March Madness

It was as even as a matchup as the MSU women’s basketball team could have asked for.

The Spartans defeated their cross-state rivals in overtime, 45-40, ending Michigan’s season in the fourth round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

Seeing the score, it’s obvious that this game wasn’t all too thrilling on the offensive end.

The first half, where U-M ended with the lead at 23-16, was worse than watching the first-half 30-point domination the men’s team experienced against Memphis — at least in that game there were points being scored.

After averaging 63.3 points per game throughout the season, it was disheartening to watch the Spartans miss the basket time and time again to finish the game shooting 29.2 percent from the field and 10 percent from 3-point range.

Granted, both teams knew what the other was made of, having played twice in the regular season. This was a main factor in the low-scoring game, as defensive systems and plays were more ingrained than any non-conference team would have been able to accomplish in just a few days.

But in the end, winning is still winning. Hopefully MSU’s game against North Carolina State at 7 p.m., Wednesday, will go a little more smoothly.

Colorado Springs, Colo. — As someone who’s seen all but six of MSU’s 40 hockey games this season, I can tell you that the two games against Notre Dame in January were two of the most intense, competitive games I watched this season.

That’s why tonight’s NCAA West Regional final game with the Fighting Irish excites me so much. I’m expecting nothing less than the same knockdown, drag-out fight that I saw earlier this year.

The Irish were extremely impressive in dismantling top-seeded New Hampshire last night. Likewise, so was MSU in defeating host Colorado College.

That’s why this game is so intriguing. Notre Dame could in the midst of making a run like MSU did last season. Although, the Spartans could be in the midst of making a run like they did last season, as well.

MSU will have to crack Notre Dame’s Jordan Pearce. He was overshadowed by David Brown last season but has really stepped up and led the Irish this year.

It will be interesting to see how both teams handle a second game in two days with the high altitude and the Olympic ice. The best conditioned team should be in the best position to win the game.

One other interesting tidbit to look at is the revenge factor. The Spartans knocked off Notre Dame in the Midwest Regional final last season, a week after the Irish captured the CCHA Championship. That loss ended an incredible season for Notre Dame and I’m sure that will weigh on its players.

With both teams looking impressive last night, it’s tough to find a read on this one. The one thing I can point to is MSU’s championship experience. This team is wise beyond its years in the tournament and that is an incredible asset to have. Both the junior and senior classes have been to the NCAA Tournament three times now and this will be their third trip to a regional final game. Notre Dame can’t really claim that.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a close game but the Spartans will get it done and head to another Frozen Four.

MSU 3, Notre Dame 1

MSU goal scorers: Tim Crowder, Jeff Petry, Justin Abdelkader (empty net); Jeff Lerg makes 27 saves.

Houston – It might be tough to shine any positive light on the shallacking Memphis gave the MSU men’s basketball team tonight.
But in my opinion, it’s already time to look into the future – the Spartans ended a promising year on a note that many will never understand.
Trust me, I don’t quite know what happened and I was sitting just feet away from the action and heard post-game comments. It’s mind-boggling.
But think of what’s in store for this team next year and look at the guys who never glanced at the scoreboard the entire game – freshman guard Chris Allen and junior center Goran Suton.
The combination stepped up and flat out played the game, scoring a combined 43 points on 65.5 percent shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds, taking shots when no one else would.
And with the addition of three incoming recruits to go along with guys like Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers and Raymar Morgan, it makes the loss of seniors Drew Neitzel and Drew Naymick a little bit easier to handle.
Next season, the Spartans might even look like the Memphis team from this year – a roster full of athletes who can straight-up run the floor and score the basketball.
Just like MSU head coach Tom Izzo is going to tell his team, I’m going to mention to all of you – appreciate a productive season and start working for a championship for 2009.
The beautiful part of this sport is that a brand new season begins the second a team’s final game ends.
That’s NCAA basketball, that’s athletics, that’s what jump happened.
Toss away the tear-filled Kleenex. We’re moving on!

Houston — Don’t jinx it there, Memphis faithfuls.

Numerous Tigers players and coaches have stood up in front of the media throughout the latter half of the season and said that their pathetic free throw shooting has never cost them a game.

Want to know what would be absolutely hysterical?

If Memphis forward Joey Dorsey found himself at the charity stripe with a one-and-one opportunity to put his team ahead with 5.3 seconds remaining in a nail-biter against the MSU men’s basketball team tonight — then clanked it off the left side of the rim.

There’s that 37.9 percentage we’ve heard so much about.

You think free throws would matter then, coach Calipari? I think so. How bad of a taste would you have in your mouth then?

And although Calipari has never been able to say that their 35-1 record took a hit because of a poor free throw outing, he’s apparently failed to realize the negative message he is sending to his players.

Do you think guys like Dorsey and guard Chris Doulgas-Roberts are going to enter the NBA and slide onto a roster and never have to worry about freebies from the foul line?

I’m sure NBA coaches like Phil Jackson or Doc Rivers would say, “Ohh, free throws? Forget about those, you’re THAT good. While everyone else is shooting them, why don’t you practice dunking?”

Free throws are a fundamental. You have a chance to shoot the basketball with no one guarding you. You develop a rhythm, do that everytime and improve.

Apparantly Memphis doesn’t teach “rhythms” or “improvement.”

We’ll see where that 59.2 season percentage takes you.

After supposedly healing from a toe injury sustained between the Big Ten Tournament and MSU’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against Temple, junior forward Marquise Gray was bitten by the injury bug again.

At his news conference in Houston on Thursday, MSU men’s head basketball coach Tom Izzo said Gray twisted his knee in a shooting practice, but was unsure about his status for Friday night’s game against Memphis.

“He hurt his knee, and we’re not sure if it’s a recurring injury or if it just locked up,” Izzo said. “If it’s just locked up and we can get it unlocked, he’ll be 95 percent. If not, they’ll have to tape it and put on a steel cast because we need him.”

Gray walked around during MSU’s open practice, but did not participate. He averages 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Spartans, who are 13-1 when he scores in double figures in his career.

I am not a fan of the job the selection committee did for this year’s NCAA hockey tournament.

My lone complaint with the field is that Wisconsin made the postseason with a sub-.500 record. That shouldn’t be allowed, especially with other programs barely behind them with better records.

But that doesn’t really upset me as much as how the 16 teams were paired.

Essentially, I’m upset that MSU got shipped out to Colorado Springs, Colo., when it should be playing St. Cloud State in Albany, N.Y.

As it stands now, MSU, the best No. 3 seed, is playing Colorado College, the best No. 2 seed. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.

It should’ve been Clarkson that got shipped out to Colorado. Instead, Michigan is given an absolute cakewalk to the Frozen Four. It’ll destroy Niagara and whoever wins the game between St. Cloud State and Clarkson.

If MSU gets past Colorado College, it’ll have the tough task of facing either No. 1 seed New Hampshire or No. 4 seed Notre Dame. I’d guess New Hampshire. That is no small task, either, even though MSU has had New Hampshire’s number in recent years.

But the truth is, it’s sad when your first-round game looks to be the toughest of the four it would take to win a national title.

When you have the best college basketball program in the state, you might happen to borrow some advice from the best pro basketball team in the state.

And that’s what MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo does, on occasion, from Pistons’ coach Flip Saunders.

At his weekly news conference on Monday, Izzo said he’s had the chance to discuss expanding MSU’s playbook with Saunders — not just adding more in quantity, but boosting the quality of current plays by opening up more options when an opponent takes away a certain component.

“I think that has helped us in building our playbook,” Izzo said.

But there is one ex-Pistons trait that Izzo wants certain members of his team to stray away from — fouling on unnecessary shots down low, especially to keep guys such as sophomore forward Raymar Morgan on the floor and off the bench.

“I can’t afford him to take a swipe like in the Bad Boys’ days where you don’t give up a layup,” Izzo said. “He’s gotta give up a layup.”

And although Memphis is known for poor free-throw shooting, Izzo doesn’t want to rely on fouling, simply to take away some type of rhythm.

After all, it could end up turning around and biting MSU in the rear — such as Morgan, junior center Goran Suton or senior center Drew Naymick getting into foul trouble rather than normal bench players.

“I’d rather still contain them,” Izzo said. “Our defense has been at its best.”

Denver — What a way to end the half! Are you kidding me?

A Pitt steal and then Kalin Lucas showing the poise to bring it down and get a lay-up with the clock expiring.

With a half in the books, it’s been all it was cracked up to be: the Spartans lead the Panthers 28-26 at Pepsi Center with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 in Houston.

Any notion that senior guard Drew Neitzel wasn’t going to show up for a heavyweight showdown like this was quickly put to rest as Neitzel had 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range in the first half, eclipsing his scoring total from Thursday afternoon.

On the other hand, senior center Drew Naymick and sophomore forward Raymar Morgan have been ghosts for the first twenty minutes, as each picked up their second fouls less than seven minutes into the game. The two have 11 minutes combined.

Fortunately, players like freshman guard Chris Allen and junior center Goran Suton have held their own. Allen has really shown maturity this tournament, logging quality minutes and providing key sparks off the bench. If you look past a few bungled passes and turnovers, even Idong Ibok has provided some quality tick for the Spartans.

The Spartans are giving up a lot of thickness inside but can make up for it with good boxing out and straight-up defense. The difference-maker is going to be whether these role players can keep it up while Morgan and Naymick can play their way into it in the second half. If that’s the case, it’s MSU’s for the taking.

Denver — I watch too much NCAA Tournament analysis on CBS and ESPN — way too much.

Even when Seth Davis’ words make me cringe, I don’t change the channel. For some reason, I’m sucked in to what these so-called “experts” have to say about teams I know nothing about, like Cal State Fullerton.

And if the broadcasters words meant anything, the MSU men’s basketball team would be in decent shape.

Although Bob Knight and Seth Davis don’t see Tom Izzo’s squad moving on to the Sweet 16 in Houston, Hubert Brown, Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale do. Earlier today, they all said Izzo’s leadership and the experience of senior guard Drew Neitzel will be too much for the Panthers to handle.

And if sophomore forward Raymar Morgan is clicking at the same time — goodbye competition.

Thanks for playing and goodnight.

But the important thing to remember is, opinions don’t matter. It’s going to come down to who makes shots down the stretch.

Every NCAA Tournament pool I’ve ever been in with my girlfriend, she’s found a way to beat me. Not just beat me, but destroy me and any advantage I thought I had simply because I watch 50 hours of basketball a week.

And I call myself a prognosticator?

It doesn’t matter what Knight, Vitale or anybody else says.

Teams are going to play harder and make shots that those predicting it never expected.

I just hope this year I can slip past her in the pool.

Ehh, who am I kidding, I looked too far into each matchup yet again.

Those filling out brackets know you can’t pick a team simply because they were from a powerhouse conference or they have a star who scores 24 points a game.

It always comes back to bite you.

Denver — All you amateur dancers, please leave the floor — we only have room for those who can hang with the best.

By the end of today, the field of 65 will be narrowed down to the top 32.

And as good as it sounds to have the MSU men’s basketball team a part of the craziness — they aren’t satisfied with the “Top 32 in the country” status.

If Siena upets Vanderbilt later today but then exit the dance floor in the second round after a loss to Clemson or Villanova, Saints head coach Fran McCaffery might say at a post-game press conference that he is thrilled his squad made it this far and he knows they left it all out on the court — leaving no reason to be upset.

MSU’s coaching guru Tom Izzo?

Ha! You’d have to have a UFC fighter put him in an ankle-lock before he ever admited to the media he is satisfied with winning just one round.

And even there, you might still be pressing your luck.

That’s who Izzo is and that’s how he’ll always be.

After Thursday’s game against Temple, Izzo admitted he’s borrowed some offensive and defensive sets from coaches he’s been surrounded by in his coaching career — names like Jud Heathcote, Larry Brown and Chuck Daly.

You better believe he wants to win just as badly as those three wanted to. Why do you think Izzo has had such success in the month of March throughout his 13 years as head coach of the Green and White?

He’s learned from some of the best — had it pounded into his head that you should want to die for a championship.

I don’t think anyone wants it as badly as he does right now.

Nobody.