"These guys enjoy being around each other"...(and it shows)

Did anyone, outside of Tom Izzo and the Spartan players, think that Michigan State basketball had a realistic shot at the Sweet Sixteen this season?

In a game that was frequently hard on the eyes--due to the sludgy, barroom brawl-with-a-basketball style of hoops implemented by Virginia coach Tony Bennett--the Spartans beat the Cavaliers at their own game--due to Tom Izzo shaking up MSU's defensive scheme in the one day turnaround between the Georgia game and the Virginia game. It was the best defensive performance I've seen from Michigan State all season. Travis Trice provided a big offensive spark early on, Branden Dawson displayed his prodigious athleticism and did the little things that aren't reflected in the stat sheet, and the Spartans basically out-muscled Virginia 60-54.

It's high time I sang the praises of this team. They're certainly not the most talented team MSU has ever had, and heaven knows they are the worst free throw shooting team in Tom Izzo's tenure, but as the coach said in his post-game press conference, "These guys enjoy being around each other." That is a key component to their success this season.

I liked Travis Trice as a player as soon as I saw him as a freshman. He simply had the look of a kid who would develop into a great leader. To borrow from sports cliches, a "glue guy," a "program player." In other words, a player who is not gifted with the greatest athletic ability in the world, but has court vision, a knowledge of the game, leadership, and a strong work ethic. But in this last month or so, Trice has even exceeded what I saw as his potential. He has a great step-back jump shot and has developed an ability to drive the lane, lay up beautiful floaters or elevate high for a slam dunk, Trice has been a fun player to watch his entire four years in East Lansing.

There has never been a question about Branden Dawson's athletic ability. He is able to do things on the court that are awe-inspiring. The problem has been inconsistency: there have been times Dawson has played like the best player on the floor and others where he has disappeared. But Dawson has elevated his game recently and is playing with an urgency of someone who knows his college career is almost over and doesn't want it to end. I like Dawson about as much as I like Trice, and hope that he can at least have a good career for himself overseas, playing in Europe or elsewhere. Perhaps, with enough work, he can develop into a legitimate NBA small forward. He certainly has the rebounding ability. I don't know the last time I saw a player his size dominate the glass--and Dawson is also the best "glass cleaner" or "trash man" I've ever seen in a Michigan State uniform. I can't count the number of times I've seen Dawson seemingly arrive out of nowhere to put back a missed shot. He's a master at that.

Denzel Valentine has the ability to amaze and aggravate like few players I've seen. One minute, he can make a brilliant pass the likes of which Magic Johnson might envy, and the next moment make a mistake that has you either pounding your head against a wall or cursing your television. But that's what you get with Denzel. He's a little reckless and extremely fearless, much like Connor Cook on the MSU football team. Like Cook, he doesn't allow mistakes get him down, and this is one element that makes him an outstanding basketball player.

The rest of the team has grown over the season, and all the players know their roles. Nobody on this team seems to have an ego. Matt Costello does the dirty work in the paint, Lourawls Nairn brings energy and toughness, Marvin Clark has overcome a rocky start to his freshman year and now plays solid defense and hits the occasional shot, Alvin Ellis has made huge strides in just the last few weeks, Bryn Forbes can provide instant offense, at least when he makes his shots (and he's been making many more of them lately) and is much better on defense now than he was earlier in the season. Though Gavin Schilling has had a rocky season, and draws fouls at an Aloysius Anagonye-esque rate, he has tremendous upside (and next to Dawson is probably the most ripped guy on the team). Schilling is another player with a high ceiling.

Anyone who is a Michigan State basketball fan has to be extremely proud of how far this team has come this season, and any more victories they obtain from this point forward is gravy. Maybe, just maybe, this team will end up being the Final Four team we expected to see last season. If so, it will be one of the most memorable seasons in Spartan hoops history.

I was wrong...and I'm happy to admit it.

Dominating performance by Michigan State tonight, particularly by seniors Branden Dawson and Travis Trice, who both made it abundantly clear they had no intentions of ending their college careers without picking up a win over Michigan at Crisler. In fact, it may have been the best game Dawson has played in his college career. It seems that he hears the clock ticking and in the last few weeks has brought every ounce of his incredible (but sometimes somewhat untapped) talent to every game he's played since the Illinois debacle.

 

I thought Michigan might have about a gallon of gasoline left in its basketball fuel tank, but it turns out it's running on fumes and may have permanently stalled at the side of the road.

In my previous post, I expressed uncertainty over whether the Spartans had truly turned a corner after the Ohio State game. Well, last night's win over Michigan almost has me completely convinced that, yes, this team has turned that corner and could be poised for a strong finish to the regular season.

Still some life left with MSU basketball

I've been wrapped up in non-sports aspects of life for the last week, so haven't been quite as tuned into Michigan State basketball as usual.

I'm happy that the Spartans have bounced back after the heartbreaking loss against Maryland and have proven, once again, that the college basketball season is a process. Teams gel and evolve over the course of a season and it makes no sense for fans or the media to declare the sky is falling after a few early losses. Now, this is not to say that the Spartans will suddenly embark on an unstoppable roll and sweep their way to a Big Ten title. There will probably still be bumps and bruises along the way, but the team is healthier now than they were against Texas Southern and Maryland and the players all appear to be understanding their roles. Though it's not outside the realm of possibility, I don't see a conference title for the Spartans this season but a finish in the upper half of the Big Ten is extremely probable.

Travis Trice was on fire last night against Iowa. The guy was completely unconscious, particularly in the second half where it looked like he could have shot the ball behind his back and hit nothing but net. He had a shooting game that wasn't too far removed from the nights Scott Skiles and Shawn Respert had in their days. But it isn't just great shooting with Trice, he makes loads of hustle plays that don't make the stat sheet, like sprinting down the court and coming out of nowhere to contest what at first appears to be an easy layup for the opponent.

Denzel Valentine and Matt Costello both played among their best games of the seasons, and as challenged as Branden Dawson sometimes appears when it comes to getting the ball in the whole, few players in the game play defense or rebound as well as Dawson.

This is not a great Tom Izzo team right now, but it has the potential to do some special things this season. We as fans just need to have the patience to bear with the occasional detours on the way to a possibly splendid year.

Michigan State 87, Loyola 52

I had the good fortune to attend last night's MSU basketball game win over the Loyola Ramblers.

In any of these non-conference blowout victories featuring mid-major and/or bottom feeder opponents, it's hard to tell whether it's the Spartans looking very good or the opponent looking very bad. Presumably, it's a little bit of both.

 

The Spartans deserve credit for coming out with energy and enthusiasm in their first game after the Duke loss. They jumped all over the Ramblers and held them to one bucket over the first eight minutes and 53 seconds of the game. The game was over, for all intents and purposes, after about the 10-minute mark of the first half.

 

I was impressed with the outside shooting of Marvin Clark, Jr., and the speed, ball-handling skills, and overall fearlessness of Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn, Jr. Travis Trice and Branden Dawson had excellent games. Matt Costello looked much better than he did against Duke, but still has a tendency to be a bit tentative. Denzel Valentine makes some remarkable passes and can look absolutely dazzling, but then have some puzzling mental lapses.

 

This team is a work-in-progress, and I still contend may surprise some people this year. It should be one of those years where we, as fans, need to keep our expectations modest and realistic and simply enjoy the ride.

Some post-Big Ten tournament thoughts and observations

Only a week ago the sky was falling, now MSU are critical darlings. Sports Illustrated chose MSU to appear on one of their six regional tournament special issues. Even the President of the United States has the Spartans winning the national title. Being a naturally neurotic Spartan fan, all this adoration has me worried. I suppose as long as the MSU team views all this attention as flattering and nothing more, and remains focused on the task at hand, they will be fine.

 

Maybe the team will actually view the NCAA tournament as relief. After all, they were ranked number one early in the season, lost to North Carolina, fell from that lofty perch, then endured all of the injuries and frustrations of the Big Ten season. The team is finally healthy and ended the Big Ten season on a bright note, not only able to play (and win) three games with all the pieces back in place, but get a little payback against Wisconsin and Michigan, and win a tournament title in the process. Now, this is not to suggest that all the Spartans' problems are completely solved (though, who knows, maybe they are), but I'd much rather have MSU enter the NCAA tournament on this note than having bowed out early in the Big Ten tournament.

I've never been a big fan of the Big Ten tournament, but it is certainly sweet when "your" team wins. The post-season college basketball conference tournaments are akin to extra credit in school. If you're a student who has, for whatever reason, not done well during the school term, your teacher will give you the opportunity to elevate your grade with extra credit. The conference tournaments give the average or under-achieving teams an opportunity to "raise their grades." The top teams generally have little to gain from the tournaments, so it's not surprising when they bow out early.

 

Now a little more about the Big Ten tournament championship game against Michigan, a subject I still have yet to tire of discussing, though by tomorrow it'll officially be old news and time to move on.
 

In my pre-game post, I wrote that I would need some "happy drugs" to get me through it. As far as mind and /or pain-dulling "drugs," there really wasn't much need for anything. I consumed a grandé iced Americano in the first half and was pretty well hopped up on caffeine by that point. In the second half, I sucked down three beers and reverted back to my bachelor days for awhile, as I watched the game while pacing around the living room.

By the way, I didn't scratch my schadenfreude itch by listening to WTKA on Monday morning. By the time I tuned into the station, the show hosts had fallen into their default position in times of distress:a football recruiting discussion.

 

Some big plays I noticed while watching the replay of the MSU/Michigan game:

 

In the first half, Travis Trice had a terrific drive, splitting two defenders to the basket, tossing up an acrobatic underhand layup when the shot clock was winding down. That was an important play at another point in the game where it appeared the Wolverines were poised to make a move. The steady emergence of Travis Trice could and should be big for this team in the NCAA tournament, as great guard play is almost always a key to success this time of year.

 

Gary Harris dribble drive to the basket for the slam with only a few seconds left on the clock near the end of the first half. This kept momentum with MSU at a point in the game when it looked like Michigan was perhaps one three-pointer away from closing the gap to four points, and feeling good about themselves heading into the locker room.

 

The Spartans jumped all over Michigan as soon as the second half started and immediately seized control, not allowing Michigan an opportunity to get back in the game.

 

It's safe to say everyone knew the game was probably a Michigan State win after Branden Dawson's windmill dunk at the 16:57 mark of the second half. One could almost feel and hear the energy drain from Michigan after that play.

 

There is a danger in celebrating too much or too hard after defeating ones arch rival in basketball. I learned the hard way last year after MSU's 75-52 win in East Lansing. This win over Michigan is more of a "we're still here" statement rather than a "reestablishment of the natural order" win that some MSU fans seem to think of it. As long as Beilein is in Ann Arbor, Michigan basketball will remain strong.

 

I see no reason why both programs can't be strong at the same time, there are certainly enough good basketball players in the Midwest to spread the wealth evenly. Folks around here seem to think that if one program elevates, then the other program automatically must go down. I know that's not the way people see things in North Carolina with the UNC Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. A few years ago, UNC had a string of six-consecutive wins over Duke. I didn't hear a single commentator or fan say that Mike Krzyzewski had "lost it" the same way I heard people in these parts declare that Izzo was on the way down after Michigan won six of the last eight in the MSU/UM series.

 

Perhaps part of this is due the fact that we in Michigan aren't used to having two strong basketball programs at the same time. We automatically assume that if one is up, the other needs to be down. In North Carolina, it's a given that both Duke and UNC will be strong every year, and even NC State is never counted out. The state of North Carolina is accustomed to having multiple strong programs within its borders year-in and year-out.

 

For the foreseeable future, the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines will take turns delivering body blows in this rivalry. Now, as you all know I don't root for the Maize and Blue in anything, but even I must grudgingly admit that having two nationally prominent basketball programs in the Great Lakes State is a nifty situation.

It's time to put the regular season to bed, get ready for most important part of the college basketball calendar--March Madness. I hope that the Spartans can overcome all the national love and affection they have been receiving for the last four days.

 

MSU basketball exhibition vs. Hillsdale

I managed to score two tickets to the exhibition game against Hillsdale and took my ten year-old son.  As soon as we stepped into Breslin, I immediately fueled him with Pepsi and popcorn and we were fairly good to go for the rest of the evening.

It's hard to take much from games like these.  Although Hillsdale played hard, they were clearly overmatched.  The Spartans led the entire game and really were not seriously challenged at any point in the game, as should be expected in an exhibition.  The final score was a fairly lackluster 80-58.

It was fun to see all the new faces on the MSU basketball team.  They are young, but have several athletic newcomers who should be enjoyable to watch this season.  I really have no idea what to expect from this year's team, but the sense of the unknown makes it more exciting, if that makes any sense.

Here are some observations, but keep in mind that I was sitting 28 rows up, behind the basket on the south side of Breslin, trying to keep my son entertained and dealing with several rugrats making lots of noise on my left: not exactly a position to be able to concentrate as fully as I'd like.

Travis Trice is one player who really stood out for me in this particular game.  The kid looks like a natural leader on the floor, has a nice smooth shot, and really works hard.

I had not seen Russell Byrd until tonight, and he's another player with a silky smooth shooting stroke from the perimeter.  Of course, I suppose it's easier to look smooth when one is playing against an overmatched team like Hillsdale, but I still like what I saw.  Trice and Byrd have big upsides, and both could develop into excellent contributors in the near future.

Of the other Spartan players, Draymond Green was solid, Derrick Nix looks to be in the best shape of his career, and Keith Appling did a great job guiding the team at point guard, though he struggled from three-point range and had a few ugly turnovers.  It will be interesting to see how much time Trice gets this season at point guard.  If he continues to play with the confidence and determination he displayed tonight, he will get significant playing time.

But I have absolutely no idea how these guys will play next week against North Carolina.  I suspect it could be a tough game for the Spartans, but they just might have the youthful energy and guilelessness to surprise some people.  And nobody likes an uphill challenge more than Tom Izzo.

One final note: I was genuinely impressed with how hard Hillsdale played, and the Chargers had one player who stood out for his moxie and grit.  He is a little guard named Tyler Gerber (#12).  The Hillsdale athletics website has him listed at 5' 10", but he didn't look any taller than 5' 7" from where I was sitting.  He finished with about 10 points and hustled the entire game.  He looks like a gym rat who isn't afraid of challenging anyone, even if his opponent is a foot taller than he is.  Good luck to Hillsdale the rest of the season.