It's a FABULOUS day for a game!

Hello friends,

What an amazing day of basketball!! I am so drained from so many games, I almost don't know where to start. Marquette upsets UConn, Syracuse NARROWLY escapes DePaul, Illinois over Indiana at the buzzer, West Virginia comes back to beat Lousiville, Georgetown DESTROYING Duke, Texas loses to Baylor in OT...I'm out of breath just making that list. So here are some thoughts, observations and general comments from the day that was...

KENTUCKY vs. VANDERBILT

It was pretty much a given that Kentucky was going to play out of their minds today after the loss to South Carolina on Tuesday. That said, it remained to be seen whether it would be out of their minds in a good way or a bad way...well, I THINK they answered that question with some authority.

The key really for the Wildcats was HUSTLE, especially from DeMarcus Cousins. UK ran the floor, dove for the ball, crashed the boards and basically took Vandy out of any kind of game they hoped to have. Cousins was a complete beast inside, using his size and strength to its fullest and really taking it strong to the hoop down low. He was surely a difference-maker in this game and his presence absolutely shook up Aussie star A.J. Ogilvey, who got into foul trouble and didn't even score his first points until he went to the FT line with a few minutes remaining in the first half. With Cousins dominating inside, Patrick Patterson decided to assert himself from the 3 point line and hit some key shots, especially in the first half and John Wall (still love him) set a Kentucky freshman assist record.*
*Sidenote: One of the reasons I LOVE John Wall...he can clearly score early and often, yet he's really unselfish with the ball and ALWAYS looks up the floor. Apparently he hasn't been playing as well in games lately, but when you consider a "bad game" to be 12 points and 9 assists (and ok, 7 turnovers, not so good), I think he'll be fine. Plus, it's the old standby--teams are keying on him more and more, so he'll just have to adjust.
Kentucky got in foul trouble early (at one point, Bledsoe, Wall and Cousins were all sharing the bench for a significant period of time in the first half) and I'm not sure if it was that or Kentucky relaxing a bit with the large lead that allowed Vanderbilt to fight back a little in the second half--but all I want to know is this from Commodore Jeffrey Taylor: When you are down 12 on the road and have a chance to cut the lead to 10, why, why, WHY do you decide to showboat and completely MISS a reverse dunk that leads to a Kentucky score and a lead of 15?!?!?! Vandy just looked completely out of their element. I haven't really watched them at all this year, so I can't really comment on this or that, but I was really surprised at how poorly they played.

MICHIGAN STATE vs. NORTHWESTERN

Now HERE are the Spartans I know and love. The score is a bit deceiving, because it makes it look like the game was a lot closer than it was, but once the second half started, the Spartans were in control and never looked back. Northwestern actually played well--they hit amazing shots in the first half to keep it so close and hit some big 3s toward the end to make it appear they had a chance. The thing I really noticed about the Wildcats was their confidence. I have never seen a Northwestern team look like that--they didn't seem intimidated or flustered no matter what the score. Everyone wrote them off after Coble got injured and it gets mentioned a lot that NO ONE expected them to be this competitive without him. I hope they do well....just not against MSU...ha!

But back to the Spartans. All the analysts have talked about Kalin Lucas and how AMAZING he's been in the last two games (Minnesota and Michigan)...while I do think he's great, I've personally felt like he hasn't really shown up until late in the game (and thank goodness he DID, but it would have been nice to have him the whole time) and FINALLY tonight I saw the old Kalin the entire game. Sharp passes, slashing to the basket, hitting FTs, all of it! The team as well looked pretty sharp. They crashed the boards HARD, took care of the ball really well, always looked to make the extra pass, were strong inside...it was great! Durrell Summers was ridiculous and even Chris Allen had some spectacular dunks that I don't think I've ever seen before. Raymar Morgan didn't have a stellar game, but he still played pretty well and I think some of the fouls that took him out of it were a bit silly. The other thing that I loved was that the Spartans were calm and poised even after NW hit shots and closed the gap. They hit (most) of their free throws down the stretch as well....although Draymond Green needs to spend a BIT more time at the line (still adore him though).

KANSAS vs. KANSAS STATE

I am not going to into super-analysis on this one, because I was watching MSU most of the time, but CRAP!! WHAT A GAME!! K-State came out of nowhere for me, so I really know nothing about them, but the last few minutes and especially the overtime were really exciting. I loved the energy of the crowd as well...they were so loud and excited the entire time, their hearts must be crushed right about now. One thing that was interesting was watching Kansas be a little flustered and make some crucial mistakes that (almost) cost them the game--like missing free throws, almost throwing the ball away on the last possession of regulation and Collins then tripping on his drive that led to OT. HOWEVER, Collins did step up big time and hit a HUGE tough shot to seal the win...regardless of anything else, K-State couldn't seal the deal and Kansas did. It will be interesting to see how the Big 12 plays out...a lot of great teams in that conference.

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

~It seemed like the refs were calling a LOT of fouls today. I don't know if they have been told to tighten up or with all the close games they wanted to keep control...but the whistles were going left, right and center. It actually got a little annoying, because it interrupts the flow of the game, but regardless, it just seemed like more than usual. Who knows.

~DeMarcus Cousins contributes in a lot of positive ways to Kentucky basketball, but he needs to shut his mouth. Cousins does a lot of jawing and has thrown a few questionable elbows, especially today. It disappoints me to see a kid behave that way, especially when his play can do the talking. Shut your mouth and play kids. Thanks.

~Hopefully now that MSU beat Northwestern at the Breslin, we can stop talking about how Kevin Coble single-handedly destroyed the Spartans last year. We get it, he was amazing and hit 3 pointers backwards, upside down, off his left pinkie toe. We ALL remember. No need to keep re-living it. Thanks.

P.S.--Props to the K-State crowd. Incredible. I haven't heard a game that loud in a loooong time. I also love that they refer to the arena as "the Octagon of Doom." Awesome.

She's BAAAAACCCKK...

Back and maybe NOT better than ever, but I will try.



It's been a little tough getting back into the fray after 3 weeks of nothing but scores and highlights at my fingertips. It's bad news when you have a college basketball blog, leave the country and return with the need to play extreme catch-up. It might not be such a bad thing though--I won't be jaded with past performance or records, but rather where teams are at NOW and how they progress as we head into the meat of the season.



Rest-assured that I will have plenty to say about the fact that the Spartans gave me not one, but TWO heart attacks this week, eeking out wins over Minnesota and Michigan.



I watched South Carolina overtake Kentucky, watched Kansas dominate Mizzou (which was so sad, I thought Mizzou would have given them a better game), and can't WAIT to regale you with tales of games that will happen this weekend.



The Kentucky-SC game was interesting...I've never been a huge Kentucky fan, but they are quite fun to watch and I admit wholeheartedly that I've bought into the John Wall hype--I LOVE him. I HATE getting emotionally attached to players who will only be around for one year. I still say what I've said before and that is that Kentucky's youth in close games can and will get the better of them come tournament time. That's not to say they'll go out early, but they've now shown, just like all the other top teams, that they are vulnerable and not just when playing the big boys.



Also, SC getting fined for court-storming?!?! Not a fan of that rule. Yes, I understand WHY it exists--it is purely for safety and I would rather they have it now then after someone gets seriously hurt, but it puts such a damper on the joys of being a rowdy student fan...not that those rowdy student fans seemed to be dampened after that win. ;) *sigh* I miss those days.



It will be interesting to see who's #1 after the weekend as well..tons of big games and tons of opportunity for someone (*cough* NOVA) to sneak in and steal that spot. And in case you are wondering, no, I won't have a problem if Kansas does well this weekend and gets back to #1. At this point in the season, they are EARNING it by playing well and beating quality opponents. Make sense?



And in case you are wondering, NO, I don't think MSU should be #1. I love them, but they aren't there yet. They can be #410 right now for all I care, just as long as they are #1 come April (ok, maybe not THAT far down, but you get my point).



Speaking of MSU...8-0 in the Big Ten, best start in school history? I'll take it. I don't know how long it can last given their schedule and if they can't put teams away, this "we got the W because our opponent missed their last-second shot" luck is going to run out quickly. I have mixed emotions about the idea of my favorite teams going undefeated--on one hand, I LOVE IT. On the other hand, I think it gets into dangerous territory and possibly lulls them into a false sense of security. While I never WANT the team I cheer for to lose, I think an occasional loss can be a wake-up call and keep a team hungry and on their toes. That said, MSU still has a LOT of tough games coming up--at Wisconsin, at Illinois, vs. Ohio State and 2 games with Purdue. Yikes. I have full faith that they CAN run the table, but whether or not they will remains to be seen. It's a tough task for anyone, particularly when they are already at the top of the conference with a target on their back. With each win, that target gets bigger and every team wants to be the ones to take them down just a little bit more. Hopefully, the Spartans remember to just play well, play as a team and take it one game at a time. I have no doubt Izzo reminds them of that daily. :)

However, I think the Michigan game was evidence that the Spartans aren't quite playing their best basketball yet. The turnovers are driving me CRAZY and it's something that they've struggled with for the past couple of seasons. When they take care of the ball and make sharp passes, hard drives and strong moves to the basket, they can make anything happen. CONTROL IT PLEASE.

I AM very pleased with the response from Raymar Morgan. He has this fire in his eye that just says, "Get out of the way, 'cause we aren't leaving here until we win." LOVE IT! I've seen that look in all the Spartans in the past and I hope Ray can inspire the rest of them with his passion.

Big games this weekend kids....enjoy!!!

P.S. Props to anyone tuning in after my long hiatus...thanks for reading! :)

Maybe We Can Beat UNC Before the End of the Century...

...but it isn't looking good. Due to travel for work, I wasn't able to watch this game. However, my good friend Sarah took notes during the game and passed me her thoughts. I would like to share them with you, since I did enjoy them so much (though I did NOT enjoy the outcome).

"Thoughts on UNC-MSU"
by Sarah G., guest blogger

~UNC was scoring lights out ridiculous, so that sucked a lot. It was like they had Hansbrough pixie dust on them and could not be stopped, so that was a rather large factor.

~MSU did battle back from a 19-point deficit, so I was proud that they didn't just roll over. But it was just really not their night--or it was just really UNC's night, like they made a ridiculous 3 pointer at the first half buzzer and EVERYTHING was falling in.

~In the 2nd half, Morgan got an awesome steal....and then ran into Lucas...wah wah...and then both Roe and Green fouled out.

~Draymond Green was amazing. I love him. He is just such a good all-around player. Making great passes, grabbing rebounds, totally tough and committed to the game. And at the end, after he fouled out, he gathered everyone up and gave them a mini-pep talk or something. SO CUTE. And he made all his free throws.

~Chris Allen started off well. He was actually playing defense and grabbing rebounds and then he did his weird Allen disappearing act.

~Raymar Morgan had a great game and Durrell Summers remembered how to score 3s again.

~Sherman seemed to be trying his best, but....he's got a ways to go to be a true defensive threat.

So that's it!! Please feel free to share your thoughts on the game!!

Big Game, Big Win

And we are....right back into college basketball season with some great games on throughout the day Tuesday. I had these lovely visions of coming home from work, settling in on the couch with a beer and flipping between various games on different channels....Sadly, that never happened. I actually ended up at work until 9:15 pm, crouched in front of my computer, focused on watching my Spartans take on the Bulldogs of Gonzaga (God bless ESPN360.com). I REALLY wanted to watch Memphis-Kansas and do a little writing about that, but unfortunately that wasn't an option....So guess what? MSU it is (I know, you're shocked).

As I sat and watched, I wasn't super-pleased with the opening effort. Down as many as 13 points in the first half, the Spartans were out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-manned down low. It seemed like they really struggled to find any kind of offensive rhythm--on the other side, Gonzaga came ready to play and went at MSU hard. To be frank, I didn't pay much attention to Gonzaga this preseason. I always kind of assume they are going to be good and felt as though this would be a tough game regardless. Based on those assumptions, I figured I would just watch the game and see what they looked like...and had several observations...

1.) Gonzaga has SIZE. I didn't realize how large these guys actually are. They have a 7 footer and a kid that is SEVEN FOOT FIVE. I mean, seriously!?!? SEVEN FOOT FIVE!?!?!? How do you even GET to be that big? They also have 2 freshmen that are 6'10 and 6'11. Their best shooter, Matt Bouldin, stands at 6'5. Freshman 7'0 Robert Sacre had a great game, especially dominanting in the first half--he showed some great potential for his future with the Bulldogs.

2.) The Zags are CLEARLY underrated and will be in the top 25 very shortly. People questioned whether Mark Few was rebuilding or reloading. I think last night gave us our answer.

3.) Delvon Roe had a BAD game. Fouling out with about 9:30 left in the game, no points, very little contribution. It's still early in the season and he's definitely not 100% from his concussion, so I'm not TOO worried, but he HAS to contribute in order for the Spartans to do well. It is a must.

4.) Freshman Derrick Nix missed FOUR consecutive free throws. FOUR. Unacceptable. He's young and new and adjusting to being a college player in a high-pressure atmosphere, so I'm willing to cut him a LITTLE slack, but let's not make that a habit, okay?

5.) Durrell Summers is incredible--what else can I say!??! He got his first career double-double, hitting shots from all over the floor (including an off-balance, fadeaway while falling down...AMAZING) and basically carried the Spartans on his back, stepping up when others struggled.

6.) Other props go to Raymar Morgan, who despite a lackluster first half and minor ankle injury, came out strong in the second half and helped lift the Spartans back into the game before fouling out. During his time on the bench, he transistioned into a role as cheerleader and the alternating looks of concern and excitement on his face were just so endearing. He just CARES so much.

I had several non-MSU fans make comments during the game that I must be freaking out or that MSU can't win a national championship playing like this...to which I replied, CALM DOWN! IT IS NOVEMBER. Yes, there were multiple things that they need to work on...but every team has multiple things to work on...Kansas, Kentucky, etc. etc. There is sloppiness and some questionable shooting on every team...that's okay. Typically, how it works is that teams GET BETTER as the year goes by. RELAX. If I can watch a game like last night without completely freaking out, I think everyone can.

HAPPY BASKETBALL SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am completely jealous of Andy Katz....

The article is great, but the video is even better! Take a tour of Tom Izzo's basement and check out his Spartan memoribilia...I thought I was building a pretty good collection, but I'm pretty sure it will never come close to his...

Katz: Izzo, Spartans want to take one more step in

Posted using ShareThis

An Open Letter to the Spartans

Dear Spartans,

You know I love you. Every day since April 6th, I've counted down the days until Oct. 16, when Midnight Madness hits and you can once again unleash your basketball greatness to the world.

That time is now upon us. I can't pretend I don't have high expectations for you this season. You made it all the way to the championship last year and while I was proud, I think this is your time to take it all. I know you can do it. No matter what, I will always expect you to play hard. You may lose a game or two this season and that will be okay--which I am putting in writing because I'm sure I might have some anger about it later. I know it's early and there's a long way to go, but I'd like to take this time to address a few concerns.

Every November, the season starts and the injuries begin. This year is no different. It appears that several of you are having some issues. Delvon Roe: Concussion. Korie Lucious: Sprained Ankle. Chris Allen: Groin. Raymar Morgan: Sprained Ankle. Here is my plea: Get it all out now. Take the bumps and bruises, come down with swine flu, roll an ankle, whatever. Do it early and then STOP. Stay healthy. Be strong. In order to make it all the way, WE NEED ALL OF YOU AT 100% and not on the surgery table or sitting on the bench with a fever. I'm sure you will all be fine, but I'm just feeling some stress.

I would like to specifically address you, Raymar Morgan. You are an incredible asset to the team. We all love you. When you're on, you're unstoppable. You showed us in the UConn game and we were all so proud. This season, with Suton gone, we need that Raymar EVERY GAME. We need your leadership, strength, rebounding and most importantly, your offense. Please step it up and deliver. I know you can.

Here's to a great season, Spartans...I'll be watching!

GO GREEN,

Wigs

Um, Draymond Green? We don't pull on people's jerseys....

Michigan State 54, Michigan 42

Yes, I will be gushing. No, I don't feel bad about it. Anytime we can beat a rival, it feels good. Football, basketball, water polo--I don't care. The thing that's kind of cool is, in both football and basketball, the rivalries have been pretty one-sided the last few years (UM in football, MSU in basketball), but with the improvements MSU is making on the football side and John Beilein at the helm of Michigan basketball, I think that's changing. A lot of people may say that isn't a good thing, but I disagree. A rivalry is only really fun if the other team is worth beating...even if that means we may lose to Michigan sometime down the road (but I hope not!).

Anyway, on to the game. I was really happy with several things I saw out of my team tonight. 1.) Getting a road win, especially in the Big Ten, is always great. It's a lot less intimidating going into the tournament and not having that home support when you can step up and win anyway.

2.) They did really well holding the lead. Michigan made a couple of runs, took advantage of some defensive breakdowns inside and hit some shots, but every time that happened, MSU calmly came down the floor and made a play. That kind of poise is SO important--not panicking, not forcing it, not turning it over (granted they turned it over some, but for the most part did really well).

3.) Getting some wins without their lead scorer on the floor. It's no secret Raymar Morgan has been out with some mystery illness (it might be mono, it might be puemonia, it changes a lot)
and that's a huge loss for our team. However, the guys are stepping up and finding some other answers, which is great. Morgan is expected to be back next week against Purdue, but won't be up to full strength for awhile. It's good the rest of the team knows how to help him out until he gets there.

4.) DELVON ROE! Every few years, I pick my favorite player. For the past 4 years, it was Drew Neitzel. I took a lot of heat for it at times, but I stand by my choice. It was solid. At the beginning of this season, I was quite unsure who it would be, but after a couple games, I decided Roe was my guy. After tonight, I'm patting myself on the back about what a good choice that was (so far...god forbid something terrible happens). He has played really well lately and tonight was no exception. 14 points, 10 boards...but in general, his presence was everywhere. It seemed like every time MSU made a great play, Roe had something to do with it. A loose ball, offensive rebounds, defending the post, etc. In the absence of Morgan, he stepped up to give us a go-to guy in the post. This kid doesn't play like a freshman and we haven't even seen all he can do yet. I can't wait.

5.) Travis Walton. The kid isn't the biggest offensive threat, but his leadership on the defensive end is ridiculous, in an amazing way. He guards every team's best player and tonight he was all over Manny Harris, holding him to just 7 points. Woo!

Random thoughts:
*Goran Suton frustrates me to no end. For the past 3 years, the kid has been ridiculously inconsistent. Half the time, he's the best player on the floor. The other half of the time, he looked like he'd never seen a basketball before. Then this year came. He had knee surgery and came back....with solid performances every game. Amazing, right? And then there was tonight. He, again, looked like he had never seen a basketball before. He got beat on defense, got caught with his back turned, couldn't grab a rebound, couldn't hit a shot...GRRR! I hope it was just an off game and not a return to the old ways...otherwise, I say he might have to go under the knife one more time.

*The Michigan crowd amused me. It seemed that every time MSU had the ball (according to them) we either committed an offensive foul, traveled, turned it over--in general, we did something wrong every time we had the ball. I agree that there were some questionable calls, but it definitely went both ways. I wasn't always happy either, but it evened out pretty well.

*It pains me to give Michigan credit for anything (kidding) but they did play great defense. The Spartans fought through it, but they really rotated well and suffocated our team without fouling. I was getting frustrated and I didn't even play. John Beilein is a really great coach and he is going to have a lot of success there (dang it).

*Why does Manny Harris always look like he's going to cry? I've watched a few Michigan games this year and the kid just has one of those facial expressions that makes him looks constantly depressed.

*Is the fact that Greg Paulus starting at point guard tomorrow really THAT big a deal? I can see when talking about the game in a preview or in the studio or something that it would be relevant, but when saying "This game is on tomorrow...AND GREG PAULUS IS STARTING AT POINT GUARD!!!"??? I don't think it's international news.

PS--Props to Delvon Roe. No explanation needed.

GO GREEN!