I am finishing off a glass of pinot grigio that I am drinking to dull the pain of tonight's MSU loss to Louisville, and desultorily watching the Ohio State Buckeyes finish off Cincinnati. My mood will not be helped by the Buckeyes advancing to the Elite Eight. I must admit that I don't like seeing other Big Ten teams advance further than Michigan State. I know it's petty, but I don't care. (Actually, that's not entirely true. I'd love to see Indiana beat Kentucky tomorrow night).
Tonight was just not MSU's night. They couldn't shoot, they were continually out-hustled and out-worked by Louisville, they had a terrible time with the full-court press, and they struggled with the Cardinals' matchup zone. Heck, the Spartans couldn't even make uncontested layups tonight, in the rare occasion they actually had uncontested layups. And it's sad to say that most of MSU's shot attempts in the paint were extremely contested, and often blocked about ten rows into the stands by the Cardinals' giraffe-like center, Gorgui Dieng.
In short, the Spartans just looked tired tonight.
It is now approaching midnight as I write this, and I really need to wrap it up and get to bed. I've spent most of tonight commiserating with other Spartan fans on Facebook and the Red Cedar Message Board. Overall, it was a great season for MSU, but we have reached the point where NOT making the Final Four is a bit of a letdown. That shows the extent to which we've been spoiled by the incredible success of Tom Izzo.
I'll be back soon to offer some final observations on MSU's 2011-2012 basketball season. In the meantime, nighty-night everyone.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Getting ready for Louisville
Only a few more minutes until MSU and Louisville tip off in their Sweet Sixteen matchup.
It's at this point of the season where I, as a fan, am torn about how much more I can expect from my team. Am I being greedy to be disappointed if the Spartans don't advance into the Elite Eight. And assuming the Spartans do win tonight, am I being even more greedy if MSU loses on Saturday and fails to make the Final Four? From a rational perspective, there is no doubt that regardless of what happens tonight, MSU basketball has had an excellent season. But that doesn't stop my irrational "fan" side from making contingency plans in the event my guys lose tonight. Such is the life of a wacky sports fan.
It's at this point of the season where I, as a fan, am torn about how much more I can expect from my team. Am I being greedy to be disappointed if the Spartans don't advance into the Elite Eight. And assuming the Spartans do win tonight, am I being even more greedy if MSU loses on Saturday and fails to make the Final Four? From a rational perspective, there is no doubt that regardless of what happens tonight, MSU basketball has had an excellent season. But that doesn't stop my irrational "fan" side from making contingency plans in the event my guys lose tonight. Such is the life of a wacky sports fan.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Survive and advance: Michigan State 65, Saint Louis 61
I'm watching the end of the Purdue/Kansas game and rooting on the Boilers. They've outplayed the Jayhawks and deserve to win this one. I hope they can hang on. (After leading the entire game, the Boilermakers couldn't hang on and lost to Kansas, 63-60. Coach Painter and the Boilers appeared to lose their heads a bit in the last minute and fell apart. Robbie Hummel, a kid for whom I have tremendous respect, played his heart out. Purdue's loss was a major bummer--but still great that 25% of the Sweet Sixteen is from the Big Ten.).
What an ugly game played today between MSU and Saint Louis. The Billikens make Wisconsin look like the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers. Saint Louis was methodical, plodding, and defensive-minded, with a style of play that could charitably be called "extremely physical". In short, it was not a fun game to watch. The last 40 seconds of the game were particularly excruciating, but thankfully the Spartans managed to hang on for the victory.
It's a testament to how great Tom Izzo is as a coach that MSU, in the space of two days, was able to go from the "track meet" style of LIU hoops to the slog-it-out sludge of Saint Louis. It's that type of flexibility that has allowed MSU basketball to be so successful throughout Izzo's tenure.
And even though Saint Louis' style was hard on the eyes, credit is due to Rick Majerus. That guy is able to wring every last drop out of whatever minimal amout of talent he has. The Billikens may not have the best players, but they certainly play hard.
My drink of choice for this particular MSU game, as I know you're all dying to know, was one bottle of Blue Moon consumed during the second half. A few f-bombs were hurled as well. Certainly the expletives shouted by yours truly in this game far exceeded those in Friday's LIU game. Now, I need to get the blood pressure down for a few days in preparation for MSU's Sweet Sixteen game against Louisville on Thursday night.
It's nice to see that with these two tournament victories, MSU has evened its all-time record against both LIU and Saint Louis. The Spartans are now 2-2 against LIU and 1-1 against Saint Louis.
So the Louisville Cardinals are MSU's next opponent. Louisville was a middle of the pack Big East team, but have been playing extremely well as of late. They've won six straight with two impressive victories over ranked teams: 84-71 over Marquette and a 64-50 decision against Notre Dame. Unlike some of the run-and-gun Louisville teams of the past, this one wins with defense and a full-court press (which has been Pitino's signature throughout his coaching career) that wears out many opponents. The Cardinals are led by speedy point guard Peyton Siva, and also have a somewhat flaky guard from New York named Russ Smith who has, shall we say, a complicated relationship with coach Rick Pitino. Here's an interesting article about Louisville that appeared in today's New York Times.
I don't know if I'll be posting anything on this blog until Thursday, but we'll see. In any case, lets all get some rest for a few days and I'll see you again on Thursday, March 22. I'm now gonna unwind with the last three minutes of a hotly contested game between Cincinnati and Florida State.
What an ugly game played today between MSU and Saint Louis. The Billikens make Wisconsin look like the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers. Saint Louis was methodical, plodding, and defensive-minded, with a style of play that could charitably be called "extremely physical". In short, it was not a fun game to watch. The last 40 seconds of the game were particularly excruciating, but thankfully the Spartans managed to hang on for the victory.
It's a testament to how great Tom Izzo is as a coach that MSU, in the space of two days, was able to go from the "track meet" style of LIU hoops to the slog-it-out sludge of Saint Louis. It's that type of flexibility that has allowed MSU basketball to be so successful throughout Izzo's tenure.
And even though Saint Louis' style was hard on the eyes, credit is due to Rick Majerus. That guy is able to wring every last drop out of whatever minimal amout of talent he has. The Billikens may not have the best players, but they certainly play hard.
My drink of choice for this particular MSU game, as I know you're all dying to know, was one bottle of Blue Moon consumed during the second half. A few f-bombs were hurled as well. Certainly the expletives shouted by yours truly in this game far exceeded those in Friday's LIU game. Now, I need to get the blood pressure down for a few days in preparation for MSU's Sweet Sixteen game against Louisville on Thursday night.
It's nice to see that with these two tournament victories, MSU has evened its all-time record against both LIU and Saint Louis. The Spartans are now 2-2 against LIU and 1-1 against Saint Louis.
So the Louisville Cardinals are MSU's next opponent. Louisville was a middle of the pack Big East team, but have been playing extremely well as of late. They've won six straight with two impressive victories over ranked teams: 84-71 over Marquette and a 64-50 decision against Notre Dame. Unlike some of the run-and-gun Louisville teams of the past, this one wins with defense and a full-court press (which has been Pitino's signature throughout his coaching career) that wears out many opponents. The Cardinals are led by speedy point guard Peyton Siva, and also have a somewhat flaky guard from New York named Russ Smith who has, shall we say, a complicated relationship with coach Rick Pitino. Here's an interesting article about Louisville that appeared in today's New York Times.
I don't know if I'll be posting anything on this blog until Thursday, but we'll see. In any case, lets all get some rest for a few days and I'll see you again on Thursday, March 22. I'm now gonna unwind with the last three minutes of a hotly contested game between Cincinnati and Florida State.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
A crazy day in the tournament
First off, so much for that LIU preview. Life and work got in the way, plus the fact that my two kids seem to always be on our computers, so I wasn't able to get online. Not that it matters, if you really wanted a preview you should read Joe Rexrode in the Lansing State Journal or any number of other professional sportswriters who really know what they're talking about.
Could yesterday have possibly been more perfect from an MSU Spartan fans' point-of-view? The afternoon really reached high drama early when the official "sexy" Final Four pick, Missouri, went down at the hands of Norfolk State. I watched almost the entire second half of that game, and I was scratching my head wondering why Missouri was so highly lauded. Not only did they play poorly, but they played stupidly. I just don't understand teams that jack up three-point attempts early in the shot clock and have so many wasted possessions. Missouri is a quick team and did a good time of kicking the ball out to their wings, but otherwise I was not impressed with the way they approached the second half of that game.
Later on in the evening, Michigan lost to the real "Ohio", Ohio University--and within moments of Michigan's loss, Duke was defeated by (underrated) Lehigh. Two of my most hated schools go down in flames within a half-hour of each other, I don't think life could possibly get sweeter from my perspective as a sports fan.
Finally, at 9:30, I poured myself a glass of the (highly unmanly) moscato, parked myself immediately in front of the television, and dug in for the MSU/LIU game. As expected, the experienced Blackbirds gave the Spartans a battle and did a great job of hanging with the Spartans for the first half, and the initial couple minutes of the second half, but MSU's defense stiffened in the second half--and LIU had absolutely no answer for MSU's big men, Nix and Payne (and I'll throw in Draymond Green, as well). According to their roster, LIU doesn't have a player taller than 6' 7", and MSU has six players taller than 6' 7". MSU took advantage of that mismatch and it seemed that LIU just gave up trying to defend the paint as the game progressed.
I have two brackets going: one for what I think will happen, and one for what I hope will happen. I went 25-7 in my "intelligent/analytical" bracket and 28-4 in my "emotional" bracket. Isn't that the way it always goes?
Next up for MSU: Rick Majerus and the St. Louis Billikens. The Billikens are a bigger team than LIU and play a much slower style. They sound similar to Wisconsin. It should be an interesting tussle between MSU's big men and those from St. Louis.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The most exciting two days in sports...
...begin today at 12:15 PM. Nothing in sports tops the NCAA basketball tournament, particularly the first Thursday and Friday when 32 games are played in a 48-hour timeframe. Non-stop drama sprinkled with upsets are the ingredients for the most enjoyable and exciting event in the sporting world.
Every year, I wish that I had taken these days off work to watch the action, but I'll have to be content to follow the action on my Droid until I leave work at 3:30.
I hope to offer a little preview of MSU's first round opponent, Long Island University-Brooklyn. It looks as if the Spartans drew easily the toughest of the 16 seeds. From all I've read and heard, LIU is quick, athletic, and can score lots of points. Plus, they were in the tournament last year (lost to North Carolina), so they will not be starstruck or scared.
More later...
Every year, I wish that I had taken these days off work to watch the action, but I'll have to be content to follow the action on my Droid until I leave work at 3:30.
I hope to offer a little preview of MSU's first round opponent, Long Island University-Brooklyn. It looks as if the Spartans drew easily the toughest of the 16 seeds. From all I've read and heard, LIU is quick, athletic, and can score lots of points. Plus, they were in the tournament last year (lost to North Carolina), so they will not be starstruck or scared.
More later...
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Undisputed Big Ten Champions: Michigan State Spartans
Once again, I'm at a loss of words as to where to start this post--so I'll just get to it.
I'm continually amazed at the sheer number of huge games and momentous victories that Michigan State has had under Tom Izzo. At this point, there have to be at least a couple dozen games that one could look at individually and say, "That was an incredible win!" Now, just add today's Big Ten Tournament-winning game against Ohio State to that luminous list.
First of all, it was one of the most exciting college basketball games I have ever seen...period. The only other MSU game I can think of that comes close in terms of sheer drama is the 2009 Final Four game against UConn. This game between the Spartans and Buckeyes was like watching Ali and Frazier go at it. Two extremely tough and talented basketball teams delivering non-stop body blows, with the Spartans finally coming out on top.
Did anyone, outside of the MSU team themselves, expect the Spartans to play so well without Branden Dawson? These guys just went out and played perhaps their best basketball of the entire season, at a time when it was the probably the least expected--certainly by knuckleheads like me.
How about Brandon Wood? He played a terrible game against Indiana about a week-and-a-half ago, and has followed it up with three straight good-to-excellent games, with none better than today's 21 point performance.
I'm thrilled for Austin Thornton, who has been brilliant in in the last few weeks. His three-point barrage against Wisconsin got the Spartans back in that game, and he did the little things today that don't make the stat sheet.
And then there's Draymond Green. I think I've used up every adjective in the dictionary for this guy. He didn't have one of his best games today, but that 3-point shot late in the game was the "YEEESSSSS!!!!" moment of the day.
Could there have been a more perfect storybook ending to the regular season? It's amazing to think that exactly one week ago I was depressed over MSU's two-point loss to Ohio State, and now I am jubilant over this remarkable MSU Big Ten tournament run capped off with a redemptive win over the Buckeyes. And it is so sweet to end Ohio State's run of two straight Big Ten Tournament championships, and for MSU to get their first tournament crown since 2000...and speaking of 2000, we all remember how MSU's season ended that year? Pretty decent conclusion to that year, if memory serves me well.
I just can't get over what an amazing season it has been for the Spartan basketball team. I'm a little disappointed that I never made it to Breslin for any of MSU's Big Ten games, but I'm happy that I was able to see them a few times in person during their non-conference gestation period. Even then, I could see that this team had potential, certainly enough raw material to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and get into the tournament, but I never would have predicted a Big Ten regular season title AND a Big Ten tournament title. Just add this remarkable season to Tom Izzo's incredible resume.
I'm continually amazed at the sheer number of huge games and momentous victories that Michigan State has had under Tom Izzo. At this point, there have to be at least a couple dozen games that one could look at individually and say, "That was an incredible win!" Now, just add today's Big Ten Tournament-winning game against Ohio State to that luminous list.
First of all, it was one of the most exciting college basketball games I have ever seen...period. The only other MSU game I can think of that comes close in terms of sheer drama is the 2009 Final Four game against UConn. This game between the Spartans and Buckeyes was like watching Ali and Frazier go at it. Two extremely tough and talented basketball teams delivering non-stop body blows, with the Spartans finally coming out on top.
Did anyone, outside of the MSU team themselves, expect the Spartans to play so well without Branden Dawson? These guys just went out and played perhaps their best basketball of the entire season, at a time when it was the probably the least expected--certainly by knuckleheads like me.
How about Brandon Wood? He played a terrible game against Indiana about a week-and-a-half ago, and has followed it up with three straight good-to-excellent games, with none better than today's 21 point performance.
I'm thrilled for Austin Thornton, who has been brilliant in in the last few weeks. His three-point barrage against Wisconsin got the Spartans back in that game, and he did the little things today that don't make the stat sheet.
And then there's Draymond Green. I think I've used up every adjective in the dictionary for this guy. He didn't have one of his best games today, but that 3-point shot late in the game was the "YEEESSSSS!!!!" moment of the day.
Could there have been a more perfect storybook ending to the regular season? It's amazing to think that exactly one week ago I was depressed over MSU's two-point loss to Ohio State, and now I am jubilant over this remarkable MSU Big Ten tournament run capped off with a redemptive win over the Buckeyes. And it is so sweet to end Ohio State's run of two straight Big Ten Tournament championships, and for MSU to get their first tournament crown since 2000...and speaking of 2000, we all remember how MSU's season ended that year? Pretty decent conclusion to that year, if memory serves me well.
I just can't get over what an amazing season it has been for the Spartan basketball team. I'm a little disappointed that I never made it to Breslin for any of MSU's Big Ten games, but I'm happy that I was able to see them a few times in person during their non-conference gestation period. Even then, I could see that this team had potential, certainly enough raw material to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and get into the tournament, but I never would have predicted a Big Ten regular season title AND a Big Ten tournament title. Just add this remarkable season to Tom Izzo's incredible resume.
Yesterday was a beautiful day for Spartan fans
First of all, I apologize that I never added much more to my post-Ohio State basketball post of the previous week. I'm sure you were all crushed that you didn't get my expert analysis. I was too distraught to add much more, but it's certainly interesting how quickly the emotional tide can turn for sports fans. One week you're down in the dumps, the next week you're feeling optimistic. Which brings me to...how great was yesterday!? (Rhetorical question)
Saturday began with Michigan State basketball beating Wisconsin for the third time this season, and concluded with Michigan getting beaten like a rented mule by Ohio State. Could it possibly have been better for Spartan fans? Now Michigan fans can crawl back into their holes temporarily, though I'm sure they're just dying to crawl out again in the event that their (true) rival Michigan State loses to their (pretend) rival Ohio State.
This leads me to something that I've been mulling over in my head for quite some time. Is the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry the most overrated in college sports? I contend that it is. Look, I'm willing to admit that in football, it's a fairly big deal, even though the Buckeyes have, for the most part, routinely pounded Michigan over the last decade. But there is no denying that, between the 1930s and the early 2000s, there was generally a lot on the line when Michigan and Ohio State met on the gridiron. But the fan hatred seems to be much more on the OSU side than the Michigan side, and the football rivalry seems more intense among the players than the fans (at least the Michigan fans). Ohio State fans genuinely loathe the University of Michigan, at least as much as Michigan State fans do. But it's always been my impression that Michigan fans pay lip service to the hatred, while privately saving their true vitriol for Michigan State (though I don't doubt that Michigan fans definitely do not like Ohio State). Michigan fans don't want to give MSU the satisfaction of admitting that Sparty is truly their biggest rival--to do so would give MSU more importance than the smug Michigan fan is willing to publicly bestow.
The national media buys into this myth of Ohio State and Michigan as being the bitterest of bitter rivalries, but if they spent enough time living in the state of Michigan, they'd quickly understand that the level of bile spewed forth between MSU and UofM fans outstrips anything between OSU and UofM, at least from the State of Michigan side. And besides football, there really is no rivalry to speak of between Michigan and Ohio State. In any other sport, Michigan State is easily Michigan's biggest rival, whether Michigan fans are willing to admit it or not.
With Michigan State's success in basketball, and more recently, football--the hatred and venom between MSU and Michigan fans is beyond anything I've ever witnessed. It's safe to say the Michigan fans are uncomfortable being in the position of the downtrodden, and they are lashing out in message boards and Facebook posts. For example, I am a "fan" of The Huge Show (a Grand Rapids-based sports call-in show), and the host frequently posts on Facebook. The pissing matches in these posts, between MSU and Michigan fans, is beyond anything I've ever witnessed before. It's so bad that I've decided not to even bother posting anymore--it's just not fun. The attacks get personal and I'm afraid that I could get some Michigan fan so angry that they might obtain my personal information and threaten me. I'm not kidding. I've decided to back off of these Facebook sports posts and stick to outlets like the Lansing State Journal or Red Cedar Message Board, where I am at least among like-minded folk.
Saturday began with Michigan State basketball beating Wisconsin for the third time this season, and concluded with Michigan getting beaten like a rented mule by Ohio State. Could it possibly have been better for Spartan fans? Now Michigan fans can crawl back into their holes temporarily, though I'm sure they're just dying to crawl out again in the event that their (true) rival Michigan State loses to their (pretend) rival Ohio State.
This leads me to something that I've been mulling over in my head for quite some time. Is the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry the most overrated in college sports? I contend that it is. Look, I'm willing to admit that in football, it's a fairly big deal, even though the Buckeyes have, for the most part, routinely pounded Michigan over the last decade. But there is no denying that, between the 1930s and the early 2000s, there was generally a lot on the line when Michigan and Ohio State met on the gridiron. But the fan hatred seems to be much more on the OSU side than the Michigan side, and the football rivalry seems more intense among the players than the fans (at least the Michigan fans). Ohio State fans genuinely loathe the University of Michigan, at least as much as Michigan State fans do. But it's always been my impression that Michigan fans pay lip service to the hatred, while privately saving their true vitriol for Michigan State (though I don't doubt that Michigan fans definitely do not like Ohio State). Michigan fans don't want to give MSU the satisfaction of admitting that Sparty is truly their biggest rival--to do so would give MSU more importance than the smug Michigan fan is willing to publicly bestow.
The national media buys into this myth of Ohio State and Michigan as being the bitterest of bitter rivalries, but if they spent enough time living in the state of Michigan, they'd quickly understand that the level of bile spewed forth between MSU and UofM fans outstrips anything between OSU and UofM, at least from the State of Michigan side. And besides football, there really is no rivalry to speak of between Michigan and Ohio State. In any other sport, Michigan State is easily Michigan's biggest rival, whether Michigan fans are willing to admit it or not.
With Michigan State's success in basketball, and more recently, football--the hatred and venom between MSU and Michigan fans is beyond anything I've ever witnessed. It's safe to say the Michigan fans are uncomfortable being in the position of the downtrodden, and they are lashing out in message boards and Facebook posts. For example, I am a "fan" of The Huge Show (a Grand Rapids-based sports call-in show), and the host frequently posts on Facebook. The pissing matches in these posts, between MSU and Michigan fans, is beyond anything I've ever witnessed before. It's so bad that I've decided not to even bother posting anymore--it's just not fun. The attacks get personal and I'm afraid that I could get some Michigan fan so angry that they might obtain my personal information and threaten me. I'm not kidding. I've decided to back off of these Facebook sports posts and stick to outlets like the Lansing State Journal or Red Cedar Message Board, where I am at least among like-minded folk.
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