Mikey D

You know, it's very hard to find a decent preview of Saturday's game. There's just a lot of fluff from all the talking heads on ESPN and my desire for something more is always left unfilled. While it's great to hear what Dick Vitale thinks as he says, "Let me tell you how this game will be decided...", one quick glance at Dick's bracket tells me he knows as much about how this game will be decided as I do.

Anyway, I've found a decent article with some decent information. No predictions or anything like that, just some key points to Saturday's game to be on the lookout for. It's a good read.

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1047

~Mikey D

-Well, his name is brought up every year when it comes to coaching vacancies. This year’s first rumor (and probably not the last) is that Oregon is preparing to offer Izzo the largest contract in college basketball amongst coaches. Izzo an Oregon Duck? Considering he has no ties whatsoever to the school, would be moving cross country away from his home state, and would be leaving an elite program for a mediocre one, I’d say his chances of leaving Michigan State are zilch. He’d have to be a complete sell out to do so, and he’s not.

-The Big Ten Network had the MSU/UConn game from last year on last night (Yes, Durrell Summers’ dunk is still awesome). What’s interesting to me is that we won that game with very little contribution from Walton, Suton, and our other senior bigs. It was Lucas, Green, Morgan, Allen, and Summers that really came up with the big buckets, basically the main contributors from this year’s team, and the same guys (sans Lucas) who are making this tournament run. So while we are all surprised at MSU’s run and how well some of these guys are (finally) playing, they did show this ability a year ago.

-Another interesting observation from that UConn game is that we almost pulled a Maryland in that one. Our ball handling and decision making was atrocious towards the end, and UConn actually got the game within five before we got a run-out on the press for a layup. So maybe we were a little hard on Lucious, Morgan, and Green as they “choked” versus the Maryland press, because Lucas, Walton, and Suton (a better ball handling group) had their fair share of troubles, too. We, as a team, just suck against the press.

-Adam touched on this next point in his blog, and I just wanted to expand on it. Adam said, “I used to think, how good could we have finished if Kalin Lucas didn't get injured against Maryland…Now I wonder, would they be this far if it weren't for Kalin Lucas' injury?” I was thinking about this last night. Where has the drop-off been? We are scoring about the same, and as far as turnovers are concerned, we’ve only given up 9, 18, 11, 10- which is a tremendous improvement. Looking deeper, Lucious has only turned the ball over nine times in four games. Do you remember when Lucas turned the ball over 8 times in one game earlier this year??? And if you think nine turnovers is still too high, consider that Raymar has turned it over fourteen times in four games- and he’s not even the primary ball handler (by the way, that’s about 30% of our total team turnovers…that’s disturbing, Raymar)! Everyone keeps expecting the wheels to fall off this run we’re having because they think the loss of Lucas will eventually catch up with us, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Lucious has proven he can fill the shoes of a starting point guard and facilitate the offense. We’re not asking him to take or make the shots Kalin Lucas used to (although a couple game winners is starting to make me think otherwise), we’re asking him to run the sets Tom Izzo has designed to make our offense go. Korie can do that, and THAT is more of the reason for our success than anything and why the loss of Lucas hasn’t been felt yet.

-And yes, Durrell shooting lights out helps. But he hasn’t really “picked up the slack” since the Lucas injury (I’ve heard that a lot lately). Remember, his shots were falling in the New Mexico State game, as well as that first half against Maryland- when Lucas was playing. He’s contributing the same regardless of the point guard, which is a testament to Korie and Izzo for being able to run the right plays to get Durrell open, and to Durrell for being able to knock down those open shots.

-Who’s your Spartan? Mine is Delvon Roe. He’s one of those guys that gets it and leaves it all out on the floor. I love those players. He could easily take the rest of the year off and have his surgery. He could easily bitch and moan about how he was a top-recruit and how his knee injury has made him less than an elite talent. The guy is just selfless and team first, and I know we’ve all heard and read comments about how he’s a “warrior”, but it’s true, he is. And he’s been an invaluable piece to our puzzle during this run. Two more games, Delvon…

-Fuck Tennessee. I hate playing teams like them. The cockiness and swagger just bother the hell out of me. The salutes to the crowd, the screaming in an opponent’s face…it’s just unnecessary. I’m proud of our guys for keeping their poise and not involving themselves in all the extra theatre. That was a damn good team that was playing at a ridiculously high level, and we managed to come out on top.

-And fuck all the analysts for picking Tennessee. Not a single one on CBS or ESPN threw MSU a bone. To hear Digger Phelps say that the difference in the game would be on the boards, and how Tennessee had a 100-40 advantage on the glass (or something close to that) the first three games of the tournament, and how they’d continue to pound the boards against MSU because we don’t have the stereotypical big guys is just blatant ignorance. Seriously. Who is the number one rebounding team in the nation??? Yeah, not Tennessee. Michigan State. If there was one area I was not worried that Tennessee would dominate, it was rebounding (35-32 in favor of State). Come on, it’s what we do!!! Stop being stupid! What Tennessee did against San Diego State or Ohio rebounding has no bearing against the number one rebounding team in the nation. Sheesh!

-I’m not done ranting. To me, the game was an even matchup (and it showed on the court). Tennessee has the athletes to hang with anyone, so I knew the game would be close. Of course I’m biased, and I thought MSU would ultimately prevail. But if I were an analyst, and I felt the game was going to be close…why the hell would I pick against MSU? Tom Izzo: 5-1 in regional finals. Bruce Pearl: first ever Elite Eight. Our team had been there before, there team has never played a fourth game in any tournament. Tom Izzo is a frickin’ genious at getting his teams prepared for the 2nd game of the weekend. Come on now, you still going to pick against Izzo’s crew? It’s because of the Lucas injury, isn’t it? We are fine without him I tell you!

-I like the Butler matchup. Vegas has us as 1 ½ point underdogs, which is probably right considering Butler’s current winning streak and the fact they are playing in their own backyard essentially. I know all week we are going to hear about Butler’s tenacious defense and how they like to grind games out…well great! That’s how I want the game to go!!! The teams that give Michigan State the most trouble are the teams like North Carolina, Texas, and Kentucky- the teams that just have ridiculous athletes all over the floor and make the game into a track meet. When the game gets sped up too much for us, we struggle. When the game is slow and we run our sets, we excel. It’s that simple. I think another close game is in store, very similar to the Northern Iowa game. The final should be in the 50’s, and within five points either way. I still give the edge to State because of Izzo and the fact we’ve been there before. We can play Butler’s way…and win. We’ve done it before. It’s called Big Ten basketball.

-Everytime I think about it, I just shake my head in disbelief and smile…WE’RE IN THE FINAL FOUR, BABY!!!

~Mikey D

57 teams have lost a game. 8 remain...and our Spartans are one of them. Who could have guessed this??? One more until Indy...it's so close!

~Mikey D

Although I think Northern Iowa should be favored by Vegas and the experts, just remember this is the same team that needed a clutch three at the end of regulation to beat UNLV, the 8 seed. It's March and anything can happen...besides, I kind of like this underdog role we're in.

Survive and advance, that's all that matters. I want this next one bad...or I can't show up to school on Monday.

~Mikey D

"SPARTANS! PREPARE FOR GLORY!!!"

I'm ready to go! Let's get past the New Mexico State Angry Burt Reynolds and be on our way! Indy or bust, baby!



~Mikey D

13 straight NCAA appearances.
5 Final Fours.
1 National Championship.

There's no denying Tom Izzo's tournament success, but I read something today that caught my eye. In eight of the last nine years, Michigan State has been seeded fifth or worse. Eight out of nine years. Fifth or worse. Remarkable.

Admittedly I have been blinded by the tournament resume to have noticed this statistic, but it does beg the question: Is Izzo overrated as a coach?

Yes, he's absolutely fantastic when it counts (and perhaps that's all that matters), but his seeding over the last nine years proves that, despite some enormous talents, his teams have been somewhat of a letdown or disappointment.

Hey, I love Izzo. I wouldn't want any other coach at Michigan State. But he talks about Michigan State reaching elite program status constantly...well if you want to be elite, you better be consistently good- which means five or better with the seeding a majority of the years.

~Mikey D

Before you pick your bracket this year, here are some thoughts that I wrote down after last year's NCAA tournament (yes, I save my thoughts and brackets every year...nerd alert!).

1. Tournament experience matters.
In the 2008 tournament, North Carolina, Louisville, Kansas, Xavier, Michigan State, Tennessee, Villanova, Wisconsin, Memphis, Texas, UCLA, Western Kentucky, and West Virginia all reached the sweet sixteen, and in 2009 all returned to the NCAA tournament. Of those thirteen teams, eleven won their opening game (85%). And of those remaining eleven, seven made it to the sweet sixteen. Basically half the field repeated as sweet 16 participants! And as you know, the Final Four was made up of three out of those teams.

Teams that fit this year: Louisville, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Xavier Villanova, Duke, Gonzaga, Syracure

2. None of last year's Final Four teams were conference tournament winners.
The selection committee might put an emphasis on conference tournament performances (where's our fruit basket, Minnesota?), but they are not a good indicator of future success in the Big Dance. And although in 2008 conference tourny winners had more success, the point is to not get too wrapped up with who won what. Here's a list of last year's major conference tournament winners and their tournament finish:
-Big East: Louisville (Elite Eight)
-Big Ten: Purdue (Sweet Sixteen)
-Big 12: Missouri (Elite Eight)
-Pac 10: USC (2nd Round)
-ACC: Duke (Sweet 16)
-SEC Mississippi St. (1st Round)

3. Make sure your Final Four pick has a lightning quick guard.
What do Kalin Lucas, Ty Lawson, Scottie Reynolds, and AJ Price/Kemba Walker all have in common? Three things: They are super-quick guards, they can penetrate a defense, and all four led their team to a Final Four last year. Coincidence? I don't think so...

4. Don't get too crazy.
When picking the perfect bracket, it's hard to keep the thoughts of George Mason from creeping in as we push some unknown 13-seed to the Elite Eight. But do your best to supress your urges to send Cinderella anywhere but packing, as the last two years have been mostly chalk. Of the sixteen Elite Eight teams the past two years, 15 out of the 16 have been a three seed or better (Davidson, a ten, was the only non-conformist). So when you look at your final bracket, and it looks a little boring, that's okay.

5. Do not pick "cold" teams.
This may go without saying, but the selection committee goes off an entire season of work, and teams get seeded based off that body of work. Don't get too caught up in the seeds of the middle of the pack teams. But pay attention to the teams that stumbled towards the finish line...they are prime for an upset. Last year's victims were Wake Forest, West Virginia, BYU, and Clemson.

~Mikey D

We've all heard the rumor, and most people tend to be against it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", right? And to be honest, I've yet to hear much of a case for expansion- until now. From Tom Izzo.

Izzo is one of the first people that actually has come out and been for expansion with some pretty legitimate reasons for it, other than money. Here are Izzos three main reasons for expansion:

1. More quality teams around the country.
“I think there are better teams across the country. I think people have put more into basketball. I think there are a lot of good teams."..."But are there more better teams today than there were 15 years ago? To me, a lot more."

2. Coaching.
“Number two, I think people are judged, hired and fired accordingly, which I don’t think is fair. So, from a coaching perspective, I struggle with that. With football, there’s such a larger number, the percent that get a chance to play in a bowl game and usually that saves jobs, unfortunately."

3. Scheduling.
“Number three is my biggest one and that’s that I believe we would all schedule better if you didn’t have to get to this magical number, which now is getting up to 21 or 22 wins. That does not leave a lot for margin of error. When you add two more games like in our league, the Big Ten schedule, its tough enough. I like to play a lot of tough preseason games and sometimes it’s almost hurt us. I see some teams in our league, even this year, schedule a lot tougher and it might hurt them."

***
Izzo also had these final thoughts as well:

“I do not know the TV reasons, financial reasons. I’ve not dealt with any of that to know whether that would be a positive or negative. I’m just strictly going on those three criteria.

I’m not sure it has to be 96 (teams). One time, I heard 68 or 69 too and I don’t think it should be that. I think it should be a significant amount higher, but 96 might be too many. Finding the right number in there I don’t have the answer for."

***

What do you think? I am still in the camp that is against expansion, but the quality of basketball has definitely risen in the past decade or so. Look how far some of the smaller conferences have come in recent year, like the MVC and MWC. The teams from these conferences are no longer getting one bid (the automatic), they are receiving multiple at-large bids- which means more teams from the major conferences are being left out.

On the other hand, by not expanding the quality of basketball is at its highest its ever been. With so many good teams across the nation, only the cream of the crop make it. This makes for good basketball from the beginning till the end. And ultimately, isn't that what we really want?

Not to mention the prestige that comes along with making the NCAA tournament. Izzo's streak of consecutive tourny appearances will be cheapened because of the amount of teams that would end up making the tournament. I mean, how many times do we moan and groan when one of those sub-.500 teams makes the tournament that doesn't belong? I think I would be ten times more pissed to have to see multiple teams like UConn and Minnesota make the tournament; teams that can barely get over the .500 mark.

I respect Izzo's opinions, but I don't want to see the tournament expanded- for now at least.

~Mikey D

~I really don't like Matthew McConaughey. I don't know him as a person, but there's something about him that bugs me. I saw him on Leno asking Favre questions, and it got me thinking: Have I ever even watched a movie with McConaughey in it? So I went on IMDb and found out that McConaughey has acted in about forty movies. Of those forty, I have seen two- "Angels in the Outfield" and "How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days". He had such a minor role in "Angels" that I didn't even remember he was in it, but I do remember that I hated him in "How to Lose..." and have not seen one of his movies since. That's 7 years and counting.

~I'm not too concerned with MSU's seeding this year. We will be a five-or-better seed somewhere, which is good enough in my opinion. The difference between a two and a five (or in some cases, a one and a five) this year is minimal. Everyone's got a shot. If we play a one in Kansas State or a three in West Virginia in the third round, our chances are the same. The only thing I don't want is to be placed in the same draw as Kansas or Syracuse. Those two teams, to me, are dynamite.

~Grace and I saw Copeland play on Thursday night. This is the fifth time I have seen them live, but this will be the last. The band is breaking up after their current farewell tour. It's sad because I put them in my top-3 all-time favorite groups and knowing that I will never be able to see them again really sucks. It was a good show though, and they had some solid opening groups for them, too. "I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business" were one of those groups, and they were great. Still, it was Copeland's night, and they brought it as always. Great time...I'll miss them.

~On a related note, I feel ridiculously old now. My legs were killing me after the show from standing for so long. Grace and I have both been exhausted the last couple of concerts we've been to. Bleah.

~With our tax refund money in our pockets, Grace and I have been deciding what to do with it. We have two major indoor projects that we want/need to tackle: the kitchen and the bathroom. They are vital to us for our resale (yes, we just bought the house, but this not being our "settling down" home we think about stuff like that). But in the end, we decided to go a different route- the outside of the house. We live in a neighborhood that was built in the 70's, and because of that all the homes in the neighborhood are kind of, um, drab. Browns, and tans, and just...plain and boring. The curb appeal is definitely lacking. So we've decided to fix what we can to make it our outside a little more inviting. We're starting with a new door (30% tax credit- we're taking advantage of that), a garden, and perhaps a new patio set or walkway. We'll focus on the outside and work our way in.

~State testing in Maryland begins Monday. I've been so nervous and stressed the past couple of weeks. Yesterday I just laid on my couch thinking for a good hour. What could I have done differently to prepare the kids? Is this kid going to make the same mistakes they made all year? Is this kid going to try? What if they all bomb the test, how will that make me look? What if our school doesn't make AYP? I care a lot, and I just want everyone to do their best on it. I just hope their best is good enough.

~Family update: My mom and Andy are doing well in Michigan. My mom has been on medical leave from work after having surgery on her knee, but she should be back soon. Andy is getting ready for his SATs and ACTs and has been dating his girlfriend for almost a year now. Lesley has her first boyfriend, and he's from China. Lesley has saved up almost a grand of money (impressive for a college freshmen) and this spring break is planning on visiting China with him for a couple of weeks. Colin is thinking about leaving his job and going to the London School of Fashion, but the first step is applying. This is something he seems serious about though, and he's preparing the application. My dad is thinking about moving from his current apartment (noisy neighbors) and perhaps to Annapolis (and in with Colin, but that depends on Colin's future). I think he's going to be looking for his own place in a couple of years.

~The Lions have been aggressive in the free agent market thus far, but is it a little too aggressive? I like the signing of Vanden Bosh (any defensive signing is good in my book), and when you pair him with Williams, we have a couple of solid DE's. Throw in the fact that we will more than likely end up with one of the top defensive tackles with our number two pick, and we have the makings of a quality defensive front. I do wish that Cromartie rumor came to fruition (Cromartie for a 4th rounder and Maurice Morris), but the Jets put together a better deal. We do need to address the secondary still...which makes the Nate Burlesson move so questionable. Why so much money for, at best, a number three receiver/return man (that's what he is, lets be real)? And he's not getting any younger (faster)! I don't know...is it an upgrade? Sure. But five million a year worth of upgrade? Probably not.

~I have no problem with Pittsburgh fans giving Ryan Miller a louder cheer than Sidney Crosby. Was it surprising? Yeah, a little, but no too much. Americans will always root for country over team. And when a guy helped you to a gold medal game, he's going to get a rousing ovation. If Tyler Hansborough hit a game winning shot to win a gold medal for us in the Olympics, the next time he was in Detroit and was introduced I'd clap for him. Now the minute he started playing I'd curse him up and down...

~I do have a problem with Ottawa. During their playing of the American national anthem a week ago they showed Sidney Crosby's game winning goal over and over until our anthem had finished. The Senators said it was a mistake, a technical glitch or something, but what it really it was just bullshit. Congrats on your win Canada, you totally deserved it and it obviously means a lot to you, but show some class. Seriously.

~Raymar's last home game tomorrow. I'm not sure how I'll feel as he leaves the floor, but I doubt it will be anything like last year when Suton, Walton, Gray, and Ibok left. What a disappointing collegiate career...is that weird to say of a guy who's scored 1500 points and grabbed 700 rebounds?

~Last but not least...I hope there's nothing wrong with Stuckey. That was scary to see. Get well, fella.

~Mikey D