Really Oregon?? Five days before we play in the Final Four and you are going to publicly announce that you are going to offer to make Izzo the highest paid coach in college basketball? Is this because we rejected Nike's proposed new logo and Phil Knight wanted revenge?
And come on Tom. This gets published and your response is "I haven't been contacted... I'm happy with the job I have"? That's like saying "I'm trying to lose weight" when asked if you want ice cream. That doesn't mean you're not going to end up eating it. We all think we know Tom Izzo. I know the arguement is "he has ties to the team and M-I-C-H-I-G-A-N is his State". He "cares more about making MSU an elite program than money". But then again, wasn't Tiger Woods the picture-perfect role model? A few years ago, wasn't Peyton Manning someone who always choked in the playoffs? And since then, wasn't he considered a sure thing?
This goes back to my age-old question: why doesn't this happen to Roy Williams and Coack K? You don't hear Mississippi State thinking they can lure one of them away from UNC or Duke.
And finally, come on MSU. Pay him $4 million a year and let's move on.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
We're Final
Tom Izzo is 26-3 against teams that are seeded lower than MSU.
"I want them to tear down the statue of Sparty and put up Izzo. Forget the Spartan logo, I want Izzo's face on the 50 yard line of the football stadium too!" - Rece Davis
Our combined margin of victory, 13, is the lowest of any team to ever get to the Final Four.
Whatever we pay Izzo isn't enough. We don't just wake up the week the NCAA Tourney begins and decide to get serious. He has managed this team all year to come together at precisely the right time and has made adjustments like a skilled chemist.
I used to think, how good could we have finished if Kalin Lucas didn't get injured against Maryland? After all, he was the catalyst for our team in the first 1.5 games. Now I wonder, would they be this far if it weren't for Kalin Lucas' injury? Summers has taken his game to the next level, and a few more, and is producing arcade numbers each game. And Delvon Roe has ignored any pain his knee has given him and was a defensive force against Tennessee's taller forwards. Would Summers have risen above if it weren't absolutely required? Would Roe be playing with as much heart if Kalin wasn't on the sidelines in 100 times more pain than he is?
The field has been wide open this year. We have had to deal with a variety of playing styles and I think anyone left has a shot to win the championship. I am ecstatic about Izzo's 6th Final Four, the most of any coach in Big 10 history. But I really think this is our opportunity to win the whole thing. (Which I know I shouldn't say due to my penchant for being wrong.)
"I want them to tear down the statue of Sparty and put up Izzo. Forget the Spartan logo, I want Izzo's face on the 50 yard line of the football stadium too!" - Rece Davis
Our combined margin of victory, 13, is the lowest of any team to ever get to the Final Four.
Whatever we pay Izzo isn't enough. We don't just wake up the week the NCAA Tourney begins and decide to get serious. He has managed this team all year to come together at precisely the right time and has made adjustments like a skilled chemist.
I used to think, how good could we have finished if Kalin Lucas didn't get injured against Maryland? After all, he was the catalyst for our team in the first 1.5 games. Now I wonder, would they be this far if it weren't for Kalin Lucas' injury? Summers has taken his game to the next level, and a few more, and is producing arcade numbers each game. And Delvon Roe has ignored any pain his knee has given him and was a defensive force against Tennessee's taller forwards. Would Summers have risen above if it weren't absolutely required? Would Roe be playing with as much heart if Kalin wasn't on the sidelines in 100 times more pain than he is?
The field has been wide open this year. We have had to deal with a variety of playing styles and I think anyone left has a shot to win the championship. I am ecstatic about Izzo's 6th Final Four, the most of any coach in Big 10 history. But I really think this is our opportunity to win the whole thing. (Which I know I shouldn't say due to my penchant for being wrong.)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Maddening Thoughts
-There is only one region with three of the top four seeds still remaining: the South. How is it that the region that most people called "the weakest" still has Purdue, Duke, and Baylor? I still really like St. Mary's chances of making the Final Four among this group.
-On the contrary, the undisputed toughest region, our Midwest, only has 1 of the top 4 remaining (stupid Buckeyes). They now have a chance at making the Final Four without playing anyone seeded better than 6 (or at the very worst a 5).
-With West Virginia losing their point guard for the tournament as well, I propose that everyone else follow suit. No more starting PGs in the tournament.
I would rank the Sweet 16 teams in liklihood of making the Elite 8 and the Final Four as such. That means I think the top 8 will win this round and the top 4 are the Final Four. Yes, I know I am putting all of the #1 seeds left into finals. After all, they say the first weekend is about Cinderella and the second is for the top teams. I rank Cuse ahead of Kentucky because I don't think they face as tough of competition.
1. Syracuse
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. Duke
5. Baylor
6. Kansas State
7. West Virginia
8. Michigan State
9. Xavier
10. St. Mary's
11. Northern Iowa
12. Tennessee
13. Purdue
14. Cornell
15. Butler
16. Washington
-Call me crazy, but I am more concerned about losing Chris Allen against Northern Iowa than Lucas. Kalin has had some off-games and we can have other people provide the scoring (Summers, Raymar, even Lucious). All indications are that this will be a low scoring, half court offense game. Our defense, particularly keeping Fahroukmanesh in check, will be key and that falls on Allen. (Who would have written that sentence one week ago??) I'm really interested to see if Izzo comes out with the press at all. We aren't a press-team, but N. Iowa looked TERRIBLE against Kansas' full course pressure.
-My only hope for the Elite 8 is that OSU is a familiar opponent and it is tough to beat a Big 10 team twice in one year. With 2 days to prepare, I would rather have Izzo than Matta.
Get Us Some Respect
# Big 12 Teams left: 2
# Big East Teams left: 2
# Big Ten Teams left: 3
-Did anyone else think the silver lining in Lucas' injury is that there is no way he can go in the NBA Draft now?
-How many of the Sweet 16 teams would lose to UConn Women?
-Stacey asked me earlier tonight who was the last Big 10 team to win the title. Naturally, I figured MSU, but to confirm my guess I made a list of every championship team and their opponent for the past 10 years. I got every champion except for one and I correctly named the complete games from 05-09. Can you come up with this list?
-On the contrary, the undisputed toughest region, our Midwest, only has 1 of the top 4 remaining (stupid Buckeyes). They now have a chance at making the Final Four without playing anyone seeded better than 6 (or at the very worst a 5).
-With West Virginia losing their point guard for the tournament as well, I propose that everyone else follow suit. No more starting PGs in the tournament.
I would rank the Sweet 16 teams in liklihood of making the Elite 8 and the Final Four as such. That means I think the top 8 will win this round and the top 4 are the Final Four. Yes, I know I am putting all of the #1 seeds left into finals. After all, they say the first weekend is about Cinderella and the second is for the top teams. I rank Cuse ahead of Kentucky because I don't think they face as tough of competition.
1. Syracuse
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. Duke
5. Baylor
6. Kansas State
7. West Virginia
8. Michigan State
9. Xavier
10. St. Mary's
11. Northern Iowa
12. Tennessee
13. Purdue
14. Cornell
15. Butler
16. Washington
-Call me crazy, but I am more concerned about losing Chris Allen against Northern Iowa than Lucas. Kalin has had some off-games and we can have other people provide the scoring (Summers, Raymar, even Lucious). All indications are that this will be a low scoring, half court offense game. Our defense, particularly keeping Fahroukmanesh in check, will be key and that falls on Allen. (Who would have written that sentence one week ago??) I'm really interested to see if Izzo comes out with the press at all. We aren't a press-team, but N. Iowa looked TERRIBLE against Kansas' full course pressure.
-My only hope for the Elite 8 is that OSU is a familiar opponent and it is tough to beat a Big 10 team twice in one year. With 2 days to prepare, I would rather have Izzo than Matta.
Get Us Some Respect
# Big 12 Teams left: 2
# Big East Teams left: 2
# Big Ten Teams left: 3
-Did anyone else think the silver lining in Lucas' injury is that there is no way he can go in the NBA Draft now?
-How many of the Sweet 16 teams would lose to UConn Women?
-Stacey asked me earlier tonight who was the last Big 10 team to win the title. Naturally, I figured MSU, but to confirm my guess I made a list of every championship team and their opponent for the past 10 years. I got every champion except for one and I correctly named the complete games from 05-09. Can you come up with this list?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Bracket Recap
Conference I've Overrated: Big 12
There's a lot of temptations with Kansas, Baylor, and Kansas State receiving high seeds. Plus, with weak South and West regions, it is easy to move several of the teams higher.
Conference I've Underrated: Mountain West
They have four teams in, but I only picked New Mexico to win in the first round. In a close second, I picked two of the A-10 teams to get upset in the first round, but I showed Xavier some love and put them into the Sweet 16.
Injuries I Just Don't Know About: Syracuse, Purdue, Notre Dame
Injuries to their key players have made them big question marks. For the most part, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and moved them on pretty far.
Team That Would Make Me Look Smart: St. Mary's
On paper, they look pretty good and I don't feel confident about their opponents.
Stats I'm Overrating: A strong center, how they finished the season, the strength of their conference
Stats I'm Underrating: Previous tournament history, defense, free throw shooting/three point percentage
Chalk Region: Midwest
Upset Region: West
Strongest Seed Number (besides #1): 3 - Pitt, Georgetown, New Mexico, Baylor
Weakest Seed Number: 4 - Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt
Game I Would Really Want To See That Won't Happen: OSU vs. Kentucky
There's a lot of temptations with Kansas, Baylor, and Kansas State receiving high seeds. Plus, with weak South and West regions, it is easy to move several of the teams higher.
Conference I've Underrated: Mountain West
They have four teams in, but I only picked New Mexico to win in the first round. In a close second, I picked two of the A-10 teams to get upset in the first round, but I showed Xavier some love and put them into the Sweet 16.
Injuries I Just Don't Know About: Syracuse, Purdue, Notre Dame
Injuries to their key players have made them big question marks. For the most part, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and moved them on pretty far.
Team That Would Make Me Look Smart: St. Mary's
On paper, they look pretty good and I don't feel confident about their opponents.
Stats I'm Overrating: A strong center, how they finished the season, the strength of their conference
Stats I'm Underrating: Previous tournament history, defense, free throw shooting/three point percentage
Chalk Region: Midwest
Upset Region: West
Strongest Seed Number (besides #1): 3 - Pitt, Georgetown, New Mexico, Baylor
Weakest Seed Number: 4 - Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt
Game I Would Really Want To See That Won't Happen: OSU vs. Kentucky
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Giving Thanks
Thank you, Michigan State Spartans, for saving me from watching basketball all weekend by losing to Minnesota on Friday night. Your actions were generous on many levels. It allowed fans like myself more time to catch up on the Real World: DC (Will that Andrew guy ever get laid? Any why doesn't Callie get more attention from guys?) This was a prime example of "taking one for the team": their loyalty to the Big 10 lead them to give Minnesota a better shot at getting into the NCAA tournament thereby giving our conference a larger representation. Finally, they didn't want Chris Allen to feel left out. You have to follow through with the commitments you've made to your teammates, especially when it comes to including them in the victory celebration. "No man left behind," right?
Even though winning the game may have helped your chances of earning a better seed, you've been able to "turn on the switch" for the NCAA tourney. Remember last year when you, as the top seed, lost by 12 to the #5 seed Ohio State? And in 2005, you lost your first game to #7 seed Iowa! Neither of those losses prevented you from being able to make the Final Four (is what I have told myself over and over since Friday morning). And even though you watched Minnesota go on to defeat Purdue by over 20 points, that doesn't mean you would have beaten them too, right? Right?
Plus, you deserve the opportinity to take a little time off. It's been a tough season. You had difficult games against Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, all of whom were ranked in the Top 11 early in the season, and look how good those teams are now! I know you'll be successful despite your 5-5 record in the last 10 games. After all, this is the same team that made it to the National Championship game last year, except for Goran Suton who was consistently a leader on offense and defense. And having Travis Walton on the bench this year is just as good as having him on the courst last year, right?
Keep in mind, we were without Kalin Lucas for much of that time due to his foot injury. We were also without Korie Lucious for the Penn State road game due to his academic injury. And against Minnesota, we were without Chris Allen due to his teamwork injury. We also lost Durrell Summers and Derrick Nix in the second half due to their effort injuries which Tom Izzo himself diagnosed. After the game, a disappointed Nix said, “I’m mad he didn’t play me. There’s nothing I could do.” I know how left out you felt when the team was shooting 18-34 from the line. That's normally your job, Mr. 21.4%!!
So bring on Ohio, Cornell, or whichever #13 (or 12, or maybe even 11) seed the NCAA Tournament is going to throw at us first! Because at least North Carolina is in the NIT!
Even though winning the game may have helped your chances of earning a better seed, you've been able to "turn on the switch" for the NCAA tourney. Remember last year when you, as the top seed, lost by 12 to the #5 seed Ohio State? And in 2005, you lost your first game to #7 seed Iowa! Neither of those losses prevented you from being able to make the Final Four (is what I have told myself over and over since Friday morning). And even though you watched Minnesota go on to defeat Purdue by over 20 points, that doesn't mean you would have beaten them too, right? Right?
Plus, you deserve the opportinity to take a little time off. It's been a tough season. You had difficult games against Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, all of whom were ranked in the Top 11 early in the season, and look how good those teams are now! I know you'll be successful despite your 5-5 record in the last 10 games. After all, this is the same team that made it to the National Championship game last year, except for Goran Suton who was consistently a leader on offense and defense. And having Travis Walton on the bench this year is just as good as having him on the courst last year, right?
Keep in mind, we were without Kalin Lucas for much of that time due to his foot injury. We were also without Korie Lucious for the Penn State road game due to his academic injury. And against Minnesota, we were without Chris Allen due to his teamwork injury. We also lost Durrell Summers and Derrick Nix in the second half due to their effort injuries which Tom Izzo himself diagnosed. After the game, a disappointed Nix said, “I’m mad he didn’t play me. There’s nothing I could do.” I know how left out you felt when the team was shooting 18-34 from the line. That's normally your job, Mr. 21.4%!!
So bring on Ohio, Cornell, or whichever #13 (or 12, or maybe even 11) seed the NCAA Tournament is going to throw at us first! Because at least North Carolina is in the NIT!
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