EAST LANSING Tom Izzo said so himself this week: "The one thing about the NCAAs, it's all about matchups."

Through the span of six Final Four runs at Michigan State, perhaps no coach in college basketball has utilized this understanding more effectively.

If there's a seventh such NCAA tournament run this month, it'll be done without the Spartans' primary athletic mismatch.

When freshman Branden Dawson tore the ACL in his left knee midway through the first half against Ohio State on Sunday, it cost the Spartans the game from the 15-point lead that dissipated, to the Buckeyes' final shot, which was taken by the player Dawson would have been defending.

The same could be argued for when Dawson tweaked his other knee slipping on the midcourt logo on the USS Carl Vinson in the season opener against North Carolina.

Two games bookending the regular season, both against elite competition, both beginning with a confident and healthy Dawson and either ending without him or without him trusting his legs.

In both cases, Michigan State looked like the better team and the scoreboard read like it until Dawson went down.

Matchups are the reason the Spartans outscored Ohio State by 25 points through the 50 minutes this season with a healthy Dawson.

The Buckeyes' three usual offensive mismatches center Jared Sullinger, 4-man Deshaun Thomas and wing William Buford found themselves with no real advantage at all.

Michigan State centers Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix bothered Sullinger with either length or the pounds to push him off the block. All-American Draymond Green abused Thomas, especially in the first meeting.

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Minus Branden Dawson, Michigan State's NCAA tournament longevity in doubt