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By Nate, March 8, 2010 1:26 pm

Just a quick note of acknowledgement to MSU and the back-to-back Big Ten Championship that was secured last night. It has been an interesting season in East Lansing. Some high-points and some low-points that all seemed to come in bunches. MSU finished the regular season on a high-point and sent Raymar Morgan, Isaiah Dahlman and Jon Crandall out winners and BT Champs. Raymar played the way you hope a senior does in his last game – it was special, and part of what makes MSU Hoops special – Coach Izzo got a little teary eyed as the Seniors kissed the S and the trophy celebration ensued.

The Big Ten Tourney is next and MSU is jockeying for seeding in the top four lines. A good showing could mean a solid 3 seed and depending on what happens elsewhere a BTT Title could lead to another 2 seed (MSU is 10-1 as a 2 seed in the Tourney). I cannot wait for Thursday to get here – in the meantime I guess I’ll just have to get my fill of all the other Conference Tournaments and Championship games.

Now – a quick word why this was just a short note: In a few moments I will be heading to Historic Fordson High School in Dearborn to watch our own Coach Jimmy engage his battle tested Allen Park Jaguars in his first High School Playoff game as HC of the hometown Jags. Sam is meeting me there and we will rep the “Tourney Trip APHS Boys Hoops Booster Club” in Coach Jimmy’s first District game. It’s March – even for Jimmy – Go Jags!

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By Nate, February 22, 2010 10:41 am

Well just about every prediction I made for Sunday’s game was just horribly off:

- Evan Turner didn’t play well and OSU still won

- MSU’s depth was a non-issue (even with OSU’s lone bench player fouling out) as the team seemingly did their own thing in the first half going against the game plan of run-run-run and if it’s not there pound the ball in the post (post-ups and drives) and what resulted was a 13 point deficit and OSU controlling tempo.

- Raymar played with good effort, and was the only player praised by Coach Izzo in the post-game, but was not too crisp. He made some plays and left it all on the court but was again limited by a few silly fouls. For the rest of the season – and his career – I just expect a good effort out of Ray and if he does that good things will happen. Ray can’t compensate for the lack of a true presence in the middle (cough – we really miss G – cough) or when the wings decide they know more than Izzo – So, from now on I’m Ray’s biggest supporter and as long as the effort is there I got his back (and thank him for a fine career in the Green and White).

Joe Rexrode at the Lansing State Journal has a very interesting blog post about the state of the team:

\”Hey Joe\” MSU LCD Issues

These “LCD” issues explain a lot about the last three weeks (and have been mentioned before, but no one pays attention to these things when the team is winning) so too does Kalin’s injury and of course the expectations factor discounting the loss of Walton, Suton, Gray and Ibok.

So, where does this team go from here? The discussion will focus on the Purdue game and the how far this team can go in the Tourney. And a lot of judgments about the latter will be based on the performance in the former. However, I still would not read too much into what happens next Sunday – and I still think a rested and prepared Spartan Team can win in West Laffy (as a matter of fact the Flintstones began to build their legacy one cold Indiana winter night back in 1998 at Mackey Arena – maybe Kalin, Raymar and DayDay can re-build their own legacy there too… but I digress) – as certainly the Big Ten regular season hangs in the balance but MSU has built its program based on the NCAA Tournament not the Big Ten regular season (don’t get me wrong I like BT Championships as much as the next guy but banners hung in the center rafters with Final Four logos are more important than banners hung on the side rafters that say BT Champ). And I still think this team has a Tourney run in them. They’ll have to work out the “LCD” issues and it’s a good thing Tom Izzo is there to guide that process. If they can do that in time for the 3rd weekend in March this team can play for more than two games in the Dance. Of course, based on my last post I wouldn’t go wagering the house on my predictions.

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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, 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, March 29, 2009 9:53 pm

-Tom Izzo, during the presser after Michigan State beat Louisville today.

The dreams of the Trip have been realized this afternoon after the Spartans took it to the ‘ville in Indianapolis to the tune of a 64-52 victory over the 1 seed to send Michigan State home to Detroit. This caps another amazing weekend for college basketball for myself.

Friday night, the ladyfriend and I took a trip down to Phoenix to catch the West Regional Final between #1 Connecticut and #3 Missouri on Saturday afternoon. Turned out to be a great game, as Missouri’s unorthodox style was able to give UConn trouble, even helping the Tigers take the lead midway through the second half. The Huskie’s size down low was able to overpower Missouri in the end, and gave UConn a 82-75 victory over Mizzou. Missouri fans were completely brutal, with sloppy clapping, stupid chants and this weird wave thing they did during their fight song with no words. A lot of old people with Missouri pants and t shirts. A true slacks convention. I did have breakfast with one old dude in a purple shirt, who was very happy with the Spartan’s play the night before, knocking off Mizzou rival Kansas. We came back to Vegas after the game.

It was a nice little trip, and I’m glad the randomness in my life prevailed, as it seems like a lot (five hour drive, sleeping in a crappy Econo Lodge) to put up with just for one game. BTW, Glendale AZ is a far superior host for a tournament than Philadelphia. If Phoenix wasn’t off by itself in the middle of the desert, I’m sure they’d get more run. Better grub, a very nice city center type area with shops, pubs, open areas to sit and watch people walk by, easy parking, and very few chuds.

Today I took in the entire MSU destruction of Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals. With UConn and Villanova (both teams we saw in Philly), I was worried about the state of mind of the trip in relation to the final four. We were never going to get a break, right?  No stupid giant letter “ville” hats for us. No hockey jerseys for the bandies. For the first time, a team the Trip follows on a regular basis and roots for will be at our site. The site of sites. The Final Four. Downtown Detroit. Real bars, real fans and a chance to see the greatest on the greatest stage. My flight leaves Friday afternoon, and I cannot wait to get there. Fellas, chill down the beers (which I’m sure you’re able to find fairly easily, unlike Philly), I’m coming to knock down a few and watch some hoops. Tourney Coat is packed.

I unofficially proclaim myself Mayor of Hoops City, and will arrive to take my thrown in 5 days.

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By Nate, March 29, 2009 9:40 pm

We’ll be in the Motor D to see the Spartans!

G was the man, Kalin and T-walt handled the press with ease, Durrell was the spark-plug, Chris Allen was hustle and heart, Korie had ice-water in his veins and Day-Day was a force inside. A total team effort, including a dunk for the DUNK POLICE! (Just wait for Ray and Del to heat up, it could be special)  And of course, some lockdown Man to Man! and a plus 8 rebounding margin. 

And once again – Tom Izzo is the greatest human being to ever live – he makes Ghandi look like a child pornographer.

It’s going to be a fun week

And let me add a special recognition to my all-time favorite double Spartan – the love of my life, my wife Anna – those silly UCLA girls are schlepps compared to her.

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By Nate, March 28, 2009 7:04 pm

Well, not to toot my own horn (that’s what she said), but I was 8 for 8 in my Sweet 16 predictions. So, by popular demand I will now share my Elite 8 predictions just in time for all my faithful readers to call their bookies (of course, you’ll only be betting potato chips as I would never condone illegal activity).

Without further ado: I like the way Mizzou is playing and I think the pressing style could negate Theebet’s effectiveness but UConn’s guards are no slouches. All that being said, I just have a hunch about this Mizzou team, I’ve liked them all season and I’ll stick with them for an upset.

The Big East is assured of at least one Final Four team due to the Nova – Pitt Elite 8 clash tonight. Blair is the kind of player that I love and Levance Fields is just a winner (and Sam Young is a great scorer). But Nova is playing some great ball right now and Nova won at home in the only match-up b/w these teams this year. I just think Pitt will get it done, Blair and Fields are going to will Pitt to the Motor D.

It is my sincere hope that Blake Griffin treats that jittering fool Hansbourgh that a red-headed step-child. It will be a good game but in the end I think Lawson is just better than Oklahoma’s goofy #20 and that will be the difference. Roy “Shucks Howdy” Williams and his insurance salesman sports-coat will once again show you don’t have to know much about hoop to coach a team with a bunch of talent to the Final Four.

Now, for MSU v Louisville. I don’t have much in-depth analysis, just a lot of nerves and anticipation. Raymar broke his nose last night, here’s hoping he can channel the spirit of Matt Trannon in the face-mask and play like a man on a mission (and share some of that sugar with Del Roe). I just have a hunch – maybe call it a hope – but I think MSU finds a way, my god please make it so.

So, in case you’re keeping track at home that’s a Final Four of MSU v. Mizzou and Pitt v. UNC.

And just for the record: Tom Izzo is going no where and I have no idea what was up with Gus Johnson last night but Tom Izzo is appreciated more in East Lansing than the Pope is in Rome (although if you only read the Detroit newspapers or watch Don Shane and that clown Smilovitz I could see how you might be confused). But make no mistake, TI will get whatever he wants in EL and is treated like a king – I firmly believe his current coaching job will be his last.