A Week Seems Like A Year

As you know a lot has happened in the B1G and for MSU over the last week.  Pat is still AWOL and there are no signs of his return, at least until he gets back to California.  Maryland and Rutgers to the B1G (ugh) MSU eeked one out past Minnesota (yay).  michigan lost to OSU (meh).  Coupled with that have been some basketball games.  Where MSU has won some close ones, lost a sloppy one and cruised to a victory.

This MSU basketball team is the tale of two teams.  A team with a backup point guard and a team without.  MSU looks a lot better when Trice is playing.  Trice is a career (approximately)  48% three point shooter.  Last year he shot just over 40% and this year is shooting 56% (though his total shots this year are hardly enough to predict season results).  But this is what Trice can bring to the MSU team, a three point threat (and a breather for Appling)  Should Trice keep up his current pace of 1.6 threes made per game.  That would likely land him in the top ten in the B1G.  That seems like a stat he is more likely to upkeep versus the 56% made.  For comparison sake, Trice made .93 threes per game.  Even if he were to land somewhere in the middle of .93 and 1.6 that would be an extra dimension that seems to be missing (hopefully Byrd can get going, get some confidence).

 

(make more of these please)

The Spartan Football team was able to make a bowl game!!!! WHOOO HOOOOO.  Pat and I both had the Spartans pegged for 9-3.  We were just a bit off - a call or a field goal away from being there though.  I guess that's sports.  The defense was every bit as advertised - in some aspects better and some aspects worse.  What was shockingly poor was the offense.  Line injuries, I feel, really hampered the development of the passing game.  I am 100% not in the Spartan camp that thinks we should have been playing Connor Cook.  Those people are loony.  Where do go from here though?  Well, we go to a bowl game.  The Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl against TCU.  Seems winnable. More on that later.  What I would like to talk about is next year.  Or as Mark Dantonio said at the team banquet "You will be the ones. And you know what I mean by that" (thank you Joe Rexrode twitter).  So what is meant by that?  Winning football games, duh!  MSU is looking to bounce back from a meh 6-6 season.  I would love an 8-4 year next year.  Looking ahead, the schedule is more favorable for MSU (the problem with that is that the only good home game is against UM).  With road games at Notre Dame and Nebraska. 

Tonight MSU basketball plays Arkansas Pine Bluff in what should be a sleeper of a game.  No sense in writing a write up for this game.  Especially since I will be at work missing most of the game.

Coming up next on the blog, is MSU Football entering a Wide Receiver apex?  Was this really a down year for the B1G?   Will Pat ever blog again, or is he resting on his past accomplishments, like a typical michigan fan?

Rock Chalk Neglect the Blog.

So i have not posted since last week.  Literally a week.  I have no idea where Pat is.  He might be dead. He might be in Cambodia.  No clue.  But that's ok, because I am here, and I am here to preview this Kansas game.

Tomorrow, MSU takes on Kansas.  The Jayhawks boast a frontcourt that features a 7 footer and a freshman power forward that is 6-8.  I have a feeling both can score more readily in the post than either Payne or Nix.  However, that does not fully matter because that is not exactly how the SPartans will score in this game.  MSU is going to need to run in this game - get the easy transition points.  Kansas is a team that will defend well both down-low and extended out to the perimeter.  Because of this, the Spartans need to limit the amount of turnovers they have in this game.  Nix had 4 turnovers in the game against UConn.   Two of the turnovers I remember; Nix got the ball on a rebound and then brought the ball down-low where a guard ripped the ball out.  Just keep that ball up high and get a shot up. Now that the halfcourt offense is ran through Appling, his ability to set the tempo will critical. Appling should be guarding Elijah Johnson.  Johnson is a senior who lead his team in three pointers made last year.  Along with that, he has a great leaping ability and a quick first step.  Keith needs to not get tired defensively so he can do his own damage on the first offensive side of the ball.  Another factor surrounding Keith and how he can lead MSU to victory is that Travis Trice will likely not be playing in this game.  Trice suffered a concussion in Germany and is doubtful against Kansas.

It is time for Valentine and Kearney to become men.

What matters most in this game is how MSU reacts to the travel time.  Coming off that prime-time game and then coming into another prime-time game can be exhausting, let alone traveling halfway around the world to do it.

So how do I see this game going?  Well it depends on how it starts.  Can MSU play a complete game, score points early?  Sure they can.  Will they?  That certainly is not something that the Spartans have done in the past.  Kansas lost two players to the NBA but returns three seniors.  They did not exactly run away with the game against SE Missouri State which leads me to believe that their offense is struggling right now.  I like MSU in this game after putting together great team defense.  70-62 MSU  (I can also see this going the other way, ugh)

Basketball. That is all.

(Ed Note, this was mostly done by pat, I have added my 2 cents in italics.)

After each earning a share of the B1G title last season, Michigan and Michigan state enter the basketball season with high expectations.  The Spartans lose the B1G MVP, All-Everything Draymond Green, Austin Thorton, Brandon Wood, Anthony Ianni while the Wolverines will need to replace the leadership and outside shooting of Zach Novak and Stu Douglass.  The only other departure for the Wolverines is the transfer of Evan Smotcryz.

Both teams add excellent recruiting classes to their squads in 2012-13.  Michigan adds big time recruits Glenn (Tre) Robinson III (Indeed, that's Big Dog's kid) as well as Mitch McGary.  Coming to Ann Arbor along with them will be Nik Stauskas, Caris Levert and Spike Albrecht.  MSU adds super recruit Gary Harris as well as...Kenny Kaminski, Matt Costelo and Denzel Valentine.

Let's compare each position between the Spartans and the Wolverines.  These comparisons require some guesswork because lineups and rotations are difficult to determine before the season.  For Michigan, I'm working on the assumption that JB will keep his 4 shooters/1 big offense humming along though word out of practice is that they have been implementing some "big" lineup with some combination of Morgan/Horford/McGary at the 4/5 and Burke/Hardway/Robinson at the 1/2/3.  However, I still think they will revert to old habits and Glenn Robinson III will end up with the majority of minutes at power forward and Hardaway will remain at the 3 (where he has played his entire Michigan career).

PG:  Keith Appling/Travis Trice vs Trey Burke/Spike Albrecht

Michigan State returns Keith Appling at the PG position.  Keith was having a great season early on last year but seemed to really wear down as the season trudged on.  Adding some backcourt help should allow Appling to stay fresher this season.  (I assume) he will be backed up by sophomore Travis Trice.  Trice earned a lot of playing time last season and should be a better than average backup PG.  Trice might be a better point than Appling.  While Appling is a more dynamic player, if that makes sense.  However, what trice has and that Appling does not, is the ability to shoot the three.  Trice netted 40.5% last year while Appling netted 25% (down from 41% his frosh  year.)  I think Trice is going to have a fantastic year as a back up.

Michigan returns Trey Burke, the co B1G freshman of the year (along with Tyler Zeller) and a guy who was maybe the best PG in the league a season ago.  He will need to play heavy minutes this year as he was mostly backed up by Stu Douglass last season.  Incoming freshman Spike Albrecht is a pure PG, that is to say he's short and looks to pass more than he looks to score.  If Spike can defend B1G PG's he will spell Burke for 5-10 minutes per game.  If Spike isn't up to the challenge the Wolverines will rely even more heavily on Burke and may have to turn to freshman guards Caris Levert or Nik Stauskas (though both should be SG/SF type players)

The Wolverines have the edge here as Burke outplayed Appling throughout the season last year.  Burke is probably on the short list of players to watch for in the race for B1G POTY in 2012-13 (along with the aforementioned Zeller) But don't sleep on Appling, he's a high end talent and made some significant strides between his freshman and sophomore years.  Another step forward and he puts himself in the same category as Burke as one of the best PG's in the country.

Edge: Michigan

SG: Gary Harris/Denzel Valentine/Russell Byrd vs Nik Stauskas/Caris Levert/Matt Vogrich

Harris is MSU's prized true freshman and should be an impact player immediately.  He'll be the best SG MSU has seen in a long time.  By all accounts he is ready to play immediately and should have no problem being a difference maker. (After watching the exhibtion game, Harris appeared to have the go ahead to shoot threes.  Which is fine because he made a few.  It would make my day if he was a super freshman.  I have no idea what to expect but he was a highly coveted recruit and will start as a true frosh.  Byrd will also get PT as shooting guard. His stroke was off in the first exhibition game.  But it loks really good coming out.  Any sort of consistent threat from three for this MSU team (and really all basketball teams) will make them nearly impossible to guard.  This year, Denzel Valentine should see most of his time at SG.  He is a tall player known for his play making ability.  He is the teams future point.  He had some boneheaded plays in the exhibition, but looked like he belonged as well.   For Michigan here I have a 3 way battle between two true freshman and a 4th year senior.  Vogrich might get the start early on in the season as Beilein turns to his experience, perimeter shooting and defensive hustle.  I expect him to give way to Stauskas at some point.  I'm massively high on the canadian prospect as I think he'll be Jon Diebler 2.0.  He can simply shoot the basketball. Levert has come in for a lot of praise throughout the preseason and could be a guy who surprises with athleticism on the wing.

Despite how high I am on Stauskas I truly believe Gary Harris is an NBA player within 2 years.  While most of the talent here for both teams will be true freshman I believe MSU has the edge at the top with the best player among all the SG's on both teams.

Edge: MSU

SF: Brenden Dawson/Brandon Kearney/ Russell Byrd vs Tim Hardaway Jr/Glenn Robinson III

Dawson was really coming into his own late in the season before suffering an injury.  He returns as MSU's go to wing player.  He'll likely see minutes at the 4 as well.  Along with that Dawson should lead the team in scoring.  I would not be surprised if it is over 20 points per game.  He is wildly athletic around the court and his ability so snatch up rebounds will get him a lot of cheap buckets.  If he happens to develop a 15 footer, look out.  Kearney will play mostly as a defensive specialist.  He still is exceptionally lanky.  Kearney could score in high school and that did not show last year.  Brandon may have the go ahead to start slashing to the hoop. That would go a long way towards helping the sub team.  As previously mentioned, Bryd should see some PT here as well. Tim Hardaway enters his Jr season (see what I did there?) after having a bit of a Sophomore slump last year.  Hardaway's efficiency really decreased as he took on a go-to scorer's role.  Tim remains one of the more talented 3's in the entire Big Ten and comes back with more talent around him than he's ever had while at Michigan.

It's difficult to compare these players as Hardaway is a slasher, scorer and shooting while Dawson is dunker and rebounder.  Dawson in transition is like Spartan basketball porn while Hardaway is as good as any SF in the country when his 3 pointers are falling.

Edge: MSU (slight and depending on the health of Dawson)

PF: Glenn Robinson III/Mitch McGary/Max Beifeldt vs Adreian Payne/Alex Gauna/Kenny Kaminski

Where Gary Harris is MSU's recruiting gem, I truly believe Glenn Robinson III is that guy for Michigan. Michigan hasn't seen a guy with Robinson's athletic ability since Brent Petway and that is a bad comparison because Robinson can actually play basketball.  I think Robinson has the best chance of any Wolverine to be a superstar and a lottery pick in the NBA.  It may take him a little bit to earn all that lofty praise I'm giving him but all indications are that he's a special talent.   Mitch McGary was the #2 prospect in the entire nation at one point last season before taking a plummet to the 4 star/5 star fringe.  He comes in as a high energy player who will provide rebounding and a spark in the hustle department.  I expect him to earn minutes as the year goes on and to play a lot when/if Michigan goes "big".

With Payne at PF, and Nix at center, MSU will struggle to guard a lot of larger  4 spot players on a given night.  Payne, has been able to get the best of some low post players, (think every OSU game last year) but has also been boxed out by similar players.  Payne has  been a bit of a head scratcher for me.  He was a 5 star recruit that never seemed to developed a low post move.  If Payne spent his summer working on a 6 foot jumper and a hook shot, wed be walking into the national championship game. Unfortunately, after watching the first exhibition game, it appears Payne left off from last year.  Payne has a lot of ability in an uptempo game, but once it becomes half court, he seems to over think it.  What can make up for that though is if Payne is constantly crashing the boards and running down the floor.  We need is length and athleticism.  Guana is nearly the exact opposite.  Guana can hit jump shots but seems to always miss the rebound right next him.  Alex is also half the athlete as Payne but appears to have twice the post moves.   Gauna looked good in the first exhibition game, that was promising.

Edge: Michigan (though unproven) I will go ahead an disagree with this.  Solely because none of your players have played college basketball before.  And Payne isn't dog food.  Edge MSU.

 

 

(just do this ALLLL the time)

 
C: Jordan Morgan/Jon Horford vs Derrick Nix/Matt Costello

Derrick Nix returns to anchor the Spartans in the middle.  Nix has had problems on the defensive end and with weight issues throughout his career but he can really score the basketball.  When he's on his game he's one of the better low post scorers in the B1G. (Nix and Payne are mostly interchangeable between the 4 and 5, depending on the team.  They will both play both at times.)

Jordan Morgan enters his reds
hirt Junior season after two very productive years.  Morgan isn't the type of guy who you give the ball to on a regular basis to provide offense but he gets points in transition, does a good job on the glass and shoots a very high percentage.  Before his injury last season Jon Horford was usurping Morgan's minutes and seems to have the higher upside of the two.  Expect both to be significant contributors this season and hold down the center spot well for Michigan.  Mitch McGary could also see time at the 5 spot.  Michigan also has Blake McClimans.

Edge: Even

These seem like pretty even squads.  Let's take a look at the statistics from last season:

PPG:
OPPG:
Rebounding Margin:
Turnovers:

By possession metrics:

Michigan got bigger and more athletic and should see a benefit in their rebounding numbers but may also see a drop in the 3 point shooting %.

MSU loses a great star in Draymond Green and will need to find players to create offense and fill the leadership vacuum left by his departure.  As is typically true of Izzo coached teams I expect this year's Spartans may start a little slowly due to the new faces and distribution of offensive possessions but should round into form by B1G play and be ready to make a run in March.

Both teams should compete with Indiana and Ohio State for the B1G championship and I've learned to never count out Bo Ryan's Badgers.

Will He Stay or Will He Go?

The rumors are swirling all around Trey Burke.  The most recent scuttle is that he's leaving.

Michigan is bringing in unheralded recruit (he's a little white guy) Spike Albrecht for a recruiting visit today (Thursday).  If offered, he's likely a Wolverine as Michigan would be by far his best offer.

Burke leaving would be a killer and a guy like Albrecht would at least give Michigan a ball-handler, even if he's outmatched in Big Ten basketball.  Burke is a notoriously hard worker and deserves his chance at the NBA.  I wish him all the luck in the world and still holding out that sliver of hope that he'll come back.

The big question here, is Beilein to blame for the glaring weakness at PG on next year's roster?  I don't think so.  Darius Morris, had he stayed, would be entering his Sr year or leaving for the NBA draft after a great Jr season.  There's no way that both Burke and Morris would have seen enough minutes to both be able to leave this season.  The only possible way this could transpire was if Morris left too early and Burke was a one-and-done after being a 3 star recruit to most of the world.  In other words, this is a crazy situation where a chain of unlikely events has caused a gaping hole on the roster.  Michigan brings in Derrick Walton in 2013 and he'll come in and be an instant starter just like Burke.  He's good, but there's a year gap before he arrives.

My guess at the rotation gets a huge makeover if Burke leaves.  I think there could even be a lineup of Stauskas, Hardaway, Robinson as the starting 1/2/3 which would lack any one great ballhandler but would have three long, capable athletes to each share some of the responsibility of getting the ball up the court.  None of these guys could really defend PG's 1 on 1 on the perimeter so I think you'll see a lot more zone from Michigan as they have gotten so much longer and athletic. 

We should find out more definitively on Burke in the next few days.

B1G Hoops

Let's wrap up the season

For Michigan, a first round exit from the tournament was a disappointment but you hang the banner for the Big Ten championship and look back on this season as the one where Michigan's basketball program established itself as a regular contender.  Michigan's program has not been in a place where any reasonable fan can be disappointed with a Big Ten championship and a first round NCAA tournament exit.  But now, maybe the program has reached that level.  It has been significant, what these guys have done.  The banner goes up and the future looks brighter than ever.

Here's where I give thanks to Zack and Stu, one unranked out of high school, the other a two star.  Three NCAA tournament appearances and a Big Ten championship during their four seasons at Michigan.  A great run by any measure.  

I remember reading countless message board posts about 15 months ago (Michigan was off to a horrendous start to Big Ten play during the 2011 season) suggesting different names for who should be Michigan's next basketball coach.  One and a half seasons later and the program is in a better spot than it's been in two decades.  Amazing how fast things can change.  I'd wager that Beilein's approval rating would be rather high right now. (Insert Derrick Nix joke here?)

The future is bright, but it also contains some great questions and concerns.  Immediately following the loss to the Bobcats, Michigan lost three players to transfer.  The loss of Evan Smotcryz is a significant one as his ability to stretch the floor and shoot from distance as a PF was a key ingredient in JB's offense the past couple of season.  Evan was a player who could wow you with his potential but never seemed to put it together on both ends of the floor.  He was always a liability defensively.  Still, his loss, along with the departures of Novak and Douglass will be felt next season.  Luckily Michigan has it's best recruiting class in over a decade to help restock the roster with talent.

Speaking of that recruiting class.  I really like all three players.  I think Nik Stauskas could surprise as a JJ Redick clone.  He may finally be the heralded three point shooter who simply doesn't miss if he's open.  Big Dog Jr will probably come in and be the biggest contributor from day 1.  He will immediately be Michigan's best athlete on the floor with his length and explosiveness.  And the final piece is Mitch McGary, the once #2 rated prospect in the country who has fallen off a bit after his senior year wasn't as good as his AAU season.   I'm not sure if McGary can play the 4 in Beilein's offense so he will probably battle for minutes with Morgan and Horford at the 5 and get some minutes at the 4 as well.  I expect Trey Robinson to start the 4 from day 1 when he steps on campus.  He'll be battling against redshirt freshman Max Beifeldt and his buddy McGary for that spot.

There is one question that still remains and that is Trey Burke, will he stay or will he go?  I think it would be another poor decision by a Michigan athlete if he leaves, but after Manny and Darius the last two seasons I have given up trying to predict young men's decisions based on logic.  He'll do what he wants and Michigan will adjust.  If he returns, Michigan is probably a top ten team.  If he leaves...Michigan will struggle to make the NCAA tournament with no ball handler on the roster.

Here's an early look at how I think Michigan's rotation shakes out (assuming Burke returns)

PG: Burke (35 minutes) Akunne (5)
SG: Nik Stauskas (25) Matt Vogrich (10) Tim Hardaway Jr (5)
SF: Hardaway (25) Glenn Robinson Jr (10) Vogrich (5)
PF: Robinson (20) Beifeldt (15) McGary (5)
C: Morgan (15) McGary (15) Horford (10)

I think a starting lineup of Burke, Stauskas, Hardaway, Robinson and Morgan gives Michigan the best blend of experience, athleticism and shooting ability.  I'm excited about the development of Horford and Beifeldt and can't wait to see what they can do this season.  McGary is an X-factor and if JB feels he can play the 4, you could see Stauskas move to the bench with Hardaway and Burke in the backcourt and Robinson at the 3.  The most striking thing about next year's lineup is that no matter how you look at it Michigan is all of a sudden, big, long and athletic.  No longer will Michigan enter a game as an athletic mismatch who will have to out-shoot it's opponents to win.  They will be able to beat lesser teams by overpowering them with athleticism.

That green team

Draymond Green's amazing run at Michigan State ended with a loss in the sweet 16.  For MSU, expectations are great and result in feeling disappointed at the end to a great season.  I think Spartan fans should look on this season with great appreciation for what their team accomplished after such a difficult 2011.

Michigan State is going to be a top 10 team in 2013 and I am curious to see how minutes shake out in the backcourt.  Gary Harris is too good to keep off the floor, so Appling is probably going to have to play a lot at the point again next season.  I think MSU should really look to push the ball next season when Dawson returns and Harris joins the fold.  I'm not sure if MSU will be as good as they were this year but they have the potential to be extremely fun to watch.

The B1G is going to be scary good again next year...

Take a look at this way-too-early ranking of NCAA basketball teams for 2013.  If you don't want to look, Andy Katz and company have Indiana #1, OSU #5, MSU #7 and Michigan #8.  4 of the top 8?  IU as the #1 overall team?  And I thought the Big Ten was a brutally tough conference to win in this season...

Sweet 16

So he were are again. The Sweet 16.  Not a bad place to be, we could have lost in the first round, so I will take this.  In the first weekend of games there were some serious upsets.  Lehigh over Duke, Norfolk State over Mizzo and even UM losing.  I did not have UM in the sweet 16 (I picked Temple to beat them..) But I did not expect to see Ohio beat the Wolverines.   This is a good thing for UM, and it was a hell of a run for their seniors.  This loss will show Beilein that they need to get the ball in the post more, Mitch McGary will certainly help that next year. The question is, is Trey Burke staying?  He is better than Darius Morris was at this point and he took off.  I gotta assume Trey is gonna stay.  UM should be favorites to win the B1G next year.

So what can we expect from Louisville?  Well, a lot of full court press, a lot of zone defense, and always running the ball.  This isn't the best Louisville team in the past few years but they aren't slouches either.  This is a very athletic and long team on the defensive end anchored by a 7 foot center and this team will look to get breaks and push the  ball up the court.    It will be interesting to see how MSU handles the half court defense.  Beating a zone has not been an MSU strong suit for as long as I can remember.  Were gonna need to come ready to shoot the ball.  Should MSU be off from long range we will be down big early.  What is encouraging is the shooting night that Appling had against Saint Louis.  His three ball is still off but he shot 50% from the floor and lead both teams in the FGA.  This is a huge factor in the game, how well is Keith shooting.  With that, the 7 footer is going to clog up the lane unlike any previous opponent MSU has faced.  This length will make it hard for Payne to get off his patented 6-foot hook/jumpshot he does.  Payne has been abusing defenders with that move all season.  I  do not see this match up going well for Nix unless he can really use his body to create separation, but then are fouls going to be called on him?  Hard to say.  What Nix could end up being very devastating at is an inside out game.  The two of them are going to have to run down the floor a lot and execute perfectly on the offensive end.  Teams are only shooting 38% against the Cardinals - MSU needs to take care of the rock and grab boards.

On the flip side, MSU needs to play the defense they have been playing all year.  Louisville starting 5 are shooting a solid 45% from the floor and a less stellar 25% from 3.  What this tells you is that they are deadly from inside the arch.  That 3-point % is weighing down the floor %.  MSU will need to continue to hedge off the high screens and stop the entry pass into their 7-footer (Dieng).  I can see Louisville trying to exploit this early and get our bigs in foul trouble.  That's what I would do if I wanted to beat MSU.  Our perimeter defense should be able to stay with Louisville.  It is just a matter of not giving up any easy buckets. 

I can see this game going either way so I wont venture a guess on the score.  Tomorrow is my birthday though so MSU  better win!

(time to go old school)

Round 3

MSU plays Saint Louis in a third round matchup with a trip to the sweet 16 on the line.  This is a saint louis team that is a lot like Wisconsin Lite.  MSU should win this,  sorry I do not have more but I am about to go into work and have to listen to the game on the radio :(  I will have a more full recap tonight as well as some thoughts on UM.

GO GREEN

Part 2

MSU vs WI.  the winner goes to the finals.  Kansas lost, if MSU wins the BTT outright, they might get a #1 seed.    Of course I am missing this game too but I fully expect MSU to win this game. This isnt the Wisconsin team of past.  They can still shoot and still rebound however.  The good thing is that, MSU does these things as well, and better.  I have to go participate in a Chicago version of Amazing Race.

Quick Hit

The B1G tournament isn't making it easy for anyone to watch the games.  MSU plays Iowa today at noon.  This is a winnable game, but Iowa can sneak up on you.  The thing to watch here is how the Spartans respond after loosing a battle against OSU and seeing Branden Dawson go down with a season ending injury.  (the same knee that was injured against UNC I believe).  If MSU comes out and hammers Iowa that is a good sign.  If we have to sneak out this win, theres no way we win the next tournament game. 

Who is going to step up in Dawson's absence?  Kearney will get a lot more burn now, but I don't fully trust him on offense.  Bryd should also play a bit more but I don't really trust him on defense - though the last few games his shot has been pure, and falling.    If Trice is finally 100% after re-aggravating his ankle in practice that will take a lot of pressure off of Appling, who can play the 2 more and concentrate more on defense as well.

The Spartans need to remember what got them to this record.  Hard defense and Rebounding.  Keep that up and we still have pieces to make a run. 

Enjoy not watching the game everyone, unless of course you can watch it at work, or you dont have a job.

Pat any thoughts on UM?

Seen it Before

When Branden Dawson went down, it looked familiar, especially the way he went off the court.  It has now been confirmed.  BJ has a torn left ACL.  I have had this happen to me, it is an injury you can come back from fully so that's good, but not until next year.  biggest thing is making sure you font over compensate and create other injuries.  Quickly, this is a major blow to our NCAA title hopes.   

Great season for both MSU and UM.  Sucks we had to share the title, but all three teams are deserving. 

More to come tomorrow night. 

Stay A While

Sorry folks, just moved and finally got cable.  

Some news to go around in the world of sparty.  First of all,  MSU trounced Nebraska and Draymond Green collected another 20-10 game.  He is likely yout B1G POY.  This win coupled with a UM loss earlier in the day and a Wisconsin win over OSU the n ext day and MSU automatically got a share of the of the B1G title. A win at Indiana or against OSU and we clinch the out right B1G title.   These are two tough games to close the season and yours truly is likely going to miss the MSU game tomorrow. yay.  The #1 seed in the Big Ten tournament is up for grabs and there are about 50 different tie breakers.   Travis Trice will still be out for the IU game and Nix might not make it for the game with a sprained arch.  That to me is a bigger loss than Trice.  IU had no answer for Nix's girth in the previous match up.  If Nix cannot go, look for this to be the Appling show.  He has been tremendous the past three games limiting turnovers and playing good defense.  This game will need more of that with the IU stripe out coming to shake MSU off their groove.  Appling's continuing development of his mid range game, stop and pop, is also something to watching - not only for this game but going forward.  Obviously we need a solid game from Green but we really need a good one from Payne.  Payne played 15 minutes in the previous match up (to Nix's 23) and was fairly effective.  However, Payne is better defensive match up for Zeller.  Lately Payne has been backing people down and using a jump hook/rise and fire type shot that has been wildly effective.  With his length and ability to jump, Payne needs to use this more.  I am pretty 50/50 on the outcome of this game so no prediction.

MSU also picked up a few more football recruits.  Granted nothing compared to what UM has been doing.  First was Jalyn Powell out of Warren G Harding HS in Warren, OH.  Powell is a 6-1 187 lb ATH.  If  I had to guess, hell be a safety.  There is no ranking information that I can find.  He had interest from UM, and WVU. 

There other commit is R.J. Shelton out of Beaver Dam HS in Beaver Dam, WI.  R.J. is a 5-11 185 running back.  Like Jalyn, there is little to no rating information.  I have seen various sites heap praise on R.J calling him a star.  R.J. had offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa and also had interest from Arkansas, Cincinnati, and Oregon.  So that's a solid list at least.

For these two well see when the sites update their recruitment information where they stack up. 

Round Up!

First let's start with some football!  MSU has two recruits for the class of 2013 so far.  UM is at 5 (now upwards of 8) I want to say.  We have so far had verbal pledges from Gerald Holmes, a running back out of Flint, Michigan and Jon Reschke, a middle linebacker out of Bloomfield, Michigan.  Holmes had offers from MSU, CMU and Toledo, but also had intersted from Iowa, UM and Illinois.  Hard to say how concrete that is this early.  There is little scouting done on Holmes at this point, however, there should  be more as the summer comes and goes.   Allen Trieu of Scout has stated that Holmes has both good size and speed and missed a lot of opportunity to be seen due to an injury that caused him to miss half the season. The potential is there.

Reschke is a consensus four star linebacker at this point.  Again, due to how early this is, there is not a lot written, though ESPN lists him as a top 150 watch list (UM has 3 or 4 commits on that list already).  Jon had offers from MSU and Toledo but reportedly had interest from UM, PSU Wisconsin Northwestern and Stanford.  He seems to be a quality pickup and could end up as a top three player from the state of Michigan for the 2013 class.

Don't you just love Twitter?  Please read below.  Here are some favorites:

TerryRichardson: thats why u just a fan loser ass fuck off n get a life you fag.

AJ Williams: I smell pussy!!!

OndrePipkins:  That nigga look like a slave from Roots

MarioOjemudia:  Did bitch ass Mr. B really give me a 79.6%?  .....    the same teacher that stopped me during a test to make me give him autograph, and stops lessons just to talk about football.

I am just glad to see that America's youth is both respectful of all kinds of diversity and getting a solid education.  I am also glad that this was for UM commits, because I am sure MSU ones have similar thoughts.  I think this stuff is pretty serious, the website also states that were recruiting violations mentioned as well as alcohol use but they did not put that stuff up for legal reasons. 

I generally do not tolerate sexual or racial slurs.  I hope you all feel the same way.
 
 (I havn't read the other schools at all, Pat might be interested in the OSU ones.)
Michigan Twitter Accounts

MSU got a solid win over Purude two days ago, and UM got a huge win over OSU.  This moves MSU up to #6 and UM to #11. Not too shabby.  Right now MSU has a one game lead over OSU and UM.  The next game is Wednesday at Minnesota.  With future games homes to Nebraska at Indiana and home to OSU.  The remaining leg is tough, this game at Minny is a must win. 

That's all for now.  I should get a post up tomorrow during the Minnesota game.

Montana

Montana is nice.  Makes it hard to post anything though. Clearly my counterpart has nothing to say.  After MSU wins in bball and hockey.  I keep saying that I will try to get a post up but then I end up drinking like 9 beers at 8,000 feet.  Tonight, I have no plans in preparation for a day of snowboarding in Bridger Bowl.  So tonight, I will try to recap some things. 

Nice win against OSU, eh?  What say you!

WIN

Our superstar also sits in the student section.  Seems to be a much less big of a deal this time around...

(William Gholston)

Not to mention the future

 (Lawrence Thomas)

(thank you Kevin W. Fowler for the Lansing State Journal for the pics)

More to come later.  Like tomorrow night after work later. 

Rivalry Sunday

Ok, so it's Super Bowl Sunday but I'm a bit more excited for the Michigan-MSU basketball matchup than the big football game. I think the Patriots win the big game because despite all the hype I do not think Eli is on the same level as Brady. The Giants have a good team around their qb but there is an important revenge factor here which will motivate the Pats to get it done.

More important to this blog is the outcome of the basketball matchup tomorrow. Both squads are within a game of OSU for the league lead in standings and the winner of this game will stay right in the mix for a conference title.

Draymond Green has been adding some drama to this matchup. First he guaranteed victory immediately after Michigans's win two weeks ago. Now he is back at it saying only death can keep him out while declaring his hatred for Michigan and saying he has the Wolverines figured out. That's a lot of talk for a guy who is .500 in his career vs the Wolverines and who has lost the last three.

Still, Green's Spartans have a very good chance to back up their leader in this game. They simply do not lose at home and Michigan is going to see the Spartans give their best effort of the season. However, I would not pencil in a Spartan victory just yet. We've seen in the last few matchups that Michigan too puts great emphasis on this game and that Michigan presents some matchup difficulties for the Spartans.

This should be a game filled with great emotion and effort and probably some good basketball as well.

Two things to keep your eye on:

1. MSU's edge on the offensive glass. The Spartans will get second chance points but are they dominating the game on the offensive boards? This is a huge key in the game.

2. Are the threes dropping for the Wolverines? It's a common theme for Michigan but when they shoot well (especially Tim Hardaway Jr) they are a very good team. They will need to be just that to win in the Breslin this year.

I think the crowd and MSU's size and will (after losing 3 straight) are too much for the Wolverines in this game. Spartans by 6.

Tbone  here.  I would say all this is pretty much spot on.   I will add that the crowd at the Breslin is going to be fired up and I fully expect MSU to come out hot. It remains to be seen how effective Draymond is with his hurt knee.  However, Dawson, if he continues his current streak of playing should give UM fits and could take over the game.  I look for Appling to rebound from his last game against UM and the loss at Illinois. He has been a great contributor all season, and makes this Spartan team nearly un beatable when he is playing at his best.  When he plays at  his worst?  The team looks lost.  

I see the game prediction similar to Pat's.  I will take a 10 point MSU victory though just to make it a little different and regain control of the background for a time.  GO GREEN!

BOOOM

Monty Madaris and Demetrius Cox have both committed to MSU.  More to come later.

I thought I would get a basketball post up tonight, but I do not think that will happen with these two commits.  I will mention a few things though.  See you later!

UPDATE TIME:

Drinking a Daisy Cutter, watching reruns of Parks and Recreation on Netflix, cooking flank steak, tweeting.  Typical Monday night.  MSU received 2 very good commitments within 24 hours.  The first was Monty Madaris the second was Demetrious Cox.  I will likely misspell Demetrious a lot.   From my last post:  

Demetrious Cox is someone I have though would go green for a long time.  Though I would not be surprised if he goes to Penn State.  Absolutely no way he goes to OSU.  J Monty Madaris is another 4 star WR and I have been saying that he would go green for about 7 months now.  The transfer of DeAnthony Arnett makes things more interesting.   I have heard that he Madaris would play safety and is open to that.  I am still going to say that he goes green but with Arnett and Burbridge in there, I would not be surprised if he goes to Cincy.  (at least he didn't go to Cincy!) Onto the numbers!

Monty (wtf is that short for Montgomery? or is he just Monty????)  All of the services we use here list Monty at 6-2 190.  So it has good size already.  Love getting a 6-2 receiver. ESPN and Scout list him at a **** while Rivals has him at a ***, which is 21st in the state in 54th for his position.  ESPN has him at 13th in the state and 36th at his position and an 80 overall which makes him our highest rated ESPN recruit.  While Scout has him at 26th for the WR position.  Monty had offers from some big names in the college football world, including BC, Nebraska, Illinois, Cincy, UConn, Florida State, and Michigan.  ESPN finds that he has strong hands, can get the ball in traffic, has great route running and can get yards after catch.  The yards after catch is what ESPN is highest about saying he is often used in the wildcat due to his ability to escape.  With that, this is a great addition to what has to be one of the better WR recruiting classes in the big for the last decade. (the Manningham class for UM was very good as well)    Which is interesting considering this tweet I received. 

"Steven"

@

@ztj521 @JimComparoni LOL he is a 3 star...generic WR"  WOW.  Let's be honest Steve, you would like this commit.

Demetrious Cox is generally listed at about 6-1 190.  He plays QB for his high school and projects as a safety or DB prospect.  ESPN rates him at 11th in the state and 28th at his position which is ATH - as well as a 79 overall.  Rivals has him at a 10th in the state and 13th at position - which is safety.  Scout has him as an 8th at position - safety - and a ****.  ESPN and Rivals also list Cox as a ****.  ESPN loves his speed and ability to hit the outside.  With that, they love his smoothness running with the ball and in general rate him as more of a WR.  Scout also loves Cox's ability to run sideline to sideline and vision on the field.  Overall, this seems to be a great commit with offers from schools such as: Arkansas, ND, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt and Wisconsin.  I will add that anytime you can get a recruit holding offers from schools like PSU, ND and OSU it looks better for other commits. Especially when they kid is from (western) Pennsylvania.  

Here is video of Demetrious committing to MSU. 

MSU plays Illinois tomorrow in a B1G showdown.  I love this Illinois team.  I think that Meyers Leonard is an absolute beast and Payne/Nix combo will need to bring their A game to lock him down defensively.  Which is the key to this MSU victory.  MSU will need to shut down and inside out game for Illinois and guard against the hot shooter for Illinois.  I have actually watched a few of the Illini games this year, ones they have won, and they always seem to have a hot guard in all of their games.  Orange Crush will be rocking and I would not be surprised if MSU lost this game.  With Travis Trice liekly out, Kearny and Byrd will need to step up.  More importantly, Appling will need to play major minutes.  Keith cannot get tired at this end of this game, or Draymond needs to take over some PG duty.  I see another big game from Dawson as well as Byrd hitting a couple big shots.   Call it 75-67 MSU. 

I Don't Like Anything About Michigan

Hard to have a hate week in basketball.  Unless we played back to back games.   That would actually be pretty neat.  Get on that Hollis.  So here we are.  MSU v. UM tomorrow at Crisler Arena tipping off at around 6:00 p.m.  on ESPN.  This looks to be a good game with MSU ranked 9th and UM ranked 20th based on AP polling.  This of course is the game that both teams want to win more than any other.  Maybe Pat can speak more to this, but with OSU being your biggest rival, so UM fans say, does this game matter all that much?  Are UM fans excited to watch this or do they get all geeked when OSU comes into town?  Is this a football v. basketball school argument?  Sorry for having two successful programs.  However, I am not sorry for having the best football/basketball duo in the country. More proof needed?  I like to keep my trash talking at moderately high levels.  So what are some motivating factors in this game?  Well, we lost twice last year.  That has to be point one.  But that is fine.  See, UM is our little brother. And like Izzo Says, "It irks me if we win a lot (against Michigan) and lose one and people say the tide is changing."  Sure, MSU rode the struggle bus to start Izzo's career at MSU, but theres reasons for that, more from this article -----Izzo wants the tide to stay right where it has been, in most years, since 1997. The Spartans began dominating the series in the second meeting of the 1997-98 season, and went on to win 18 of 21 games against the Wolverines. The Spartans were blown out by Michigan in Izzo's first five games against the Wolverines as head coach. Michigan was stacked with talent in that era, thanks in part to recruiting and benefits packages that eventually led to severe NCAA penalties for the Wolverines.-----  Timeout!  Let's just stop there and move into to what it will take to win/what to look for.

I have been reading up on this since I think Pomeroy stats are for people that cannot play basketball.  Two prominant UM and MSU blogs use them to justify nearly everything and a lot gets missed.  Like the in game battles.  Which is point #1.

1: Point guard play.  Trey Burke and Keith Appling.  This matchup looms large in  my head.  Burke's ability to distribute the ball to the post or to the slashing wings seems to be a predictor of UM success.  How can Keith bottle him up?  The dude is good.  But then again so is Appling. Keith has been averaging nearly 18 points per game over his last six games.  But  more importantly.  Keith has been dishing the ball, hitting the 7+ assist mark five times this year - including wins over  Indiana and Gonzaga.  If appling has a game that looks like 17-4-7-3-1 we should win the game handily.  That is a gaudy stat line. In my mind, the winning teams point guard will have a line some thing like that. 

How about Draymond?

2:  Draymond has been mostly terrible in games against UM.  Averaging 6 points and under 4 boards. We need more out of him for this game.  But do we need more scoring of him?  My gut reaction is no with Payne/Nix, Wood and Appling more than apt at scoring.  What we do need?  Some rebounds.  A 10 rebound night could lock this game up, and a 3 rebound night could lose it for us.  Along with that, Green needs to play some good D on Smotrycz.  We can't let him get hot from outside or get any looks inside.  Depending on the lineup, Green could also be checking Morgan.  I am not sure what to make of that matchup, heads could explode.  I like it for each team, offensively.

I almost forget, we just lost.

3:  MSU just lost a game to Northwestern in which no defense was played.  This was the first loss for MSU since mid November.   Normally, UM runs a similar defense to Northwestern, the 1-3-1.  Though that has been happening less this year - more man.  I don't think UM will play much in this game. MSU was able to score on Northwestern and UM has legit big men this year.  So how will MSU handle the loss? I think they got over the loss quickly, NU is no slouch, and winning on the road in the B1G is tough.  MSU wants this game.  Draymond wants this game.  Gotta get it back for the two  losses last year.

So what's the score?  I cant really tell if a high scoring game is better or worse for MSU with the ability of the UM shooters, remember Novak's 6 triples last year???? I DO.  But I do think MSU has the better team and I am not gonna pick against them even if UM was better.  We'll call this one 75-66 MSU.  

"But I don't like anything about Michigan and they don't like anything about us. That's just the way it is and the way it should be."


"If you are asking me do I respect John Beilein? Tremendously," Izzo added. "Do I respect Michigan? Tremendously. Do I like them? Not one bit."

Thanks for the free article www.spartanmag.com, all stuff is a tremendous read on this site.

You Can Get With This or You Can Get With That

So where to begin?  First of all, the MSU bball team is getting some major praise.  SI seems to think we will make the final 4.  I am not too sure about that at this point.  I would like to see more scoring and better interior defense.  However, we seem to have pieces in place that other F4 MSU teams had.  This includes strong rebounding, the ability to run the floor, and someone that can just plain make jump shots when needed.  The biggest thing I think that works in our favor is our ability to get out and score in transition is back.  This is something that seemed to be missing from last years team and something I love seeing more and more of.  Anytime a team wants to run with us, we can match it.  That seems to be a hallmark of Izzo teams, more so than tough rebounding. The ability to run the floor. 

The next game for MSU is at NW.  This is a fun game to go to. I live in Chicago and will not be able to attend however.  Like the football games, there is a strong MSU fan presence.  NW is not team to sleep on however.  Shurna can get hot from anywhere on the floor and rain it.  Last year, MSU was able to shut down Shurna with the bigger Roe guarding him.  This year, that task will be up to Draymond.  Shurna is the B1Gs leading scorer at over 18 ppg.  Shurna has two inches at Green, however, Green has a bit more girth.  I do not expect Shurna to try to back Green down in the post, instead rely on his deceptive quickness off of screens to pop shots off.  MSU will have to very active on screen switches and make sure to guard against back cuts to limit the Wildcat offense.  I see MSU winning this game, but would not be surprised at a let down either. Offensively MSU has advantages in the post and will use them at times when buckets are needed.  Based off of watching previous games against NW, MSU will look to fast break it after NW buckets to try to get some back. The guard play will be key in their ability to distribute the basketball, slow the tempo when needed and also pick the spots to both attack the rim and shoot the ball.  With that, distribution will be key.  The post players for NW cannot match up with our 4's and 5's.  I see Dawson straight abusing people at times.  We will go with 67-57 final score.  Player of the game?  Dawson.  He is due for a "break out game" and his athleticism should be a mismatch for whoever guards him from Northwestern. 

Whats that? you like tattoos?  How about this one? 

To all you recruits out there, which I am sure there are none of you reading this blog, You can get with this, or you can get with that.  That song reference will reach just about zero recruits, but I do not care.  I just hope Nick Hill was able to pay for this with his own money.  I guess if you post it for everyone to see, your comfortable with the payment source. 

O yea, MSU and UM play in basketball in 4 days.  If MSU wins, this will looks to be a match up of two top ten teams.  nice. 

Round Up

So I have been lacking lately.  Let me catch up and follow up.  Firstly, huge win for the program. As MSU beat an SEC team in the South.  Georgia is a very good team - a team that is built similarly to MSU.  With the victory, MSU could end up with a post season top 10.  That would be pretty amazing.  We have come a long way in 5 years.  The first half of the game saw MSU sputter on offense.  Georgia came prepared for our speed on the edge, and the first play from scrimmage resulted in a safety.  It is a good thing we have Pat Narduzzi (more on that later) because our defense came to play.  The first half resulted in a 16-0 deficit and things looked bad for MSU.  The second half, offensively, all the bubble screens MSU attempted in the first half worked in our favor as MSU used the more fakes off the screen.  The MSU offense got rolling a little bit, the defense stood up and from there. MSU got the 3OT victory.  

The basketball team beat Wisconsin for the first time at Wisconsin in a decade.  That was pretty impressive.  The game was a grinder.  Both teams bricked shots.  Both teams played good defense.  Dawson had some impressive cuts to the basket, showing his athleticism.  Payne and Nix played well and Green collected the quietest double double in history.  As The final buzzer sounded and the game ended in "controversy" MSU won and earned a hard fought victory. This team continues to impress me.  After 14? straight wins, I wonder when well slip up.  Gotta lose again sometime.

Back in the football world.  Jerel Worthy went pro.  This wasn't a huge surprise.  I thought he played really well against Georgia.  Showed a lot of jump off the ball and finished out his All American season with a bowl victory.  What is pretty surprising is that Edwin Baker has stated he is going pro.  Though he hasn't hired an agent as I write this.  He has stated going pro is his next move.  Edwin had a great sophomore season and appeared to take a step back, or, not get the same opportunities as a season ago.  The start of the season featured an offensive line that wasn't fully clicking and as the season wore on. If Baker was in the game, teams pretty much knew we were gonna run so they were able to stack the box.  I think that Baker can make a solid pro.  He has a lot of speed and is strong.  I don't know if this is right move, that all depends on where he is drafted.  There have been rumors of Johnny Adams wanting to turn pro.  Though he has the talent.  A good senior season would almost assure him of a first round draft.  Adams turning pro would be a big mistake in my mind. 

After the bowl win and after the win in Wisconsin.  It was said that Narduzzi was looking at taking the DC position at Texas A&M.  A&M is a new SEC team and a sqaud that seems to always under perform.  The real next step for Narduzzi is a head coaching spot (not another DC position) and I am not sure if a rebuilding team in a league like the SEC would have been a good move.  Though the money that was reportedly offered was certainly worth Narduzzi taking a tour of the facilities.  Thankfully, Coach Dantonio was able to ear mark extra money for all of his assistants effective this February.  This future pay increase coupled with a feeling of unfinished business (think Rose Bowl)  lead to Narduzzi staying on at MSU.  Losing Pat would have been a huge loss.  He has been with Dantonio for 9 years.  His scheme is solid given the right talent (remember when we couldn't stop a 5 yard pass?) but more than that he has a great personality for recruiting and firing up the team.  The loss of Narduzzi would have been a lot greater than when Treadwell left last year.  Hopefully we can keep Narduzzi for a long long time.  Or at least until we get the perfect replacement.

Ed Note: Pat can you link up that video of Narduzzi breaking down his run stop?  

Here you are sir:
http://search.espn.go.com/pat-narduzzi/video/6
Sorry, no embed. 

Now that there is less stuff going on all at once, I should have some more bball coverage especially as a looming MSU UM showdown gets closer.   In the meantime. Go Lions, Go Red Wings!

B1G Season Is Here!

And to be fully honest, I am not prepared.  I have been able to catch a handful of MSU games,  and did manage to see the last 5 minutes of the Indiana Kentucky game.  But man am I way off on being able to have any sort of analysis, especially when it comes to Indiana.  When watching MSU, there are three things that are evident.

1: Draymond is the key. 
Everything seems to flow through Draymond.  Green is the 100% leader of this team.  His game on the court really controls the tempo for the entire team.  If Draymond can knock down jumpers, were gonna beat almost everyvody.  If Green is snagging boards, then were pushing it on the break.  It will be intersting to see who guards Zeller.  Green is probably the best defensively to guard big men, but that matchup is terrible for us.  So is Nix or Payne though.  That will be an interesting matcup.  The MSU front court versus Zeller. 

2: 4 and 5 play.
So far this year, our 4 and 5 spots have been both up and down.  Depending on the lineup there is any  number of people that play the two big spots, Payne, Nix, Green, Dawson, Gauna. At time, any one of those players has looked really good (well, Green has looked good most of the year).  I think right now, the continual development of Payne is necessary.  Payne has all the tools to be a monster.  But it seems that his body cant keep up with his athleticism.  This both limits him minutes wise due to conditioning, and moves wise due to coordination.  It looks like at times he surprises himself with his jumping or quick moves.  With that,  Joe Rexrode has stated many times that in practices and scrimmages, Payne rains it from three.   That has yet to be seen in games.   Nix has been a serious positive.  His free throw % is only at 54% but it seems that he is confident as ever when shooting the ball from the stripe.  In the post, Nix is a load.  He has good moves, lots of up and unders, and great vision to get the ball to teammates.  For now, I like the idea of Zeller guarding Nix.  I think Nix's size could get Zeller into foul trouble if utilizied correctly IE, ball fakes and attacking the rim. 

3: We will need outside scoring.
This is pretty much a no brainier for almost every college basketball team, but especially true for MSU the last 4 years.  Wood has been a welcome relief for MSU when it comes to shooting over the last 5 games, hovering at about 50%, I am not sure what his eFG% is over that span (that's about the only worthwhile tempo stat).  Appling has shown the ability to shoot the three but his best game is leading a fast break.  He is no Lucas in the half court but has the ability to be a better finisher on fast breaks.  If Appling shoot it only when he needs to and build confidence in his game on the defensive end, that will bold well.  Travis Trice is shooting over 50% the last 6 games from three.  To me, Trice has been the most impressive player so far this year.  Trice's ability to stay hot will keep us in this game. 

Prediction:
Based on that last sentence, you can probably see where I am going with this prediction.  While we are home, the students are away and I believer the Izzo Alumni will be in attendance.  This probably wont be much worse than what the student section has shown so far this year, but still, students are students, who knows what they would pull.  This looks to be a great match up for MSU against what might be the second best B1G team.  I see Indiana sneaking this one out in a hotly contested game, and free throws will matter 77-72 IU. Prove me wrong State. 

(first post in a while, I need to get back into things)