Tuesday, November 6, 2012

MSU Basketball 2012-13 Preview


 14th sounds about right, doesn’t it?  Losing Draymond Green, Austin Thornton, and Brandon Wood, you had to figure MSU would fall from last year’s top-10 ranking.  Seems like the only squabbling with the initial rankings we can make is why Michigan and Ohio State are perceived to be so good (#5 and #4, respectively).  Personally, I’m happy with the initial polls.  MSU does its best work away from the limelight, so let the attention fall on IU, Michigan, and OSU.  MSU needs some time to grow and develop, to find its identity, and to let players find their roles.  Hopefully that will happen without much scrutiny to start year.

For me, the question about the MSU basketball team this year will be, “How good can they be?”  That’s a question that’s going to be impossible to answer these first few months.  This team will run 11 players out on the court, so the depth and talent is there, but how it will mesh, how the roles are defined, and most importantly, who becomes the vocal leader, will take time.  I would imagine there will be a lot of tinkering with line-ups to begin the year.  Already, in the two exhibition games, Izzo has tried out all sorts of combos, both in the frontcourt and backcourt.  I think the only thing for certain is that Appling, Harris, and Dawson are going to start the year.

I’m going to try my best to temper my expectations.  If this team comes together, with the talent it has, it could be a Final Four-caliber team.  On the other hand, if it doesn’t develop for one reason or another, it might flame out early in the tournament.  That’s the thing with young teams- you just never know what you’re going to get.

MSU 2012-2013 Roster















Derrick Nix- C (senior) 
Adreian Payne- C (junior)
Keith Appling- PG (junior)
Russell Byrd- SF (sophomore)
Brandan Kearney- G (sophomore)
Branden Dawson- SF (sophomore)
Alex Gauna- PF (sophomore)
Travis Trice- PG (sophomore)
Denzel Valentine- G (freshman)
Gary Harris- G (freshman)
Matt Costello- PF (freshman)

We only have three upperclassmen!  It’s crazy because some of these guys feel like they’ve been around for awhile.  Now while it’s a long shot this actually happens, if all we lose next year is Nix (and no early NBA departures), we’re bringing back quite an experienced team.  But that’s for next year.  Here’s how the starting line-up is projected to look, although I’m skeptical this is how it will look halfway into the season:

PG- Keith Appling
SG- Gary Harris
SF- Branden Dawson
PF- Adreian Payne
C- Derrick Nix

It’s hard for me to envision both Payne and Nix starting together.  I think we’ll see it to begin the season, but I like the idea of one subbing in for another throughout the course of a game.  What if they both get into foul trouble to start a game?  That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Gauna and Costello, something I’m not sure they’re ready to handle.  So we’ll see. 

What’s been great so far through practices and the first two exhibitions is that Gary Harris has grabbed that starting guard spot opposite of Appling.  Watching Gary in the first exhibition, he seems like an upgrade over Wood.  I don’t know if he has Thornton’s shooting stroke (not many do), but he’s an overall better player than both already.  Having Applying and Harris in the backcourt together makes one of the nation’s- yes, the nation’s- best defensive backcourts, period.  You throw in Branden Dawson’s tenacity on defense, the disruptiveness of Payne and Nix, and Izzo’s pension for running in transition, and you can begin to see this team’s potential.

Schedule
Here’s a look at the non-conference schedule:
 
-UConn (in Germany)
-Kansas (in Atlanta)
-@ Miami FL (ACC Challenge)
-Texas
 
Obviously the first two out of the gate are big.  MSU is definitely more talented than UConn, but these season opening games can be sloppy, so anything can happen, especially on a neutral court.  The Jayhawks are an even tougher test, but the fact that MSU has to play them on the Tuesday following their Friday game in Germany makes me extremely nervous.  I can very easily picture Kansas taking it to us in the second half of that game due to fatigue. 
 
I think we caught a break this year in the ACC Challenge, even though the game is on the road.  Miami is still in rebuilding mode, so hopefully that will be a nice road test, but a win.  The same can be said with Texas.  They are a young team in rebuild mode, so hopefully with the game at home we can sneak a quality win in before the Christmas break. 
 
Here’s a look at the Big Ten schedule:
 
-@Minnesota
-Purdue
-@Iowa
-Nebraska
-@Penn State
-Ohio State
-@Wisconsin
-@Indiana
-Illinois
-Minnesota
-@Purdue
-Michigan
-@Nebraska
-Indiana
-@Ohio State
-@Michigan
-Wisconsin
-Northwestern
 
It is imperative we get off to a good start in the B1G.  While Minnesota, Purdue, and Iowa aren’t cakewalks, they are must wins considering we have stretch of Ohio State, @Wisconsin, and @Indiana.  While that stretch seems rough, towards the end of the year it gets much worse: Indiana, @Ohio State, @Michigan, Wisconsin.  Eek.  Start off 5-0 or 4-1, and the split some of the games against the top foes, and MSU should be in good shape.

The Freshmen
What are we getting?  Gary Harris is a top-10 recruit who I have mentioned plenty about in the past.  Having him choose us over Purdue, Indiana, and Kentucky was absolutely huge.  He’s already established himself as a starter, and can do it on both ends of the court.  Gary will not be the flashiest guy on the court.  That’s not his style.  But the guy will quietly get 10-15 points a night, hit a couple threes, play lockdown defense, and most importantly, he won’t do many dumb things.  The kid just has a smart IQ for basketball.  He won’t force anything, and more often than not will make the right play.  For a freshmen, he’s ahead of his time.
 
Denzel Valentine, a local kids for Lansing-Eastern, is a legacy recruit.  He’s a do-it-all player, but he’s going to need some time to develop.  His jumpshot needs some work, and he needs to learn to play within himself.  While he sounds like a typical freshmen in that respect, he did earn some high praise from Izzo over the summer, as Izzo compared his game to Magic Johnson.  While Valentine will more than likely not become Magic, his passing is superb.  He’s a playmaker, and guys love playing with him.  Look for him to be one of those guys that gets better and better as the season progresses, stealing minutes away from Byrd and Kearney. 
 
Matt Costello.  I think he’s going to be my favorite.  He’s the Mr. Basketball winner for the state of Michigan, and he’s one tough dude.  He’s a physical player, and will fit right in with the MSU style of basketball.  He’s also got some range on his shot, and is not afraid to step out and hit a 15-foot jumper.  Like Valentine, he’s raw.  Learning Izzo’s system does not come overnight, and I’m guessing in the beginning Costello will make more than one defensive miscue (seems to happen with all MSU big men).  But over time, he’s going to be a very solid, tough player for State. 
 
Kenny Kaminiski is our fourth freshmen, but there’s not much point in discussing him this year.  He hurt his shoulder over the summer, and will more than likely be red-shirting this year. 

If you’d like more info on the freshmen, The Only Colors just did a piece on the new guys today, coincidentally. 

Prediction
Record: (22-8) (#5 Seed in the NCAA Tournament)
Losses: Kansas, Ohio State, @Wisconsin, @Indiana, @Purdue, Indiana, @Ohio State, @Michigan
Big Ten Record: 11-7 (4th Place)
Big Ten Tournament: 2nd Round Loss
NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16
 
Such a tough team to predict this year.  I want to believe they’ll do better, record-wise and in the tournaments, but it’s going to be so hard with a loaded B1G and such a young team.  What I think is going to hurt the most is the lack of a Draymond Green-type leader.  I think we can deal with the loss of his production, but when the times get tough, who is going to pull the team up?  Who is going to put the team on their back?  Appling?  Nix???  I think the lack of a crunch-time guy and a closer will be evident against the top competition, and eventually will hurt us in the end.  Last season I viewed this year as a growing year, and I don’t want to change my view based on high hopes. 
 
What I really want to see is growth from the start of the year to the end.  I don’t want to see a bunch of mental mistakes.  I want to see Appling hit 3s.  I want to see Byrd contribute.  I want to see Nix make lay-ups consistently.  I want Dawson to stay healthy and do Dawson-like things.  I want to see Harris emerge as a rock-solid starter.  I want our bench to be the best in the B1G.  I want Trice to be lethal from 3-point range.  I toughness and I want rebounding.  I want old-school MSU basketball. 
 
And no drama.  Please no drama.
 
~Mikey D

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Sunday, June 17, 2012

MSU Recruiting Nuggets

This blog is turning into nothing but MSU basketball.  I’m sure one day I’ll post something different.  One day.

So June 15th the new NCAA “rule” came into effect that allowed coaches unlimited phone calls and texts to recruits.  It was real interesting to see which coaches were calling which players, and the responses/reactions from the players.  Overall it was no big deal for a lot of the big-time recruits, but there was a lot of interesting information to come out in the past few days.  So here’s a recap:

Jabari Parker (Class of 2013, Power Forward)
Let’s start with the big fish; the #1 prospect in all the land.  It was tweeted by Jody Demling (a recruiting guru for the Indiana/Kentucky area) and many other sources that Jabari had changed his phone number prior to the June 15th unlimited calls and texts rule taking effect (the kid is smart, what can I say?).  While that in and of itself is not big news, Demling was told by Parker that only one coach had his new number, and that his hunch was that it was not Kentucky or Louisville.

This news is huge.  Parker has continually said he has no favorites at this time and he’s exploring all options.  While he may still be looking at schools, the news of only one coach having his number means he has a clear-cut favorite.  This would leave many to believe it’s either Izzo or Coach K, the two perceived favorites.  It was also reported last night that that Parker will make his decision in November, meaning that although he’s exploring a lot of schools, he’s not going to wait and take his time.  

If you listen to Parker interviews, you’ll hear all the big boy schools mentioned.  There is a lot of “political correctness” that goes along with these interviews.  He’s going to list the major players, while not delving too deep into his thought process in order to avoid an onslaught of media and fan attention.  That’s where reading between the lines, looking at who has an established relationship with Parker, who would his top choices be if he were to give out his phone number, makes sense.  MSU seems to be in very decent shape with Jabari.

Cliff Alexander (Class of 2014, Center/Power Forward)
Two weeks ago, everything was coming up green and white with Cliff.  MaxPreps did an interview with Cliff, and had this to say:

“As far as recruiting goes, Alexander's list started and stopped with one program – Michigan State. Expect the Spartans to be tough to beat as even a little prodding failed to get the Class of 2014 star to name another school.”

In the same article, a video of Alexander was featured, where Alexander once again professed his love for Izzo and the MSU program.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and news came out that John Calapari was set to be one of the first to contact Cliff on June 15th.  A day later, Cliff came out to say that he considered Kentucky his “dream school”.  Definitely not what MSU fans wanted to hear.

I honestly don’t know how much stock to put into the Kentucky comment just yet.  Even after the comment about Kentucky, many experts (and Kentucky messageboard posters) still think MSU is the favorite to land him.  Perhaps the Kentucky comment was taken out of context, I don’t know.  Perhaps Cliff is just playing the game, saying what any recruit would/should say.  This may be a case of “where there is smoke, there is fire”, or it could be much ado about nothing, and that Cliff is a true MSU lean, and will be in the green and white sooner rather than later. 

James Young (Class of 2013, Shooting Guard)
This kid has risen to #5 in the ESPN rankings, and has garnered a lot of attention this summer with his recent AAU play.  So much so that he has just earned a Kentucky offer.  James has publicly stated that he’d love to play for Coach Cal and Kentucky, and has put it on the record.  At the same time, he is from Troy, and has a large contingent of people that would love to see him at MSU.  The general feeling is that the battle for Young’s services are between MSU and Kentucky, and that Kentucky is going to be hard to beat.

I’m not sure how to feel about this one.  On the one hand, this is a dynamic scorer, who paired with the likes of Gary Harris, Branden Dawson, Keith Appling, and dare I say it- Jabari Parker- would make MSU an elite offensive club.  Losing out on a top-10 talent kid from our own backyard would be a very difficult and humbling loss. 

On the other hand, MSU has never been in love with Young, for whatever reason.  They’ve held back on offer until just this summer, despite him being a top-20 national talent for quite some time.  There have been questions about his academics and attitude, so maybe that has played a factor.  Maybe he just doesn’t fit the physical brand of MSU basketball.  If you are going to play as a Spartan, you better be able to defend and rebound, which are not Young’s strongest aspects (yet).  One thing I can’t shake from my head is a 6-point performance he had in a December high school game with Dane Fife in attendance.  It was an off night for sure, but at the same time, the #5 kid in the country should be able to get 10 points just at the free throw line in a high school game.  That’s the biggest red flag to me- is this kid mentally ready  for Izzo and MSU?  Scoring is great, but scoring on the AAU circuit (where defense is optional) is one thing, but in a system that emphasizes team basketball?  I worry.

Demetrius Jackson (Class of 2013, Point Guard)
This kid is getting tons of love.  He had a feature on the ESPN recruiting page the other day, with an interview by ESPN recruiting expert Dave Telep.  Right now Notre Dame (he lives right outside South Bend) and Illinois (they’ve made a serious push lately to get him) are the two perceived favorites.  He plans on visiting Illinois soon, but does still list MSU as one of the schools recruiting him the hardest.

The reason I bring him up is that if James Young goes with Big Blue, where would MSU turn next?  State has two scholarships available for 2013- one would go to Parker, and the other?  Again, the question is, do you go with Jackson, a point guard, and have a roster of Appling, Trice, and Jackson, and possibly risk losing out on Tyus Jones in 2014?  For what it’s worth, I think Jackson is a perfect fit for MSU- a strong, physical, and very intelligent point guard.  I honestly think he’s worth the gamble (yeah, a top-40 player is such a gamble, I know). 

But here’s where another name could emerge if Young goes to UK: Sterling Brown.  Brown you say?  That sounds familiar.  Yep, that’s Shannon’s little brother.  He plays on the same AAU team as Jabari Parker, and Izzo has gotten quite familiar with this game.  A shooting guard, he plays the same position as Young, and would be an obvious replacement if Izzo wanted another shooting guard.  Brown has played in some big time tournaments with some big time recruits, so the big stage will not phase him.  He’s not the athlete Shannon was or is, but he’s still a legit prospect.  If Izzo sees potential, trust in Izzo on this one.  Just another name to keep in mind.

***

There we go, so more updates.  I have a feeling we are going to hate Kentucky even more by the time next basketball season rolls around.

~Mikey D

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Recruiting Targets

College basketball recruiting is like following a drama on TV…there are so many twists and turns that it becomes almost impossible to predict “what happens next”.  In the sometimes shady world of basketball recruiting, you take every piece of news with a grain of salt.  It’s hard for me to get too excited on any of MSU’s possible recruits, but I will say this about Tom Izzo: Where there is smoke, there is fire (hmmm…bad choice of words, or are we past the Smoker/Rogers days?).  I believe that MSU is serious players with all of the kids he is targeting.  Izzo has rededicated himself to recruiting the past couple of years and has invested a lot of time and energy into recruiting the nation’s best, and in the next few years, we will see how much it pays off.

So who are we looking at?  I’m compiling a list of MSU recruits, in order of how likely I think they end up at MSU.

1) Trevor Manuel (Class of 2015, Power Forward)
Yep, a high school freshman tops my list.  ESPN just released its initial 2015 rankings, and Manuel came in as the #24 prospect in the country.  Not too shabby.  The kid is 6’9” and a slim 210, so there is definite growth to be made, both physically and in his game.  But Izzo has recognized his talent, and extended him an early offer to play basketball at MSU (rumor has it Louisville and Kentucky may not be far behind). 

So why am I so confident Manuel ends up a Spartan?  Well, for one Izzo has an established relationship with the kid, as he plays for Lansing-Sexton, right down the road from MSU.  Not to mention he is a teammate of incoming recruit Denzel Valentine, who’s dad (Carlton Valentine) is a former Spartan and the head coach of Lansing-Sexton.  I would be absolutely shocked if this kid was wearing anything else but the green and white with the amount of connections to MSU that already exist. 

2) Cliff Alexander (Class of 2014, Center/Power Forward)
Part of Izzo’s increased efforts in recruiting has been centered on the Chicago area, where top recruits like Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, and Cliff Alexander make their home.  Cliff is a bad man at 6’9” and 240 pounds.  He is a raw player, but a force.  He is a rebounder and shot blocker with a developing offensive game, and he plays the game hard.  He is a dunk machine (as most big men are at the high school level), and his dunks are of the ferocious kind.  Take a look at one in his latest AAU tournament that stopped a game:

His rapid improvement this past year and on the AAU circuit has vaulted his overall prospect ranking to #10 overall in the class of 2014.  He has commented publicly about his like for Michigan State, and his adoration of Tom Izzo.

Izzo has been on Alexander early, and has made him one of his top priorities for 2014.  It will be interesting to see if the relationship Izzo and Alexander formed translates into an early commit by the rising big man. 

3) Tyus Jones (Class of 2014, Point Guard)
You want to talk about a kid that the scouts (and college coaches) have fallen in love with, Tyus Jones is it.  People have already anointed him the best point guard in high school, regardless of class.  His game has brought along comparisons to that of Chris Paul, which is pretty hefty praise.  As it stands now, Jones is the #3 overall player in the class of 2014 rankings on ESPN.  Across recruiting sites, he is a unanimous top-5 overall and 5-star talent.

I really hesitated putting Jones this high, but I decided to put my faith in Izzo on this one.  This past MSU basketball season, during a small break in MSU’s schedule, Izzo took his entire family to Minnesota to sit courtside at one of Jones’s games.  That just doesn’t happen too often, and it tells you how serious Izzo is about this kid.  Jones returned the favor by showing up at one of MSU’s games this past season as well (and one when MSU was at Minnesota).

MSU isn’t alone in recruiting Jones (obviously).  There is hometown Minnesota, Duke, and Ohio State, as well as many more to come as the offers continue to pour in.  Besides the attention Izzo is giving Jones, the move makes sense on the basketball side of things for both parties.  Keith Appling will have graduated, leaving a senior Trice, with Valentine and Kearney as the other possible ball handlers.  Jones would be able to make his mark immediately and take over point guard duties.   And depending on who joins the 2013 and 2014 classes, he could have a lot of talent surrounding him. 

What’s going against us?  Well, Jones has made it known he wants to play with high school friend and elite recruit Jahlil Okafor.  While MSU is on Okafor, if Alexander commits, how much would that deter Okafor from joining MSU since they play the same position?  Okafor is also high on Ohio State, which is also a school at the top of Jones’s list (and one he has visited).  This could turn into a Big Ten recruiting battle with the Buckeyes, with Duke in the mix as well.  A possible sign of the state of Jones’s recruitment could be 2013 point guard Demetrius Jackson.  If he signs with MSU, there could be a logjam at the point guard position that Jones may not want a part of.  Jones recruitment is definitely going to be an interesting one to follow, that’s for certain.

4) Jabari Parker (Class of 2013, Power Forward)
I don’t need to say much about Parker.  He’s an SI cover boy now, and the consensus number one player in the country.  All of the major players are in on him.  Normally- against Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina- I wouldn’t give MSU much of a shot.  But this just feels different, partly because Jabari is a different kind of cat. 

We can surmise the reasons why he’d choose any of the aforementioned schools, but here’s the case for MSU.  First, Jabari has made it known he wants to win a national championship during his one year in college.  MSU in 2013 will have a starting four of: Senior PG Appling, Sophomore SG Harris, Junior SF Dawson, and Senior C Adrien Payne.  What’s missing?  A power forward; a Jabari Parker.  Couple that with a bench that is just going to be loaded: Trice, Valentine, Kearney, Costello, Kaminski, Byrd, Gauna.  The talent is going to be there. 

Second, and I know this seems repetitive, but the relationship is there between MSU and Parker.  Izzo has been at every one of his games this summer, and it even prompted Jabari’s AAU coach to give out high praise for Izzo and MSU, calling the program a “class act”.  MSU would also provide Jabari a chance to play close to home, near his father, who does not prefer to fly.  That might sound like a silly reason to choose a school, but if Jabari is only going to play one year of college basketball, he may want his family to be able to see him as much as possible before he becomes a jet-setting NBA player. 

Finally, Jabari has stated that he wants to make a fall decision.  This is important.  While publicly he has stated that every school has a chance to get him, I’m not naïve to think that he hasn’t created a  list of top choices in his head.  Privately, I think Jabari has a top choice, and that he’s just putting on the public face during interviews (a la Gary Harris).  By announcing in the fall, it’s going to give other schools less time to pursue him (cough cough, Kentucky).  The fact that Duke and MSU have been on Jabari the longest I think bodes well for us. 

If Jabari commits to MSU (a big if), it could change the landscape and perception of MSU recruiting for the foreseeable future, and many more top targets in 2014 and 2015 may pledge their allegiance to the green and white.

5)  Demetrius Jackson (Class of 2013, Point Guard)
I was going back and forth on who to add here, but I really think MSU ends up with one or both of Jackson and Jones.  Last summer there was a lot of talk of MSU taking a point guard from the loaded 2013 point guard class that included Derrick Walton and Monte Morris.  Walton showed interest in MSU, but when MSU didn’t offer, he jumped on a Michigan offer.  MSU has since played the waiting game on point guards, focusing their attention on other big fish, while Jackson has continued to rise up recruiting boards.  In the latest ESPN rankings, Jackson checked in at #31 overall- ahead of both Walton and Morris. 

There’s no denying that Jackson would seriously upgrade MSU’s backcourt.  He’s an explosive and physical player, and would fit MSU’s system nicely.  The question raised is how it would affect the Tyus Jones recruitment.  My personal opinion is that MSU will hold off on Jackson until they can gather more information on Jones, as well as see how the Parker and James Young recruitments have progressed.  If Jackson waits to make a decision (he’s receiving very strong interest from Notre Dame, as well as Illinois), MSU could make a real serious push.

The Rest:
6) James Young (Class of 2013, Shooting Guard)- He’s from the state of Michigan and the #5 overall player in the class of 2013, but has professed his love for Kentucky.  MSU, at this point, appears to be the fall back school for Young.  MSU is still recruiting him hard, and would love a Parker-Young class for 2013.  He has a lot of people in his camp that want him to be at MSU, so it’ll be interesting to see if the interest in Kentucky is mutual.
7) Jahlil Okafor (Class of 2014, Power Forward)- Tyus Jones’s buddy, the big man is already drawing comparisons to Jared Sullinger.  Like Jones, he has stated that he wants to play with Tyus in college.  Ohio State seems like a natural fit for Okafor, considering their big man lineage, with Sullinger and Oden.  Of course there are plenty of other blue bloods in on him, so his recruitment may take awhile.  For me, I just can’t remember a player like him playing for State.  I want him here, I just don’t know if it’ll happen.  MSU is pursuing him though.  Here’s Draymond doing his part, with Jahlil on the left: 
8) Drake Harris (Class of 2014, Shooting Guard)-  Harris was considered one of the elite prospects in the class of 2014 initially, but his stock has dropped due to his consideration of playing football.  He’s a top-100 football prospect at wide receiver, and holds an offer from Michigan to play football.  Basically, it’s coming down to whether he sees a future in football or basketball.  Looking in from the outside, with his rise in football rankings and drop in basketball, I think he’s leaning the football route.  But if he decides basketball, MSU will be the spot, as he is a life-long State basketball fan.
9) JaQuan Lyle (Class of 2014, Point Guard)-  Lyle actually visited MSU’s midnight madness last fall, and has definite interest in the MSU program.  He’s a kid out of Indiana, and came in at #9 in ESPN’s overall rankings for the class of 2014.  There’s some debate about whether he will be a shooting guard or point guard because of his height, and there are some maturity issues with him as well, but MSU is definitely on his list of schools.  What I struggle with is knowing exactly how he fits on the priority list of MSU.  He’s an obvious talent, but how do you prioritize Jones, Jackson, and now Lyle?
10) Karl Towns (Class of 2015, Center)- The number one overall prospect in the class of 2015 is another Jabari Parker-type player.  A different mold than the typical recruit, he is a family-first, down to earth kid.  He’s listed MSU as one of his early favorites, as he has expressed a desire to stay close to home.  His dad likes Izzo, as Izzo has gone out to New Jersey to watch Towns play already.  The downside?  Kentucky is on him big time.  Coach Cal will be coaching the Dominican national team soon, and guess who is going to be on that squad?  Yep, Karl Towns.  That relationship and early bonding could be fruitful for Kentucky, who have landed other star centers, like Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel. 

~Mikey D

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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Putting Thursday in Perspective

One of the most difficult things about filling out a tournament bracket is getting past the little numbers next to each team’s name. The seeding, especially in this day and age, can be very misleading. We want to buy into the selection committee’s rankings (after all, they’re the supposed experts), and we end up accepting the seedings as absolutes, thinking that one team is definitively better than the other. The seedings are, obviously, an imperfect ranking system, with little bearing on any outcomes of the games. Michigan State was a #1 seed, and Louisville was a #4. In reality, there’s little difference between MSU and Louisville- at least not to the discrepancy where every single writer and analyst picked MSU to beat the Cardinals. If MSU were to play Louisville ten times, they would probably split the matchups five and five, with one team maybe winning six. Louisville would win their games by hitting 3’s, turning us over, and playing solid defense (a la Thursday night). We would win by taking care of the ball, scoring in transition, and establishing our bigs down low. The point is, it was easy to assume that MSU should have won last because of a ranking, or because of prior results during the season, but that is imprudent.

What MSU ran up against was a very tenacious and athletic team. For all the heralding the Big Ten gets, it is not the most athletic conference. Teams just don’t have the athletes that some of these other conferences do. As we’ve seen time and time again, when MSU has to play an athletic team (Duke, Kentucky, UNC, and Memphis a couple years ago), it becomes a little shell-shocked because it’s not used to playing that type of competition on a consistent basis. Now Louisville doesn’t score like those teams, but they are the converse defensively. MSU has not seen an athletic defense like that in the Big Ten, which made it very difficult to prepare for.

Look, Thursday’s loss was tremendously disappointing. I don’t feel like we lost to a better team, but I don’t feel like we lost to a team that was worse than us either. Because of that, I’m not taking the loss too hard. After Thursday’s game I told my fiancée that I had this ineffable feeling about MSU and the tournament. There was something about the team that just didn’t have me confident, especially after the first game against LIU. It had nothing to do with their play, but deep down, I had a feeling State’s run would end a little like last night. I definitely wasn’t hoping it, but it was a feeling I couldn’t shake. It was the opposite of how I felt in 2009, when you could see MSU rolling through their side of the bracket on their way to Detroit. It felt like destiny then, whereas this year…again, it’s ineffable.

If I tried to explain the feeling though, it would be that even though we were a #1 seed, our team didn’t feel #1 caliber, and it got us believing (falsely) that the team was elite when it wasn’t. It’s the hard truth that we were the weakest of the #1s (no way were we the caliber of squad of a Kentucky or North Carolina). That’s why it’s really disappointing to hear some people say that we underachieved for the season. This season was a blessing (especially after last year) and Izzo got the very best out of this squad. In sports you hear the phrase, “we didn’t play to our potential” at the end of seasons, but in this case, with this team, it played to its max potential. And as fans, we got to enjoy every last minute of it.

Go back to the beginning of the year and think about all the question marks this team had. We had to reshape our entire backcourt after the departures of Lucas, Summers, Kebler, and Lucious. We had to rely on the development of Nix and Payne, as Roe and Sherman were no longer there for depth. We were desperate enough to take in a transfer to give us some much needed depth, something Izzo never does. On top of that, we needed our freshmen to step in and immediately contribute. There’s a reason this team was unranked to start the season, and it’s not surprising why.

Now fast forward to the end. We are in the Sweet Sixteen as a number one seed, starting three bench players off last year’s squad (Green, Appling, and Payne), a transfer (Wood) who was our sixth man for most of the year, and a former walk-on (Thornton). All the while our stud freshman (Dawson) is out for the year, and Trice and Kearney- our other freshmen- are hobbled with ankle and knee injuries respectively. I dare you to find me another squad, EVER, with that roster make-up who would be able to win the Big Ten, the Big Ten Tournament, snag a number one seed in the tournament, and still be Final Four favorites. I’ll save you the time- you can’t.

The truth is, as expectations got higher, they also got unrealistic. We were able to band together after the Dawson injury and win the Big Ten Tournament. In hindsight, it’s where our team peaked, sans-Dawson. We deserved our one seed based on what we accomplished, but when you peak, you only have one way to go, and that’s down. And the writing was on the wall, too- Inconsistent guard play, too much reliance on one player, and most prophetically, a lack of rebounding prowess. When you have a team that has a ceiling talent-wise, it’s very difficult to make a long run in a tournament designed for showcasing the best talent.

So let the loss on Thursday night sting for a little bit, but don’t let it cloud what this season truly was- a remarkable success. Be proud that you are a Spartan and got to be a fan of this team. In many ways, this season was just as satisfying, (at least for me) as a Final Four run. No, we don’t get to hang a banner with New Orleans written on it, but we did just get five months of memorable basketball (remember when we beat Bo three times? Yeah, that was awesome.), and I’m not going to let one loss take away from that.

Go green.

comments (5)

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Wall 2012- Update 2

Thank the Lego ball for that one. That was a really rough one to watch, and with 4 minutes left I was nervous. We had the refs against us, Saint Louis was scoring at will, and our composure seemed lost. But Draymond Green...just thank god we have Draymond Green. He saved us.

This win might actually be a blessing. I know the OSU game was close, but the team had been playing very well of late, and hadn't had a nail biter where it didn't have its A-game. Consider this a reality check, and an ego check.

That said, onto Phoenix for Thursday night. Let's go green, beat those Cardinals!







~Mikey D

comments (1)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Wall 2012- Update 1

I apologize for the low quality "defeated" sticky note on top of LIU-B. It was hard to find a good logo for them. Perhaps it was a bit symbolic of the win last night, though. It definitely wasn't our best game, but we got through it and it's on to the next one. St. Louis is going to be a tough matchup (I actually peferred the Memphis matchup), and I think this is going to be a close game throughout. Let's pull it out tomorrow and head to that Sweet Sixteen.

And please, less fouling. Sheesh.





~Mikey D

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Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Wall 2012

What a fantastic day, especially after last week's brutal loss. It seems that this team CAN play without Dawson, and play pretty well. It was nice to see guys like Trice and Wood really step their games up in the B1G Tourney. I'm very curious to see if Michigan State can play as well as they did against some of the taller, more athletic teams in the nation (the Kentuckys of the world). We shall see...but for now...

WE ARE THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONS & THE WEST REGION'S #1 SEED!!! GO GREEN!



Now onto the tournament. Long Island University-Brooklyn is up first. Keep the momentum going. Let's do this!!!



~Mikey D

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