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By Nate, February 17, 2010 12:29 pm

Item! After a 3 game skid the Spartans have righted the ship against PSU and IU on the road. Now, I know that PSU and IU are bad teams but winning conference road games is never easy no matter who you are playing. So, I’ll take the wins as a good sign. And as Kalin’s ankle gets healthier, Summers starts to play more defense and Raymar plays through his early-game stumbles this team will get better. The Spartans are not a great team – yet – but who is so far this season? Even Kansas has shown some chinks in their armor and it’s setting up to be an interesting March. For MSU the next test is a big one as the Buckeye$ roll into town on Sunday the 21st. Stay tuned for my analysis of this game…

Item! Snow is all the rage these days and is fast becoming a political tool – I of course have known the political applications of snow ever since I whitewashed those two Romney Petition Canvassers who knocked on my door one dreary February day.

Item! It seems that Kentucky knows no sense of decency. After Calipari and his hired guns stole one from Mississippi State the locals took exception and kindly offered “Coach” Cal and his troops some post-game refreshments. I should point out that a lot of the Bulldogs’ ire was directed at UK’s lowest paid staff for the day – the officials. I mean c’mon guys if you’re going to tank a game for Kentucky at least be subtle about it – two successive phantom foul calls and then a non-call on a clear goaltend isn’t really hiding your show cards, now is it? Of course, the difference between Rick Stansbury and Calipari is night and day – Calipari plays Wall and Cousins who smart money would wager have not seen the inside of a classroom since November and Coach Stansbury benches his leading scorer for the night because of his attitude in practice. One coach will do whatever is necessary to win a game and the other will do whatever is necessary to build a young man. The difference is striking but not surprising.

Item! I was once told that the United States Military forbids the use of blue ink pens – well here’s hoping that this exclusionary and miss-guided policy will fall to the wayside along with “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Blue ink users want to be free to serve their country in the open and with multiple colors on one piece of paper.

Item! There hasn’t been much talk of coaches on the hot seat yet this season. I’d imagine that chatter will pick-up as the season draws closer to its conclusion. But I’d like to throw a few early hats into the ring – We have the two perennial contenders from the Big East: Norm Roberts at St Johns and Bobby Gonzalez at Seton Hall. And then there’s Doc Sadler at Nebraska and of course Ernie Kent at Oregon (which begs the question: how much good money can Phil Knight put after bad at OU Hoops?). Locally, I really do not see how Charles Ramsey at EMU can keep his job barring a run to the MAC Tourney Title (or the Athletic Department can’t afford to buy him out). So, in my mind the next logical question becomes will one of these openings work for Mark Montgomery to continue the Izzo/Heathcote coaching tree? My guess is yes and I would be really surprised if Monty isn’t running his own program come April or May.

Item! I really think I could be an Olympic Curler.

Item! Steve Lavin has fast become my second favorite basketball analyst – no one will ever un-seat Bill Raftery – I especially enjoy his graphics that have 5-7 points regarding a particular issue in college basketball. Last night he highlighted the 7 issues facing freshman as they transition to the college game. Number 7 was “Hootin’ with the Owls” as too much late night partying is not a good idea for the young kids trying to hoop.

Item! I wonder how much money the inventor of Post-It Notes made? After inventing something like that do you just walk away from the inventing game figuring you’ve peeked or do you re-double your inventing efforts trying to top the previous invention? I know my good ideas usually come in groups of threes.

Item! Purdue at Ohio State tonight. I predict a win for the Buckeyes, it will be tight but I just don’t think Purdue has anyone to stop Evan Turner (but who does?). Although OSU’s lack of depth could hurt them down the stretch, in this game it shouldn’t matter too much. It should be a good game and I wouldn’t be surprised if Moore and Turner go shot for shot for a couple of minutes. Looking forward to some Wednesday night hoops! And remember I’ll be back by Saturday with a look at the OSU@MSU game on Sunday.

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By Sam, February 15, 2010 1:05 pm

There is a certain code to live by that makes being a sports fan a meaningful experience. It can be a difficult code to follow in hard times because it involves making an emotional attachment to a program, and linking your fortunes with theirs. It is because of that attachment and because there is the potential to suffer with your team that makes the enjoyment of winning so much more intense when you are lucky enough to experience it. You have to suffer with something to truly be a fan of it. You have to be tested, and you have to remain loyal when the temptation of being one of the throngs who regardless of geography or alma mater flock to the most successful blue blood program  or worse to Kobe or Lebron. If you are ever to earn the right to celebrate a teams accomplishments with pride then you must experience more than just a championship run. You have to be there on cold February days when conference road games take their toll. You might have to sit through an NIT or even CBI game, you have to watch players leave the court in March in tears knowing that they gave you 4 great seasons and you will never get to watch them again. You have to experience all of the highs and the lows to earn a meaningful affiliation.

It occurred to me yesterday when I was sitting in the Convocation Center watching my two mid major alma maters battle it out in a game that would determine 3rd place in the MAC West that this game had more meaning to me than the previous weeks Duke/North Carolina game could have had to most of the chattering, blue clad masses in the Dean Smith Center or watching on ESPN, because I am vested. I spent three years of my life in Kalamazoo and watched the Broncos 10+ times a season since the day I set foot on that campus, I’ve spent the last 4 years in Ypsilanti going to every EMU home game I can. The highlights of rooting for middle of the road to bad mid major teams are not plentiful, but they are far more memorable than any Final Four could be for the team I might have arbitrarily chosen to root for.

This might strike some as a bitter rant. I certainly don’t mean for it to. I root for Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Georgetown and Michigan State. I have degrees from Eastern and Western, and followed Michigan State since an early age. I do not mean to imply that you must attend a school to root for the basketball team. I think it should be your first loyalty and I absolutely resent the notion that you should cast aside your personal affiliation just because the athletic program isn’t as high a profile as the larger state school. I do recognize that some people make an attachment early in life and it stays with them regardless of where they went to school. I absolutely get that and for the most part can respect it. The so called fans that I can’t abide by are the guys that root for the top team, top player, or top tradition and want to revel in that success. These are the parasites that latch on to the biggest thing they can find to try and share in their success.

Classic example is this clown who sat near us at last years championship game:

This guy was the most vocal person in our section. He was more animated in his support of the North Carolina Tarheel’s than Tyler Hansborough’s parents (I know this because as the game got more and more out of hand I kept an eye on both just to have something to take my mind off things). He didn’t even care enough about the team to ever buy a t-shirt. He did care enough to put on his best Carolina Blue Rocawear jacket and matching Carolina Blue Old English D hat, and try to taunt Spartan fans in our section. He liked to declare things over and jump out of his seat for dunks. I liked to yell “Go Rocawear” every time he did, because I have zero respect for guys like this. If he had an equally unaffiliated friend who was wearing green and white Fubu and had a green and white yankee hat it would be different. But this tool was trying to banter with real fans who were watching their team play for the highest stakes out there. It was completely inappropriate, and no matter how much he tried to pretend to celebrate afterwords it was clearly unauthentic and meaningless. He was out there watching a TV show, I was watching a team/program that I had been following since I was in 3rd grade, other people were watching a team/program that represented the school where they spent years of their lives, a place where they had chosen a career path, met a spouse, etc… it just wasn’t balanced.

My philosophy is simple and fair. There is nothing wrong with liking a team. You can like a team without being a true fan. I like Georgetown. I root for Georgetown, watch them when I can, know who their players and coaches are, and read about them. I like their tradition, I like that they win at an elite level without taking dirty BCS football money, and I just plain enjoy watching them play. I am a true fan of Western Michigan. This is because I can’t walk away when the program is down, or when we have a tough loss. If Georgetown starts a long slide it won’t bother me that much, I’ll just root for Seton Hall or something. If Western Michigan starts/continues to slide I’ll get pissed, want the coach fired, call Ball State cheaters, want to build a new arena, drink more, etc… I can’t walk away from “my team”. If you don’t have a team you can’t just pick one up overnight . You have to earn the right to call a team yours through time and energy expelled watching, hoping, and sometimes being disappointed. Until such time as you become a true fan of a team you should be respectful of true fans and never try to equate your loss affiliations with their real passions. If some tool at BW3s who grew up in the same town as I did, went to community college, grew up rooting for the Fab-5 and then Michigan State when Izzo became dominate, and has never lived outside of Metro Detroit, sits next to me to watch Kentucky play WMU in the tournament this March (I can dream), he better not pump his fist and try to talk shit to me if Kentucky is beating up on Western Michigan just because he really likes Wall, and Bledsoe. He doesn’t matter, his thoughts don’t matter, and his happiness is just a meaningless front, because to him, sports don’t matter. I’d rather watch a game with some crusty old Kentucky fan from the hill country who has a picture of Adolph Rupp in his rec room if he is a true fan of his team. Because at least that guy gets it.

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By Rhett, February 14, 2010 9:38 pm

Happy Valentines Day. I offer you a picture of my broken basketball heart.

say it ain't so baby

The week that was in college basketball may have been just like any other week. There are teams fighting their way onto the bubble, teams tripping themselves off the bubble, and teams that don’t know what that is, because they don’t roll dolo’s like some other schools do.

If you’ve read any part of this weblog of our basketball trials and tribulations, it’s not hard to know that we root for a few core teams. I tend to follow the Western Michigan Broncos, Michigan State Spartans, and UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Quite the combination. I bet nobody else west of the Mississippi has a wall of fame hanging in their man cave with Ben Reed, Anthony Kahn, and Mike Williams on it.

Last week, things seemed to be great. UNLV was coming off a win at home against rival bible thumps BYU.  The Broncos won at home against Bowling Green. Michigan State had lost earlier that week at Wisconsin, and had looked to get back on track at Illinois (without Kalin Lucas). Ever since then, it has been a brutal run.

1. Western Michigan has lost two straight road games to Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Now they have a sub-.500 conference record. Not quite the note you want to hit when you’re heading into your final hand full of games before the conference tournament. I always believe that if they can get there, David Kool will bust out some flip mode sequence and pull off a miracle. He’s gone after this year, and deserves to see the NCAA Tournament. We deserve to see him and his squad play there too. Doesn’t seem so likely at this point.

2. Michigan State lost to Illinois. They probably would have won had Kalin Lucas played. Afterwords, they lost at home to stupid boiler up Purdue and their trio of clowns that everybody thinks are sweet at basketball. They have since won at Penn State yesterday, but come on, everybody has done that this year. Penn State hasn’t won a conference game to date. Sparty had been in line to challenge for a #1 seed, and an easy road to the round of 16, and hopefully beyond. Now, they’re looking at a 3 or 4 seed. It is possible to improve to a 2, but, I’m not holding my breath, or my lungs will look like the hoop rock just above.

3. UNLV played host to New Mexico, and did their best BYU impression on Wednesday. Yesterday, I saddled up tonto and rode up to the b-dubs down the street to watch UNLV play at SDSU on Versus, only to be disapointed in my investment. It was really hot in there. I hung out until I knew it was over. The Rebels lost the game, have now lost two in a row, and can basically kiss the regular season conference title good-bye. In addition, their next game at Utah is now a must win. I’m sure you remember what happened last time these two teams met, right?

So there you go. Happy Valentines Day. My second lover (my first being my very beautiful and loving wife), has forsaken me. I am no front runner. I follow the teams I do for very specific reasons. No Duke fan here. MSU is logical, because I’m from Michigan, and the Spartans are not the Wolverines. WMU is my pseudo-alma matter, and UNLV is the only sports gig here in Las Vegas. How could I not go? It would be easy to root for Villanova or something, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Basketball is a brutal lover. The highs are so high, and the lows are so low. The coming week poses challenges for all the teams I mentioned here. It is my hope to see some of them in March, at neutral sites, and having a blast. If they aren’t there, it will be OK, because the Trip is perpetual, and it’s not about our teams. It’s just icing on the cake. After last year’s Final Four, perhaps we are spoiled.

So, I guess I will treat this relationship like a troubled marriage. You have to work to make it work.

I’m not turning my back on you baby.

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By Rhett, February 10, 2010 11:09 pm

UNLV hosted New Mexico tonight and lost in fairly brutal fashion 66-76. Game number 20 for me.

It’s disappointing because UNLV was ranked again, gained a lot of national attention after the win over the weekend against stupid BYU. UNLV had a chance to solidify their spot in bracket projections, and put themselves on top of the MWC. It did not happen that way though.

For those who were not at the game, and had to endure through a 4OT women’s basketball game, you missed New Mexico hitting their first 5 three-pointers. You missed New Mexico setting the tone on both ends of the floor, denying the lane to Tre’Von Willis and Oscar Bellfield.

UNLV missed Derrick Jasper, and his ability to switch on the wings. Kendall Wallace may be an amazing 3 point specialist, but he cannot guard a soul to save his own life, and Steve Alford exploited this repeatedly in the 1st half. If Jasper had been playing (UNLV’s best defender), those open 3’s would not have existed, and this game would have had a drastically different start.

You can’t get out rebounded 2-1, give up 20 second chance points, and let a team shoot 50% from 3 point land, and expect to win a game. Yet, somehow, UNLV managed to get this to within two points at the under 4 time out. I can’t even explain it really. Just doesn’t make sense, but I watched it happen. That tells me this team has grit. They didn’t fold up in a ball and die, or shrug it off like it just was not their night.

It’s bad to lose, but its not horrible to lose to a good team. New Mexico had a plan tonight, they executed it, and won the game. UNLV coming off the emotional high of winning against BYU on Saturday, couldn’t possibly replicate that energy two times in a row. The large crowd (over 18,000 again), tried to will them on, and it almost happened.

I may comment more on this later. Just wanted to get these thoughts out there. It’s not the end of the world. Just time to hit the road on Saturday vs San Diego State and put those clowns out early. Then on to Utah, and do the same thing. No doubt about the fact that UNLV should be better than both teams.

Good Talk.

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By Nate, February 10, 2010 9:50 am

Okay, 3 losses in a row was not what the doctor ordered for the Spartans and it’s hard to make excuses for the performance in 2 of the 3 games. However, it is important to remember that all is not lost and MSU is still in first place (they just have a little company now).

A couple of points about this last stretch of games:

- Obviously the injury to Kalin’s ankle has been a big factor. He played last night but at about 70% and his injury still impacted playing rotations. I would imagine that it has thrown off practice too – but his performance last night would seem to indicate that he’ll be back to normal soon.

- Morgan and Summers have been MIA. I do not like to pile on Ray and Rell as they both are good guys and Ray put out effort last night – it was just miss-directed. Both guys have a very high ceiling talent-wise and that is what is so frustrating to MSU fans when they struggle. Turning these guys around and getting them playing well again won’t just fall on Izzo and the coaches it will be a test of Draymond and Kalin’s leadership. The issue is in their heads, they need to shake it off and get going. Their success is directly proportional to the team’s success. Raymar is the key factor in determining what this team will become.

- I love Draymond Green – love him. But DayDay has been forcing things over this stretch and I can’t fault his heart and effort one bit but in the absence of others (some physically and some mentally) he has forced his game. He played great at Illinois but even then had some un-forced turnovers that lead directly to points (forcing passes in the post & knocking un-contested defensive rebounds out of bounds). I think a little rest and some help on the offensive end will get Draymond back on track, here’s hoping that comes soon.

- Korie Lucious has taken a lot of heat due to the turnovers of late and some of it is warranted. Long-term I think this stretch will help him next year and beyond when he’s the primary 1. Of course, given how things have gone recently I’m leaning more and more that Kalin will be back next season.

- As soon as Delvon Roe realizes that very few people can stop him within 10 feet of the basket he will be an offensive force. The defensive and rebounding aspects of his game are good but on offense he seems sort of tentative creating his own chances – he shouldn’t be, he has the tools and just needs to use them.

- One scheme issue has really reared its head over this stretch and that’s the high ball screen switching issue. The reason uw, UofI and PU got so many open looks from deep is that on high ball screens our bigs are not playing over and causing the wing defender to get buried below the screen (see Moore’s shot last night to stop MSU’s run after cutting it to 3). Last night all of the switching was off (see the open cuts and back doors) but this lack of communication and adjustment on the high ball screen has been an issue all season. I have to believe they’re being told the right way to play it but for some reason it just isn’t sinking in – the defense needs to step up from everyone and this issue is a big factor in the defensive play.

- Overall, the conference championship is still very much a possibility. The next two games are on the road but against Penn State and Indiana. PSU is terrible but after these 3 losses I start to get a pit in my stomach that MSU will be their miracle game this season too – Talor Battle is good but he shouldn’t be good enough to beat MSU by himself. And IU is improved but MSU still outmans them and should beat them no matter where they play. If the Spartans take care of business and win these two it sets the stage for the 21st against OSU – that will be a lynchpin game in the BT Championship race.

At the end of the day I still have faith in Izzo and the talent that’s on this team. And I still have faith in the aforementioned’s ability to get the team chemistry on track and nothing helps team chemistry like a conference road win – So, Go State Beat PeeSU.

And a quick note of thanks to Chet for the ticket to last night’s game. The travel was tough and the game ugly but there are few places in the world I’d rather be than in the Breslin with a good friend. Thanks again Chester.

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By Rhett, February 6, 2010 10:02 pm

Tre'Von rollin dolo's. (Photo by Louie Traub/RebelNation.Net)

I last attended a college basketball game on January 17th when UNLV lost to Utah at home. It was a bad loss.

Since then, UNLV has won a few road contests, and a home game vs Air Force I could not attend. To say I was looking forward to today’s game is an understatement. I have deprived myself of Big Monday’s and Super Tuesday’s. I’m doing what I have to do, but I am missing my favorite sports season, and I’m bummed about it sometimes.

That being said, UNLV playing host to BYU was game #19 for me. It was quite the game.

UNLV game out slanging nerve gas on BYU. I have never seen anything close to what I saw in person today. The Rebels were ready to play. It was evident after they started the game on a 11-2 run, with Tre’Von Willis getting whatever shot he wanted. BYU came out flat, seemed pouty for most of the game, and really never even competed. I have seen BYU play a ton of games (second only to UNLV) over the past hand-full of years. They recruit talent, seem to be well coached, and probably deserved their high rankings they’ve had this year. They can’t play against UNLV though. The Rebel’s choked away the game in Provo earlier this year. They were up at the under 4 time out, and just did not make plays they’ve made all year. BYU didn’t win that one, UNLV lost it. BYU rolls into town this afternoon (1pm local tip is  a good deal) and they get the covers blown off their golden bible. Tre’Von Willis put his stamp on his MWC POTY opinion, by throwing in 33 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers. He also played some very nice near lockdown defense on this Jimmer kid, holding this supposed all world MWC guy to 21 points on 4 of 15 shooting. Oscar Bellfield also played a part in this. Both guys are fast, and did a great job in keeping Jimmer in front of them all afternoon.

The final was 88-74, but it wasn’t even that close. It was over at halftime, with UNLV being up 22 going into the break. UNLV was up by as much a 29 before halftime.

Another little tidbit – for everybody claiming Fredette is the clear cut MVP of the MWC, think again. Willis is scoring more per conference game than Fredette, and has owned him in both head to head meetings. Spare me that ‘oh, he was sick’ crap. Willis played well on the road in the heart of Provo. Fredette stunk it up today. The only open shot he could get was a NBA+ three. Who’s your prophet?

UNLV hosts New Mexico Wednesday night. They beat the airbrushers today to create a 3-way tie on top of the MWC. UNLV has the previously mentioned New Mexico game, then heads to SDSU and Utah. Then they play all the clowns at the bottom of the league.

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By Sam, February 6, 2010 9:01 am

The MAC West looks like its going to CMU. The Chips have a 3 game lead as WMU and NIU have faded during cross divisional play. Eastern Michigan will probably have a sub .500 conference record as they continue to drop winnable home games, and I am quickly becoming frustrated with the prospects of the conference to crown a champion capable of winning an NCAA tournament game.

Michigan State played a terrible game and was thoroughly out classed by Wisconsin. Kalin Lucas rolls his ankle and might be out for the seasons most pivotal stretch (@Illinois, and Purdue). If they don’t win the Big Ten regular season after starting 9-0 then they should make Paul Davis an honorary captain during the Big Ten tournament, and probably shouldn’t be expecting a deep run in March. The notion that everything will be all right in March is an over estimate in East Lansing. State really hasn’t been playing good basketball for the last month, and I don’t believe Tom Izzo can just have them flip a switch. I really hope they don’t fade down the stretch because this is a likable collection of players, but after the debacle in Madison I have my concerns.

Rhett assures me that Lon Kruger will step up today and stop the Mormons from running away with the Mountain West. Let’s see if Jimmer can carry his sprite drinking, polygamist practicing, Orrin Hatch voting, door to door bothering, 25 year olds to victory in a hostile and sin filled environment.

I need wins by UNLV, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Michigan State today to feel good about the direction of this season. I’ll take 3-1 but anything less than that and my worries will continue. I’ll be at the Convo in a few hours cheering on EMU against Ohio U. Hope its worth it.

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By Rhett, February 2, 2010 1:58 pm

It’s been a slow couple of hoops weeks for me. Deprived of UNLV hoops due to a hole in the schedule, and no holes in my class schedule, I’ve been void of basketball greatness since UNLV lost at home to Utah on January 16th. Since then, UNLV has played 1 home game, which I could not attend. They won, 60-50. The Rebels also won two road games during the last two weeks.

This leaves me looking forward to this weekend, and BYU coming to town. They’ve only lost twice all year. The Cougars should have lost to UNLV to open conference play, but that’s another story. Saturday at 1PM I will be back in the swing of things. Conference play is half over, and it seems this is all going by just too fast.

I have secured my flight to Toronto, in order to hitch a ride with the rest of the Tourney Trip group on their way to Buffalo, NY. I’ll be looking forward to some wings and pops with the crew. We’re also all ears to anybody who may have a few good pointers about Buffalo. We don’t want a repeat of last years trip.

I’m still on track for 50 games. Time off work has been had, my ticket purchase plans mapped out, and travel booked. All I need now is the will to do it, and the wife to put up with me.

Good Talk.