Two for One

First off, I gotta say my Iowa MSU  prediction was pretty solid.  Though MSU jumped out to an early lead, 31-7, Iowa clawed its way back and made the final score a lot closer.  And yes, at a few points I was worried we might lose this one. I did not see that game scoring so many points.

The finer points:  Kirk Cousins got some sweet sweet redemption.  No turnovers, and touchdowns to boot.  Touchdowns  you say? Did you see the pass and catch from Kirk to BJ for their second td hookup?  That was an NFL cactch.  BJ is very good.  Also, helluva catch by Edwin Baker for the TD.   The running game got going again with over 150 yards.  And we held Coker to his lowest total of the year with 57 yards.  Our rush defense is very good.  Our pass defense is very solid.  More than that though, our defense makes stops when they need to.  This is an excellent unit. 


Part two is all basketball.  MSU lost and lost big to UNC.  However there were many high points.  First and foremost, MSU's ability to crash to boards was something I have not seen in since 2008!  We dominated the boards in that game.  Unfortunately, UNC dominated the scoring.  Along with that great surprise is Branden Dawson.  Dawson looked very good.  He showed great work on defense, outstanding work on the boards, had he knocked down some jumpers, it would have been a complete game. 

Moving forward, we have MSU playing Duke in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night.  Duke is currently ranked 6th in the country and look to be another great Duke team.  No surprise there.  However, MSU can win this game.  And it comes down the rebounding the ball even more.  For as much as MSU crashed the boards in the carrier classic, they need to do double that in MSG.  MSU is not a good field goal shooting team right now, so getting easy put backs will be necessary.  Byrd did not play very much in the Carrier Classic, but should get more minutes as the season wears on, this will help the FG%.  Also, Appling needs to stop with the offensive fouls.  I fully expect a Duke team to be stepping into the lanes and trying to get charge calls.  So fundamentally sound.  However, Izzo knows this, so look for Appling to continue to cut the lane, only this time dish it for the easy layup or the open jumper.  I also expect Wood to take more of a scorers role in this game.  We need it.  Without Wood scoring, this will be a long long season.  Outside of that, MSU will need to limit the outside scoring of Duke.   Should Mike Krzyzysksi get this win it will be the most victories in NCAA history.  If I know Izzo, he will want none of that record.  Look for MSU to win this game in a hard nosed game. (why couldnt this have been played in the midwest!!)  well call it 67-60 MSU. 

The story of MSU's season will be if they can hit shots, especially the three pointer.  Look for them to quiet that, a little bit, in this game. 

GO GREEN