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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 Nate, January 29, 2010 3:16 pm

Item! Michigan State is off to the best Big Ten start in school history at 8-0. After stealing two one-point games in a row on the road the Spartans return to Breslin tomorrow to face the Northwestern Wildcats. MSU not only has the motivation of going 9-0 and lengthening their conference lead but also exacting some revenge for last year’s 30’ shot fueled upset to the ‘Cats. A team that can steal conference games on the road, especially two last shot wins, might be the start of something special – add to this the fact MSU still hasn’t played it’s best basketball of the season yet and there is ample reason for excitement in East Lansing.

Item! After seeing Jalen Rose dressed in his clown suit while giving back to the community Tuesday Evening, it occurred to me that I should do something to help this gracious human-being help others. So, here’s my tip to Jalen as he begins his burgeoning TV career: buy a copy of Rosetta Stone, the English Edition.

Item! Injuries have plagued the Big Ten this year from Kevin Koble to Lewis Jackson to Maurice Creek to Evan Turner to Jon Leuer it seems almost every conference squad has endured a tough injury and that has hurt the overall perception of the conference. Turner and Jackson are back and at least Turner looks to have not missed a step. Here’s hoping the rest of the season is injury free and everyone (expect Wisconsin) has a nice Tourney run.

Item! I am yet to see Avatar but I did see a cat with only 3 legs the other day – Mother Nature still makes the best special effects.

Item! The other night Steve Lavin listed the “Five C’s” of good officiating. They are: Consistency, Communication, Conditioning, Calmness and Courage. As per usual I think the Lav is right on with his assessment. Although, I would add a sixth – “Comfort” as in comfort fitting slacks, no one wants to see a ref running around in pants 2 sizes too small.

Item! What has happened to the Somali Pirates? For a while there pirates were hip again and then just as quickly as I was getting out my eye patch and fake peg leg they seem to have disappeared from the news. No worries though, I bet they’re hiding out in a secret cave harbor until the coast is clear.

Item! After watching almost 5 seasons of EMU Basketball and the coaching of Charles Ramsey I have reached the conclusion that he may be the worst coach in all of D-1. Now mind you this is far from a rush to judgment, as I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt because he’s had bad luck with injuries, transfers and troubled kids that were talented players. But this year he has all the pieces in place, including 3 guys who would start just about anywhere they played, and he’s just one game above 500 overall and 2 games below in conference. The Eagles are struggling because Ramsey cannot make in-game adjustments and appears to be completely lost during end-game situations. EMU with its location, facilities and history should be a mid-major power and I hate to say it but C-Ram is a big reason they aren’t.