It's only a moment in time but take a look at the B1G Standings and you'll notice the Wolverines currently stand alone in first place.
Standings
This is going to be a wild race to the league title.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Schooled in Class
Let's start with an excerpt from Tbone's pregame post:
It's been a long time since Michigan basketball has been this good or this relevant, yet John Beilein's program acts with class and dignity when it comes to Michigan State. Contrast this with the way Mark Dantonio would react in a postgame press conference after a victory over Michigan.
Pure class. He could have rubbed salt in their wounds. He could have brought up three in a row. He could have discussed bragging rights in the streets of Michigan for years to come. Instead he handled himself with class and dignity, with true Michigan ideals and in doing so proves once more why Michigan stands alone atop this rivalry. Games will be won and lost by both sides but it will always be Great to Be A Michigan Wolverine.
Some thoughts on the game...
Draymond Green
I still think Izzo offered Green (a low 4/high 3 star type) late in the process just to keep him off Michigan's roster. That has worked out quite well for MSU and for Green. I love the way he plays and how he leads his team. He's talented, works hard, scores, dishes and does all the little things. He also guaranteed victory over Michigan in the Breslin in February. (ESPN Insider article)
Zach Novak and Stu Douglass
Of course, in that 2008 recruiting class Michigan ended up with an unranked player and a 2 star, though you may have heard of Zach Novak and Stu Douglass. This worked out pretty well for Michigan. Stu got the start in last night's game and he and Novak both made big plays throughout the game. Novak is the clear leader of Michigan's team and the team plays with his heart and grit and determination which make them so fun to watch. Novak has won our Spartan loving friend Reese over as his favorite player in college basketball. Depending on what happens the rest of the way this season it will be interesting to see how Novak is remembered in Michigan history. In my own humble epinion, he's one of the all-time greats from the standpoint of what he's done for the school and basketball program.
And therefore, Mr Novak, you get the honor of the onrivalries background. To The Victors! (Hail!) go the spoils.
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."Make that three in a row. Tommy. Remember that Michigan player years ago who made a little comment about brothers? Of course you do, Spartans the world over incessantly speak on this every time anything occurs in this rivalry. The fact that Sparties will not let it die and continue to bring up the little brother comment proves how close to home it strikes. Your inferiority complex shows itself again and again.
It's been a long time since Michigan basketball has been this good or this relevant, yet John Beilein's program acts with class and dignity when it comes to Michigan State. Contrast this with the way Mark Dantonio would react in a postgame press conference after a victory over Michigan.
"Michigan State, I’m telling you, is one heck of a team. They’re difficult to defend and they’re difficult to score on. Fantastic coach, coaching staff as well. Draymond Green is as good as anybody that there is in the country and we really feel fortunate to get a win, especially over a program like that.”
“It’s always been a great rivalry. You look at the last 10 or 12 years, it hasn’t been much of a rivalry. They’ve been beating us pretty well. Our thing is we’re trying to win a Big Ten Championship. Michigan State is so good, and I admire what they do so much. The whole university, everybody, it’s a great place. You’ve gotta beat places that you admire, you’ve gotta do that to win a Big Ten Championship.”(Quotes taken from UMHoops)
Pure class. He could have rubbed salt in their wounds. He could have brought up three in a row. He could have discussed bragging rights in the streets of Michigan for years to come. Instead he handled himself with class and dignity, with true Michigan ideals and in doing so proves once more why Michigan stands alone atop this rivalry. Games will be won and lost by both sides but it will always be Great to Be A Michigan Wolverine.
Some thoughts on the game...
Burke vs Appling
Is true freshman Trey Burke the best player in the state of Michigan? I'm probably reading way too much into one game but he was certainly the best player on the floor yesterday.
Burke's statline for the game:
8-11 for 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers.
What the statline doesn't show is how Burke made plays in key moments. Key blocks, an NBA range three with Michigan trailing and the game winning assist. I thought Appling played pretty well offensively and in transition but as Izzo said he just ran out of gas from doing everything and playing so many minutes. Still, the story of this game has to be Burke. This game will be remembered (by me at least) as the point in the season when Trey Burke went from phenomenal freshman to best player on Michigan's team. With the recent history of Michigan basketball stars I'm now terrified of who's going to play PG next year after Trey declares for the NBA draft after this season.
Draymond Green
I still think Izzo offered Green (a low 4/high 3 star type) late in the process just to keep him off Michigan's roster. That has worked out quite well for MSU and for Green. I love the way he plays and how he leads his team. He's talented, works hard, scores, dishes and does all the little things. He also guaranteed victory over Michigan in the Breslin in February. (ESPN Insider article)
Zach Novak and Stu Douglass
Of course, in that 2008 recruiting class Michigan ended up with an unranked player and a 2 star, though you may have heard of Zach Novak and Stu Douglass. This worked out pretty well for Michigan. Stu got the start in last night's game and he and Novak both made big plays throughout the game. Novak is the clear leader of Michigan's team and the team plays with his heart and grit and determination which make them so fun to watch. Novak has won our Spartan loving friend Reese over as his favorite player in college basketball. Depending on what happens the rest of the way this season it will be interesting to see how Novak is remembered in Michigan history. In my own humble epinion, he's one of the all-time greats from the standpoint of what he's done for the school and basketball program.
And therefore, Mr Novak, you get the honor of the onrivalries background. To The Victors! (Hail!) go the spoils.
Monday, January 16, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, January 13, 2012
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.
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?
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.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Blog Rolodex
Here is a list of MSU Blogs (theres only like 2 good ones, serisously)
1: http://noise.typepad.com/hey_joe/
2: www.theonlycolors.com
Here is a B1G blog.
1: www.offtackleempire.com
ED NOTE: Pat, add some UM blogs please.
1: http://noise.typepad.com/hey_joe/
2: www.theonlycolors.com
Here is a B1G blog.
1: www.offtackleempire.com
ED NOTE: Pat, add some UM blogs please.
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!
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!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Glad You Came
Posting that song was the first time I've actually ever seen the video (so this is like a boy band? I didn't even realize there were multiple different people who sing in this song) but that song was the theme song of the trip down to NOLA. We ran around singing it and dancing like buffoons in the streets, only all the other people were buffoons just like us so our buffoonery was inconsequential. What a glorious place that New Orleans...
As a Bourbon Street virgin I cannot say enough about New Orleans. The food was awesome. You can order a drink in a bar and take it right with you and head out to the streets and cruise around. The architecture is beautiful by any standards. There is a place called "Huge Ass Beers". We had some grenades, some hurricanes and it all added up to an awesome trip.
Oh yeah, and there was football. Michigan fans invaded New Orleans for the game. My best estimate would be a 2 to 1 advantage of Michigan fans against VT fans. Bourbon Street literally looked like Hoover on game day with Michigan jerseys and t-shirts everywhere.
Speaking of Virgina Tech fans, of those I met they all seemed pretty cool. They do have some weird "traditions" like coming out of the tunnel to Enter Sandman by Metallica. They get really pumped about that. They also get fired up about being called VaTech. They want to just be called "Tech" which I'm sure works if you live in Virginia but seems to disregard the fact there are a lot of other technical universities. If you must clarify, they prefer that you use the entire Virginia instead of Va.
Did I mentioned there was a football game played? When a guy is wearing a popcorn bucket as a helmet, his observations about football are probably less than expert but I'm sure you all (here's looking at you, our one reader Kenny) are waiting eagerly to here what I have to say.
Michigan got outplayed. Denard was throwing passes like Jerry on recess. On more than one occasion during the game I just yelled "how are we winning?!?" The replay official may or may not have determined the outcome of the game. His call may or may not have been correct.
To all the above, you do not matter.
Things that matter:
Victory.
11-2.
Sugar Bowl Champions.
Ecstatic celebration.
Slapping hands with nearly every player.
Brendan Gibbons making game winning field goals while visions of "brunette girls" dance in his head.
Talking to David Molk, Ryan Van Bergen and JT Floyd on Bourbon St after the game.
Oysters, grilled or raw, beyond delicious in either preparation.
Daiquiris.
Beignets.
The perfect trip.
I'm glad you came.
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