Saturday, February 14, 2015

Denzel delivers a Valentine

After two post-game celebratory Bell's Two-hearteds along with a Big Ten Burger at Harrison Roadhouse, I'm now relaxing at home and basking in the afterglow of MSU's big win over Ohio State.
 
The second half was a bit rockier than the first half, but at least part of that was due to the officiating crew calling the game much closer than they had in the first half. This lent a lack of flow to the second half.
 
Still, it's hard to complain. MSU made enough plays, and with 3.2 seconds left Denzel Valentine hit perhaps the biggest shot of his college career--and maybe the most important shot of this MSU season-- to lead the Spartans to a much needed victory.
 
Who are we kidding? This was more than a "much needed victory." It may be the difference between MSU playing in the NCAA tournament or the NIT. A loss would have meant a third conference home defeat, and a major downer heading to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. But instead it was a win over a top-25 opponent and a major bolster to a shaky tournament resume.
 
The best part was, I was there in person along with my son and brother-in-law. Section 218, row 15. Almost nosebleed, the first row of metal bleachers. The folks who trudged, slipped, and slid their way through the blustery bitterly cold Valentine's Day weather? They were energized and excited, as if they were hell-bent to make their perilous treks to Breslin worthwhile. I hope that the Spartan basketball team noticed and fed off that electricity.

Halftime a Breslin

That was a great half for the Spartans; love the defensive intensity that they brought, particularly in the final 10 minutes or so of the half, when a 20-16 OSU lead became a 33-24 MSU advantage at intermission. Branden Dawson, Matt Costello, and Tum Tum Nairn in particular need to be singled out for praise, but it really has been a complete team effort.
 
If the team brings the same energy in the second half, and feeds off a great Breslin crowd that fought through bad weather to be here, it should be a Spartan win.

Big game against the Buckeyes

It's a sub-Arctic, snowy morning here in the Lansing area, but I'm planning on braving the weather to attend the MSU/Ohio State basketball game at noon.

After another up-and-down (or more accurately, down-and-up) week for MSU hoops, the team seems to be riding some momentum going into this important home date with the Buckeyes. A win over a top 40 RPI team would not only look good on the Spartans' tournament resume, but improve their Big Ten record to 8-4 (17-8) overall. A loss, on the other hand, would further muddy their postseason prospects and poke the needle a little further into their NCAA tournament bubble.

I have a hunch, based on nothing but intuition, that the Spartans will bring it strong this afternoon. They have to feel embarrassed about how terrible they played in their last home game (a 59-54 loss to Illinois last weekend). They played inspired and focused in a blowout win on the road against Northwestern, and I just have a feeling it will carry over to this game. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it. So I'll just go out on a limb and predict a Michigan State victory at Breslin this afternoon