"There will be blood"...

...would be the name of last night's Michigan State/Purdue basketball game, if one had to give it a movie title. Both teams played hard and dished out plenty of pokes, prods, elbows, (unintentional) feet to the head, and (unintentional) hands to the face. In one of the game's scarier moments, Purdue's Dakota Mathias had his face accidentally stepped on by Branden Dawson, after Mathias fell over after draining a three-pointer hotly contested by Dawson. Dawson stumbled over Mathias and unintentionally planted his foot on Mathias' noggin. Later in the half, Dawson took a blow to the head and left for the remainder of the game. Other injuries were sustained by Denzel Valentine (tripping over one of his teammates battling for a rebound) and Lourawls Nairn hobbled by what appeared to be cramps. Travis Trice took a nasty spill after a hard (but completely legal) Purdue foul. Blood was visible through one of Trice's white compression socks/leggings.

Blood was shed and pain inflicted on both sides. In other words, a typical late season Big Ten game between two teams with plenty to play for.

It's been pretty well established this season that this MSU basketball team has its faults. But one thing that can never be questioned is its heart. This was a game that the Spartans had to have, and despite losing Branden Dawson, and physical punishment delivered to Valentine and Trice; despite falling behind by nine points late in the first half; and despite more free-throw shooting woes (though not down the stretch when it mattered the most), the Spartans came through against a determined Purdue team that had been on a roll heading into East Lansing. In the process, the Spartans may have finally stamped their tickets to an 18th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

There is also plenty of pride in this program. It's obvious that this year's edition of Michigan State basketball does not want to be the first since 1997 to miss the NCAA tournament. They know the stakes involved in being a part of a program such as MSU's, and those who stick around are the ones who embrace those stakes.

Fans can be disappointed and frustrated by the struggles that this team has had this season, but it really shouldn't have been too much of a surprise when one considers how much was lost after last season in terms of personnel.  But after the grit that MSU displayed in last night's Purdue game, nobody should ever question the level to which these players want to win.

A trip down memory lane: Michigan State 75, Iowa State 64 (2000 Elite Eight)

 

 

I just discovered that the NCAA has opened a vault of great March Madness games and posted them on YouTube, so right now I'm watching the 2000 Midwest Regional final between MSU and Iowa State. The Cyclones had a heck of a team, with Marcus Fizer, Jamaal Tinsley, Paul Shirley, and Michael Nurse. Fizer, Shirley, and Tinsley played in the NBA, and Nurse was a sharp-shooting guard who, despite not playing professionally after his college career, was an outstanding player.

 

I'd never seen the game in its entirety until today, because when it was played I had a job that required me to work on Saturday nights, so I and my MSU fan co-workers had to listen to the final minutes in the back room. After finally watching the game, I'm completely convinced it was the best game of MSU's run to the 2000 national title, and Iowa State presented the most formidable challenge the Spartans faced in the tournament. It wouldn't be too outlandish to say that this game was the de facto national championship game.

 

The final score was 75-64, but that is a highly deceptive score. The Spartans were clinging to a 69-64 lead with just over 30 seconds left when Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy lost his cool after what he perceived as a non-call in MSU's favor and was hit with a double technical foul. The Spartans scored its final six points (four of which were free throws) in that last half-minute of play.

 

Iowa State, in fact, dominated a good portion of the second half and was probably the only team that entire season to best Michigan State on the glass, outrebounding the Spartans 33-27. What really did the Cyclones in, however, were two primary factors, turnovers and a lack of depth. They had 19 giveaways to Michigan State's 8. And despite having an outstanding starting five, Iowa State only had two players come off the bench and contribute (Paul Shirley and Brandon Hawkins).

 

If any basketball game deserves to be compared to a heavyweight bout, than this is definitely one of those. Each team took turns delivering haymakers, with the Spartans sneaking in the final knockout blow.  

Who in the heck schedules a college basketball game at 7:30 on a Sunday night?

...it makes absolutely no sense to me. First of all, is it at all fair to the student/athletes who are participating in this MSU/Illinois game? The answer, of couse, is a resounding "no!"  But when has fairness, or even common sense, ever mattered to the NCAA or the networks who dictate when these games are played? I think you can figure out the answer to that question.

In other "strange but true" college sports scheduling stories, the Big Ten recently announced the 2015-2016 basketball schedule. Archrivals MSU and Michigan play one time instead of the usual two. Once again, where does common sense ever prevail in these decisions? I've heard that a computer...yes, a COMPUTER...creates these schedules. Okay, that's well and good. I'm sure that it's much easier and less time consuming to allow a computer to spit out a complete conference schedule in a fraction of the time it'd take a human or two to do it. But shouldn't a human "check the work" after the computer has finished its assignment? How is it possible, or even advisable, for the Big Ten to allow the Spartans and Wolverines to play just once due to the work of a computer? It'd be about as bad as a football season in which MSU and Michigan didn't play at all. (What is even worse for Michigan is that they not only play MSU only one time, but also only play Ohio State once. How does that make any sense, Big Ten Conference?).

What's particularly sad is that this is not the first time this has happened. In the 2003 and 2009 conference seasons, MSU and Michigan played only one time. With only eleven teams in the conference in those days, it was even less excusable. I understand that with 14 teams in the league now, it's inevitable that with an 18-game schedule there will be several teams that are only played once...but an archrival shouldn't be one of them. Perhaps it's time the Big Ten seriously consider expanding the conference slate and reducing the number of meaningless non-conference games.

***

Now back to the MSU/Illinois game. I fully expect the Spartans to play much better than they did the last time these teams played two weeks ago at Breslin. I'm not about to guarantee a Spartan win, but if they lose it won't be due to a lack of effort. It seems as if that debacle against Illinois turned on a light switch for this entire team, from the coaching staff on down to the last player on that bench, and they haven't looked back since.

Branden Dawson is playing with the intensity of a guy who has suddenly realized that his college career is about to end. I have never seen Dawson look better in his career than he has the last two weeks of this season. 

Ever since Tom Izzo began starting Lourawls Nairn, with Travis Trice coming off the bench, both players have been outstanding. Nairn is more confident than he was earlier in the year--and the speed, enthusiasm, energy, and great defense he brings can't be measured on the stat sheet. Trice looks more comfortable entering the game off the bench and his shooting stroke has reemerged after a mysterious absence.

Overall, the team looks poised for a strong finish to the regular season, in typical Tom Izzo style.

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.

Michigan State/Michigan: the rematch

Tonight is the basketball rematch between the Spartans and Michigan, as the two teams take the rivalry to Crisler Center.

 

Before the Big Ten season started, I predicted a split in the season series, and despite Michigan's injuries and MSU seemingly turning a corner after two consecutive wins, I'm sticking to that. I hope like hell I'm wrong, but I'm still not convinced that MSU has indeed elevated its game for the rest of the season.

 

If Michigan has any gas left in the tank, they'll use it tonight in front of what will probably be the last excited full house crowd they'll see all season.

 

Now, I've learned never to count out a Tom Izzo-coached team, so I'm not for one second suggesting that Michigan State has no shot in this game--far from it. This is still a team fighting for a spot in the NCAA tournament (Michigan is almost certainly eliminated from the Dance). I'm just not quite sold on them, so I'm grudgingly predicting a 66-64 Michigan win.

 

The game starts at 9:00 and likely won't end until 11:15ish. I need to get up for work at 5:30 AM. I know that no matter what the outcome, I'll be wired until at least 1 AM. For that reason, I'm considering ducking out tonight and catching the inevitable replay if the Spartans win.

 

I think I've discussed this wimpy plan in the past on this blog when it's come to other MSU/UM matchups. Anyone reading this is more than justified in calling me a wimp or an idiot. But I always envisioned this blog as being a portrait of the irrationality of sports fandom, or at least my sports fandom.

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.