The (not-so) shocking victory

I love being right! My 58-54 prediction wasn't perfect but it might as well have been. It was an outstanding defensive game in which MSU put on an offensive rebounding clinic. The Spartans did a good job of containing Alando Tucker and executed exceptionally throughout.

Perhaps the best thing about the victory is that MSU is destined for the Big Dance. MSU would have to lose the next three games by an average of 20 points and get bounced in the first round of the conference tourney to be considered back on the bubble.

Although he won't get it, Tom Izzo should be Big 10 coach of the year. Getting this team to the tournament is one of the greatest coaching feats of his career and it was nice to see him relish the moment at the end of the game as he almost broke down in tears. Michigan State has become exactly what Izzo wanted - an "Elite" program. We have the rabid fan base, players with pure heart and the right man guiding the way.

Quick thoughts about the game... Drew Naymick, despite his somewhat questionable (likely illegal) rebounding maneuvers, has been clutch for a couple games now. He's a guy that just gets it done on the inside and that's a key ingredient to Spartan success.... Walton is one of the best defensive guards in the country. Gives up at least four inches to Tucker and doesn't back down an inch. Anyone remember him doing the same thing against Adam Morrison as a freshman. He is going to be a Charlie Bell-esque guard by the time he is done... Neitzel solidified his spot on the all-conference first team. I'll save a rant about Drew for a future blog. He's just an amazing player.   

This was a crowning victory over a No. 1 for the MSU program. Congrats and Go State!

Comments

[Sparty1]

They came. They saw. We conquered.

Amazing night. Loudest I have ever heard the Breslin Center. Neitzel is easily the MVP of the league as well as a first team All-American.

This might be Izzo's finest coaching year ever.

No let up Saturday!!!

[Spartysucker]

call me nutty...do dont thats mean. but i think this is the most important state victory since the 2000 championship...shut up a sec! look this is Izzo's first victory against a number 1 team in 17 tries. of course making the final four hangs banners...but can you even name all the teams state played in those final fours win or lose. ok maybe you can. but still this is really the one thing he was missing. oh and i cant tell you the crap that the media is pulling now. calling wisconsin the number 2 team no no no! the coachs had no sense putting the buckeyes ahead of the badgers before tonight. hello this team beat the buckeyes! they are...or were the number 1 team in the country if only for a few days. thats it great victory and i dont know about izzo getting coach of the year that may still have to go to bo ryan because he does still have an out of nowhere awesome team. but they werent the better team tonight.

[Z]

Amazing how just two weeks ago this team was bashed by Spartan fans right here on this board and the real fans who trust Izzo to make it happen are now completely satisfied with understanding what really happened back at Purdue and I am proudly one optimist who continues to BLEED GREEN! Tonight was so gratifying! Don't ever give up on Izzo and his Spartans! Now, I may head up to Assembly Hall tomorrow night and watch the Illini self-destruct. So much turmoil around here in Illini-land. Glad I'm still a Spartan fan - through and through!! Great Neitzel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mister X]

Good performance. They have earned their berth in the tournament barring some unforeseen happening. They proved me wrong, and I'm ok with that. Good job guys, impressive win.

[Mary Lou Heinig]

What happened to my great comments before all you guys posted? You bet, a great win!

[markv]

Dang it all, this is like the 5th straight game the other team has inbounded the ball off Naymick's butt for a layup!!!

Seriously, though, i'm as psyched as everyone else, but just like i thought all the doom and gloom NCAA talk was premature before, the talk now saying we're in is ALL 100% wrong.

If we lose 2 out of the next 3, and in the first round of the tourney, we're still out. This is a big win, but it's the same as it's been all along: we need 22 wins (including the Big Ten tourney) to be sure of getting in. 21 is sketchy. We're at 20.

So Izzone, come out as loud as ever against IU Saturday. It's our last home game, against a team who pressures the ball (our big problem). We need that one last home win before we can breathe easy. go green!

[Mark Feather]

Sorry Mark V. but Michigan State's current resume and name alone puts them in the tourney - things like that happen when you've been there for the previous nine with 4 final four runs.

I'll quit this blog if I'm wrong.

[Davon Robinson]

I knew my Spartans could pull it out. I never gave up on them. They win in the clutch. NOW we have Indiana

[Mister X]

Well, while State has a strong resumé so far for the tourney appearance, I agree with Mr. Feather and say that beating No. 1 (screw you ESPN) and the name recognition of MSU should be enough. However, that doesn't mean that the rest of the season is a write off and I hope they don't get hung over for the IU game, every little bit helps.

[markv]

Hey Mark F. I'll make you a deal. Let's just win and NOT find out who's right. Besides if you quit this blog, we'll be deprived of Mister X's response posts. (or is that depraved instead of deprived?)

I just think if we finish by losing 3 out of our last 4, under .500 in the Big Ten, with 11 losses, we're at least vulnerable. Maybe you wouldn't sweat Selection Sunday, but i sure would.

[Mister X]

Ah yes, I hate my deprived posts. Let me go sit outside Taco Bell now and hit up other student for quarters.

[Mark Feather]

Agree Mark V. Let's beat the Hoosiers this weekend. Nothing wrong with another big win in the national spotlight. Seems like we're playing in front of the nation in every game lately.

[Spartysucker]

didnt state make it in last year with a 19-12 record and really no signature win??? some of the past few tourneys MSU had the worst record of an at large bid. but when you go to 4 final fours in 7 of those years and win a championship you get those little passes. thats what those wolverine fans dont get. you have to play and beat somebody to get in with a sub par record. we did that last night.

[Spartysucker]

didnt state make it in last year with a 19-12 record and really no signature win??? some of the past few tourneys MSU had the worst record of an at large bid. but when you go to 4 final fours in 7 of those years and win a championship you get those little passes. thats what those wolverine fans dont get. you have to play and beat somebody to get in with a sub par record. we did that last night.

[Evergreen]

What a great win. Neitzel's a stud. Walton's a stud. Naymick's a stud. Izzo's a stud. Heck, I could list everyone else with last night's performance. If this team could play this way consistently, we'd be in the top ten, nationwide. The talent isn't overflowing, but the grit and determination is there, and the defense is stifling. Great win Spartans!

Now forget about it all, guys. Forget about last night over Wisconsin. Forget about the rematch in a couple of weeks. Forget about what this means for the tournament. Focus back into the gym and get ready for the Hoosiers (they beat Wiscy too, ya know). They beat us in Bloomington on CBS by 20+ point last time, and now it's our turn.

GO GREEN!!!

[Smokey]

This was one of Izzo's greatest coaching accomplishments. With Cleaves and Co., all he had to do was turn 'em loose. Not so now. The game plan he rolled out against the WI Rodents was a thing of beauty. It caught the WI coaches and players with their pants around their ankles. And, it gave Ohio State and everyone else who may play them in the NCAAs a strategy for beating them - pressure and more pressure.

Izzo has done a masterful job of flexing his approach from one of strict adherence to HIS plan to simply building a plan around the skills of his players. He has matured as a coach the last couple years, and it shows. Izzo schooled Bo Ryan last night, and I am as happy for him as I am for his players. Keep it up, Tom!

[Scatter]

Hopefully the Kool-Aid is wearing off now and some cooler heads can prevail. A few dosses of reality:
1)MSU is not a shoe-in yet as MLH pointed out. To make the tournament we can't let up over these next three games [and into the Big 10 tourney]
2) Neitzel is a stud, but not a first team All-American
3) Walton is a nice player, but far from a stud. I predict he won't be starting come next conference tourney...please see Mr. Lucas for his replacement.
4)Naymick better learn how to legally box out and establish position down low, because from this point forward, every opposing coach will focussing the refs eyes on him.
5)This was one win over a very good (but not great) team at home...one an "elite" program is supposed to win. In the big scheme of things it may help get us into the field of 65 but doesn't mean a whole lot after that. If Bo Ryan's red-clad goons are chanting NIT (because we lost 2 of next 3) on March 3, this victory will mean little.
Go State! Finish Strong!!!

[Munisingmike]

Thank You Purdue, I am sure that the licking you handed the Spartans had something to do with the 180 degree turn around for the Spartans. An "OUTSTANDING TEAM VICTORY". Neitzel took charge and lead his "band of charged Spartans to a very important win. The defense and board control was a major key in the win. Although they committed a few mistakes, they didn't quit and brought it all together at the right time. GREAT PERFORMANCE SPARTANS. They will need to stayed FOCUSED, HUNG-GRY, and CONFIDENT and play the remaining games one at a time. Saturday they have a little score to settle with Indiana. Michigan and then the Badgers again, another win in Madison would be the "icing" on the cake. Keep "bringing it" Hungr-gry Spartans you are on a roll.

[Solnichka]

Dude, learn to punctuate.

-- "Although, he won't get it, Tom Izzo ..." - why is the first comma there?

-- "Drew Naymick, despite his somewhat questionable (likely illegal) rebounding maneuver's ..." - a plural with an apostrophe? Are you in 4th grade?

Seriously -- I guess journalistic standards have fallen by the wayside.

[Bob Smith]

The Purdue game might have been the turning point for the Splendid Spartans. A little history:

In 1979, the Spartans lost to lowly, and I do mean lowly, Northwestern by 14 points. With that defeat the Spartans were four games behind the Big 10 leader with only eight or 10 conference games remaining. From that point, the good guys wøn seven or nine straight and would have won them all if it hadn't been for a 75 foot last second desperation shot which gave Minnesota a victory. Then the Spartans proceeded to win the NCAA title.

Well, they aren't as talented as the 1979 gang, but have enough heart for a whole bevy of teams. That makes them exciting to watch and they do have the capability to be a thrilling spoiler. (If you watched any of the Kentucky/LSU game which followed ours, you saw the definition of boring.) They, and we, should be proud! I am!

[Ron]

hey solnichka,
stay off these blogs if punctuation is your passion...the rest of us like basketball and the Spartans, not commas and colons...how bout you?

[Mark Feather]

Yikes! I've been busted by the punctuation police. Must have had one too many green Kool-Aids (aka Rolling Rocks) before posting.

My apologies to English teachers everywhere.

[Dennis'02]

I feel that I have to take credit for the victory.

You see, I had planned to buy a new State sweatshirt at the SBS before the ND game this fall and ran out of time, which resulted in their unfortunate demise the rest of the season and even carried over into the basketball season a little. I am sorry for that...

Fortunately, I did get back up to E.L. this past weekend and finally got my new sweatshirt, and you see what happened. You're all welcome; I'm glad I could help.

[Tom]

Solnicha: The 75 footer in 1979 was at Wisconsin. I was there. Didn't matter though, we were on our way to the big dance!

[Michael Motta]

I like to look at our overall RPI (currently 26th) instead of this "signature" win stuff, but I guess the NCAA and writers and so on are rather Hollywood about the whole thing. Last I checked, Texas had an RPI lower than Bradley's and substantially lower than BYU's yet they're ranked and considered our biggest "signature victory" prior to Wisconsin. Why? Bigger name and big star on the team I guess. Of course it was also a neutral site game.

Don't forget that non-conference wise, in addition to Bradley, BYU, and Texas we also beat Vermont, who I think already clinched the regular season title for America East. And we beat Loyola-MD who may win the MAAC title. Oakland has a decent chance at the Mid-Continent tournament. We should end up having beaten several teams that do make the NCAA, and maybe double digits in terms of how many teams we've played that make the tournament.

I still would feel best if we beat Indiana to all but lock-up a bid to the Dance. Do it at home because Ann Arbor and Madison aren't going to be picnics. If we don't receive a first round bye for the Big Ten Tournament, I don't see us losing to the likes of Northwestern, Minnesota, or Penn State, and a win over one of those teams might just be the one win of any kind to add to our total and put us over the top. But if we do get a bye then we may not have to win a single tournament game anyway. So all in all I like our chances but let's beat Indiana so that we can breathe.