NEWSLETTER
With a Final Four spot hanging in the balance, Tom Izzo is willing to pull out all the stops in order to slow down Duke star Zion Williamson. Because when asked who could cover the future No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, the long-time Michigan State head coach offered up the name of Bears star Khalil Mack as someone who could be up to the task.
“If I could borrow someone from the Bears, maybe we could cover him,” Izzo told reporters on Saturday.
And after catching wind of the request, you better believe the big man is up for the challenge:
https://twitter.com/52Mack_/status/1112402811449430017
Getting the best player on the best defense in football in an attempt to stop college basketball’s best player is a bold strategy I can get behind.
Williamson is the toughest cover in college buckets. He has size, power, elite athleticism, superb instincts, a flare for the dramatic, and anything else you would want out of a basketball player. Williamson is a star of stars in the college game and figures to be that when he reaches the NBA (nudges BN Bulls ever-so-slightly*) as early as the 2019-2020 season. And if anyone can come close to slowing down Williamson, it might be Mack, who wrecks guys who are larger than Williamson on a weekly bases while also getting to the quarterback.
Modern problems often need outside-of-the-box solutions, and asking Mack to guard Williamson is as out-there as it gets. Unfortunately for Izzo, Mack has exhausted his college eligibility and is unable to suit up for Michigan State later on Sunday afternoon. But it was still worth asking anyway.
