Friday, April 10, 2015

A post-Final Four dispatch

Like all Michigan State fans, I was disappointed with the Spartans' loss to Duke last Saturday evening. But given the fact I was watching the game from beautiful and exciting downtown Toronto, it was difficult to remain despondent for long.
 
This was perhaps the most surprising and improbable Final Four runs of Tom Izzo's storied career. Though I took issue with the officiating in the Duke game because it seems the Blue Devils always get calls in their favor, I don't know if a more fairly called game would have made any difference. MSU simply came up against a more talented team.
 
It's tough to lose to Duke, and it always seems to be like going up against an immovable, impenetrable force anytime MSU plays them. The cold hard fact of the matter is Duke generally has a more talented team than MSU, and even when the teams are close to even it's inevitable that Duke will get almost every call in its favor. I hate to be one of those fans who complains about officiating, but I don't know how anyone (besides Duke supporters) can watch Duke play anyone and not conclude that they receive preferential treatment. Not only did they get plenty of calls in their favor against MSU, but they certainly did in the championship game against Wisconsin.
 
Oh well, at least Wisconsin slew that other evil empire, the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky winning the national title and finishing 40-0 is the only scenario more noxious than Duke winning it all.