Michigan State lost last night’s game 66-62 and with impending jetlag and OMG Kansas, he’s probably going to lose on Tuesday. MSU loses games in November like they win games in March, consistently. While I admit my fan card for basketball is much less decorated than my football fan card, I find myself asking why anyone is surprised? This is what MSU basketball does, it’s not a slam on hoops, it’s just the truth.

KJ raises the obvious counterpoint:

Second, yes, this always happens, and Tom Izzo usually finds a way to get the team in position to succeed by March. This isn't football. There's no sense panicking over a single bad performance.

Still, losing in November is not a prerequisite for winning in March. In fact, establishing a higher baseline level of performance in November might actually lead to more success in March if the team can improve by the same amount from the higher baseline.

It’s hard to say, mostly because it’s been so long since MSU won these kinds of games. Even in the year MSU won the national title they went 2-2 against top 25 Non-Conference teams. It isn’t conjecture or mislabeling, MSU is just not good in November.

Other famous programs are not their coaches (Kentucky, UNC, Kansas) but MSU basketball is Tom Izzo and the two are inseparable. And Tom is a man with his eye on what’s important. Winning the Big Ten is important. Winning non-conference games is not important. Winning in March is important. Winning the Big Ten tournament is usually not important(last year seemed to be an exception).

It’s this ability to identify what’s important that drives our love for the guy. Yesterday, MSU played a game for the Wounded Warriors in Germany, a year ago it was playing a game for the Armed Forces on the carrier. In addition to providing a game for an audience mostly the troops, he gets a chance to teach these players that basketball is just a game and how lucky they are. Sure MSU gets some pub off it, there are other, much less positive, significant and cheap ways to get that pub, I won’t crap on anyone for that.

Tom Izzo knows who he is. We know who he is too and sometimes that’s a tough pill to swallow in November. But if these non-conference losses are the cost of all of those great Big Ten and March Memories, I’m damn glad Tom Izzo takes a month or two to figure out who he is each year.

Derrick Nix was arrested for possession of Marijuana early Tuesday morning and has been suspended indefinitely. Derrick Nix, why yu no like succes? Nix, who really was exhibiting some leadership characteristics towards the end of the season and burned it down last night with this arrest. A conviction will send him packing and position MSU as ISU’s Official Basketball Feeder Program. “Hey kids, too talented and straight-laced to be a cyclone? Go to MSU and be a dumbass/make Izzo mad/drive drunk/have weed and then get sent packing. We’ve got a home for you waiting in Ames.” It just frustrates me so much I want to punch something.

The most frustrating thing of all was how far Nix had come in the past couple of years. From nearly quitting the team in 2010 because of a lack of playing time to dropping Tommy LaSorda amounts of weight to playing some great inside-outside in the tourney Nix was a man on his way up. So now, that’s all up in smoke.

If Nix leaves, expect additional playing time for Payne and Gauna, but we simply do not have anyone that will fill the gap at the 5 the way Nix can. Anyway, let the courts bear it out and we’ll see where we are in a few months. No rush since there’s no hoops for six months.

Bonus Bits

The Little Brother Blog done growed up and became a part of Bloguin today. Important to note, http://www.thelittlebrotherblog.wordpress.com takes you to the old site, the new site is http://www.thelittlebrotherblog.com. Go there, Mike is a friend of SLS and I’m excited for him he Bloguins his way to fame and fortune.

Tons of recruiting chatter that MSU hosted kind of a Spring Break recruiting day today. DB Antonio Allen, a top 250 guy from Isaiah Lewis’ High School was on campus today as well as OG Nate Jeppeson, OL Poet Thomas and ATH Berkley Edwards. Berkley Edwards is the brother of Braylon Edwards.  Dion Sims is hurt again and will be having surgery again, starting to think that Sims days as a Spartan of Consequence are numbered. I misread Rexrode's post as Sims is not healthy when he in fact is. Hooray Sims! Stay Healthy My Friend!

The first week of Spring Ball is in the books and MSU is off to the races. In case you’ve not heard yet, Shilique Calhoun is turning heads and by turning heads I mean drawing comparisons to Julian Peterson. This week we’ve heard lots about how MSU is working to find homes for Calhoun at DE, RJ Williamson at Free Safety and Jack Allen at LG/C. Coincidentally, in the case of Williamson and Allen they are pushing more experienced players for the only playing time available in their position groups.  Spartan Nation elaborates on the progress of the Offensive Line. It sounds like previously injured Skyler Burkland and 2011 starting LT Dan France will be having an American Gladiator position battle at the Left Tackle spot.

How about the Wide Receivers?

From Roushar:

    “At this time nobody’s really jumped out at me," Roushar said. "I think Tony Lippett’s getting better. A.J. Sims made some catches today, I noticed him. DeAnthony’s getting his feet up underneath him and getting experience in the system. Keith Mumphery had a much better day today. I thought the first two days, there was a lot of effort and a lot better route running than he had last year. But he’s just got to catch the football first, he’s got to slow the process down, first things first.”

Dammit. I was hoping to hear that one or two guys are getting some separation, not Roushar just naming some guys on the roster with generic coachspeak attached.

A Brief Eulogy

Mark, a reader of SLS has written up a goodbye post to MSU basketball for the season. Give him some love in the comments below.

While most MSU fans are still licking their wounds from the unexpected flop against Louisville in the Sweet 16, let’s take a minute to reflect on the championship season that Izzo and company accomplished.  Izzo has said time and time again that what made this team special was chemistry.  This was a team that stuck together both on and off the court and exceeded all expectations.  They took home two championships, the B10 and the B10 tournament, something that hasn’t been done at MSU since Mateen and the infamous “Flintstones” back in 2000.  On top of that, the big boys were able to take home some serious hardware with Izzo winning his 3^rd B10 COY honors and Draymond garnering B10 POY and All American honors.  But the one thing to me that stands out the most is how hard they worked to earn the respect and admiration that they were able to achieve by the end of the season.  Don’t get it twisted- starting the season unranked and losing your first two games, albeit to UNC and Duke, while ending the season with a championship and a #1 seed is an accomplishment of great measure.  It’s not often that an MSU basketball team starts the season unranked and after last year’s disappointing season it is no surprise that is where the Spartans found themselves at the beginning of the year.  While their stay in the NCAA Tournament was a bit succinct, it is hard to argue that part of that disappointment isn’t there simply as a result of Izzo spoiling MSU fans with 6 Final Fours in the last 14 years.  It’s as if every year you could flip a coin: Heads, MSU to Final Four.  Tails, we’ll get ‘em next year.  Unfortunately, in that regard it was a tails kind of year.  Izzo may be as close to a golden god as you can get in college basketball but nobody is immune to early exits from the tournament every once in a while.  Looking ahead, they’ll have some big shoes to fill with Draymond leaving but once again Izzo will bring in some of the top talent in the country with the 2012 recruiting class, including the highly coveted Gary Harris and Mr. Basketball in Bay City’s Matt Costello.  And by the way, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself but I just flipped a coin for good measure.  Heads up.  Go Green.

Bonus Bits

Vannini does the deep dive on 2013 RB Commit Gerald Holmes over at the Only Colors.  Little Brother Blog drops the hammer on the sad professionalization of college athletics.  The Munn Minute has a new and improved look, stop by and check it out.

Last night, MSU eeked out a win against OSU 68-64 to give MSU their first Big Ten Tourney title since 2000. Those other two teams were the Big Ten Champs too, but we got the 1 seed. So there's that. Draymond Green was named the Big Ten Tourney MVP but Brandon Wood and Derrick Nix were the ones who won yesterday's game. There was much rejoicing in East Lansing, a car was flipped over by the Jimmy John's on Collingwood, because apparently that's what we do?

MSU was "rewarded" with a 1 seed in the West region, playing their first game on Friday night at 9:50 against LIU. I say "rewarded" because there are 7 top 20 teams according to KenPom. This includes MSU playing the winner of the St. Louis(15)/Memphis(9) matchup in the second round on Sunday. But, MSU beat the number two team yesterday(OSU) and is 5-2 against the KenPom top 10. So bricks == not shit yet. Also, Izzo is like 431-2 in the second game of the NCAA tourney weekend.

Like I said yesterday, I believe. This team has it in for New Orleans, they know it, I know it. It feels like a certainty, this is a way I haven't felt about MSU hoops since 2000. This is their tournament to win.

The Spartans got off to a slow start yesterday, but dismantled Wisconsin 65-52. Wisconsin was held to just 32 points in the last 30 minutes of game time and had a stretch of over 12 minutes without a field goal. MSU improves to 3-0 against Wisconsin on the season and Tom Izzo beat Bo Ryan for the first time ever in the Big Ten Tournament. Many demons, cancers, etc have been exorcised this season, but none so great as the one where Bo Ryan kicks Tom Izzo in the groin repeatedly at midcourt.

State kicked the game off by giving Wisconsin 9 free points while frittering away bunnies from a few feet out, getting called for a charge that wasn’t and Green turning the ball over LIKE A BOSS. Green’s only gear is the “LIKE A BOSS” gear.  Austin Thornton summoned his inner Timbo dropped four straight three’s on Wisconsin and MSU was right back in it. State played stifling defense in the back half of the first and took a 35-25 lead into the locker room.

I credit this turnaround to the presence of the martyr, St. Bruce. Bruce Weber, former Illinois HC as of two days ago, was invited to the game as a guest of Tom Izzo. While normally I’d think it’s a bad idea to show up at something you were just excused from a few days ago, HE’S A MAN, HE’S 55!

What impressed me most about this game was the even distribution of scoring amongst players who saw more than 20 minutes. 14,13,12,9 and 9 for 36,38,28,36,21 minutes respectively. Payne finished with six points in 14 minutes and Trice finished with two points in nine minutes.  What concerned me a bit is that Kearney didn’t look ready on offense or defense. It’s an unfair thing to ask Kearney to put in 15 quality minutes, but that’s where State is  and what they need.

I like beating Bo Ryan. It makes my heart happy.

Game Preview

I picked OSU to beat MSU in the final matchup a few days ago. Maybe it’s a homer pick, maybe it’s just quality of play, but today I like MSU to win. WIth the exception of a couple of droughts in the past two games, MSU looks like it’s hardly lost a beat since Dawson went down.  When OSU knocked off State just a week ago, it took Dawson’s unexpected exit for OSU to squeak out a two point win at the Breslin. This week, OSU has played two days in a row on a team where quality depth is already an issue. Matta’s teams are famous for running out of gas at an inconvenient time. I think today will only reconfirm what many Big Ten basketball fans already know, Matta doesn’t understand that his teams don’t need another Jared Sullenger, they need one or two more Austin Thorntons or Brandon Woods.

Many Big Ten title games are not important, this one is. In addition to settling the three-way tiebreaker for first place in the Big Ten this year, the winner of this game could likely receive a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.  That’s not all though. For me, when MSU won the national title in 2000, it wasn’t really a question. Going into the postseason, you could feel it around campus, it was almost a tangible thing. You’d walk by the rock and see the invisible national championship trophy on display. You’d sit down to watch a game and say “Well, it’s not going to be easier to win the national title when you brain fart a game away against Wright State.”

In 2000, MSU was a seven-loss 1 seed, and you couldn’t help but feel like the selection committee picked State as 1 because they wanted to back the winner. A seven-loss record doesn’t exactly command a 1 seed and yet, there we were. There was a feeling, a certainty that this title was MSU’s to lose.

Despite all of the setbacks the past week or so, it’s hard not to feel like that certainty is returning. Be it because Green is MSU’s most charasmatic leader since Cleaves or because MSU has quality depth and a host of freshmen who can get hot at just the right times.  It feels ridiculous to be sitting here writing about how a team that was supposed to struggle to: make the tourney is in great shape to win the whole thing. Yet, that’s where we are and how I feel.  Today goes a long way to confirming how valid that feeling is.  Also, in case you’re keeping track at home, the last time MSU won the Big Ten tournament, they also won the BIg Dance.

Prediction: MSU by 11