monday night. ``But there's not a team out there in any of the brackets that we haven't faced.''

Michigan State tallied wins over second-seeded Oklahoma and third-seeded Rutgers this season, but fell to top-seeded LSU and No. 2 seeds Tennessee and Maryland. The Spartans were defeated three times by No. 1 seed Ohio State, including a 68-64 loss in the Big Ten semifinals.

Michigan State's all-time leading scorer, Liz Shimek, tallied 23 points and six rebounds in that defeat while Bowen added 11. Shimek, a senior forward who averages 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, and Bowen make a formidable duo that has combined for 44 percent of the Spartans' offense.

The Spartans have lost just twice in the last 10 games, both times to the Buckeyes, and set a school record with their third consecutive 20-win season.

The Panthers make their second trip to the NCAA tournament riding a school-record 12-game winning streak. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which also set a school record with 22 wins, earned an automatic bid with a 71-63 victory over Illinois-Chicago to win the Horizon League tournament.

Freshman center Traci Edwards, who leads Milwaukee in scoring (16.2) and rebounding (10.1), recorded 24 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals in the victory.

``It's been a dream season,'' said Panthers coach Sandy Botham, whose team will play only 90 miles from home. ``It's what it's all about - going to the big dance - and to have the opportunity to stay close to home is great. I feel confident about the matchup. I think it's a beatable team.''

Wisconsin-Milwaukee's other NCAA appearance was a 96-63 first-round loss to Duke in 2001.

The Spartans won the only meeting between these teams, 61-48, on Dec. 12, 1992.