Spartans To Play On Final Four Court Built Near Izzo's Hometown (Video)
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - When the Michigan State University Spartans take the floor Saturday against Duke in the Final Four, it will be on a court made a short distance from Tom Izzo's Upper Peninsula hometown.
Connor Sport Court International, based in Amasa, MI, built the court for the finals of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The court is made from northern maple, and built in a plant 41 miles from Izzo's hometown of Iron Mountain.
While this may seem like a home court advantage for Michigan State, Connor has made the court for the Final Four since 2005. Additionally, construction began on the court in the summer of 2014, well before the start of the basketball season.
"Connor Sports loves being a part of the Final Four, and wishes all of the teams luck in achieving their championship dreams!," Connor Sports wrote in a blog post.
The road to the Final Floor includes begins in December 2014 when the rough-cut maple arrives at Connor Sports' plant and crews cut the wood to widths of 2 and 1/4 inches.
After manufacturing the floor, and assembling it into portable 4' X 7' panels, the sections are sent to United Services in Idaho Falls, ID where the court was sanded, sealed, painted and finished.
The floor was then stacked to be transported to the Lucas Oil Stadium.
See a video of the construction of the floor below:
