What’s say, we talk about some college basketball teams not hailing from East Lansing today . . .
Big Ten Roundup
- Tony Bennett to Bloomington? That’d be a fine move for Indiana based on what I know about Bennett. But, from a Spartan perspective, I’d rather see them go with a more up-tempo guy like Bruce Pearl. Playing against deliberate, disciplined teams in Big Ten play may build character, but I could go for a little variety. Washington state ranks 335th out of 341 Division 1 teams in average possessions per 40 minutes this year.
- UMHoops has a review of the Michigan season composed by a guest blogger. Said blogger notes that Beilein clearly made the decision to implement his own system from the get-go, even without the personnel to make it work well this year. I’d say that was the correct decision. Cost them some bad losses this year, but may speed up a return to contention over the next couple years as the returning players will be able to mesh with the recruits Beilein brings in.
- Badgercentric reviews all the things that went wrong for Wisconsin in their loss to Davidson last night. As I watched the game, I couldn’t stop thinking to myself, “I know the Wisconsin Badgers. The Wisconsin Badgers are a friend of mine.* And this team is not the Wisconsin Badgers.” (*Well, an acquaintance, at least.) For once, a Wisconsin opponent seemed like the more efficient and composed team on the floor. The biggest oddity to me was that Ryan never got the team to pound the ball down low to take advantage of the size mismatches Wisconsin had.
- Thus ends the Big Ten’s existence in 2007-08 NCAA men’s basketball play. (Note: Forgot about the Buckeyes in NIT play.) Two teams in the sweet sixteen was a good showing given that the Big Ten only got 4 teams in the tournament this year, vs. the 5-6 teams that’ve participated in most recent seasons. And there’s every reason to think the conference is on the upswing. With the exceptions of IU and maybe Ohio State, there’s reason to think every other team in the league should be at least as good as they were this season, if not better. (Wisconsin loses Butch and Flowers, but has a permanent exemption from ever having their future prospects discounted due to the graduation of one or two key players.)
An Evening at Ford Field
I’ll be headed to Detroit tomorrow to take in the Midwest regional final between Kansas and Davidson. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been to a Final Four (2001 in Minneapolis) and opening round games (2006 at the Palace), but never to a regional final.
Regional finals often seem to produce the best pure basketball games in tournament play (see, for example, MSU-Iowa State in 2000 and MSU-Kentucky in 2005). You’ve reduced the field to eight quality teams. The teams are in a rhythm having already played three tournament games, but haven’t yet faced the hype machine that kicks into action between the second and third tournament weekends. And the enduring glory of a trip to the Final Four is on the line.
I’ll be donning a red t-shirt tomorrow and appointing myself an honorary Wildcat for the day (if LeBron can do it, so can I, right?). I thought, therefore, I should do a quick scouting report on Davidson.
Having won three NCAA games as a #10 seed, Davidson has been designated as this year’s Cinderella. But both the world’s leading expert on mid-majors and the Wildcats’ tempo-free statistics say this is simply a very good basketball team. Witness:
- 29-6 overall record
- A perfect 20-0 record in Southern Conference play
- Single-digit nonconference losses against UNC and Duke
- A 25-game winning streak
- A rank of #20 in the kenpom ratings
- Ranks of #15 and #37 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency
The highlight of their tempo-free statistical profile is in the area of turnover percentage. They give it up on only 16.9% of possessions while forcing their opponents to do so on 24.0% of trips down the floor. That’s an extra five shots per game in a 70-possession game.
They makes those extra shots count with an effective FG% of 54.1%. Sophomore Stephen Curry has, of course, become a national phenomenon by scoring 103 points on just 65 FG attempts in three tournament games. Curry has averaged 25.9 points/game this season, coming into tournament play sporting shooting percentages of .546/.468/.898 (2pt/3pt/FT). Those are nearly unbelievable numbers for a guy who ranks 12th in the nation in the percentage of his team’s shots he takes while he’s on the floor.
What struck me in watching Curry last night is how he seems to glide through picks, rather than sprinting through them the way Neitzel does. It’s almost as if he’s lulling the defense into a sense of complacency before he launches his quick-release, picture-perfect jumpshot.
Complementing Curry to form a lethal backcourt is senior point guard Jason Richards, who averages 12.9 points and 8.1 assists per game. He’s put up 27 assists vs. just 4 turnovers in the three tournament games and ranks 10th in the nation in assist rate at 38.1% (assists divided by made field goals).
Also noteworthy: The Wildcats rebound very well on the defensive end for a team without a starting player taller than 6’8″ or bigger than 220 pounds. They hold their opponents to an offensive rebounding % of 29.0%.
In spite of all of this, Kenpom predicts a 79-67 win by the statistically-dominant Jayhawks (example: 14.5 percentage-point spread between offensive and defensive 2-point shooting percentages). Let’s hope Davidson can squeeze that margin a bit and provide a little more March magic to help distract us from last night’s Spartan collapse . . .
Has anyone read the latest Drew Sharp article? What a clown.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080329/SPORTS07/80329007/1055
Rather than being defensive against Drew, maybe it is time for the Spartans to take heed and listen to what he has to say. Let’s face it, MSU was severly outmatched and lackluster in the game.
All season they have played this way in big games. There are two reasons for this…..(1)the talent is not at the level to win a NCAA tournament game, let alone a Big Ten Championship and (2)Izzo has definitely lost his touch. He may be a great “xs” and “os” coach in big games, however, for some reason he did not have the Spartans up for this game.
The Memphis team was STOKED for the game. They came out with a hunger, something to prove and hit the accelerator, never letting up. MSU looked like “Deer in Headlights”. Izzo needs to take blame for that.
Look at the makeup of the Final Four teams. First of all from the perspective of who they are (do the names UNC, Kansas and UCLA sound familiar?). They are the same teams year in and year out that attract the talent, win championships and are always mentioned in the “elite” programs. Second of all, they all possess big men, speed and unbelieveable ball handling skills. All of which the Spartans lack.
If Izzo is ever to return to the past (let’s all remember that it has been eight years since his teams have won any kind of championship) he needs to get with the present and recruit talent that is outside of Michigan and is large and fast. 6′ and under 6′ fast guards are not going to do it! In fact, they will continue to look like high school teams when they play the schools previously mentioned.
So, what has Izzo accomplished in his decade of coaching? One national championship, a number of final fours, in consecutive years with the same talent, and a progam that is still in the bottom of the top 20.
WAKE UP SPARTY…IT IS TIME TO DEMAND MORE FROM OUR BBALL COACH!!!
Bracket update (since the previous post is no longer on the front page):
TMadison25 146, 2 teams left (UCLA, UNC)
Kurt 139, 1 (UCLA)
Devin 138, 3 (all but UNC)
Dr Huxtable 135, 2 (Kansas, UCLA)
kj 125, 1 (Kansas)
spartanproducer 124, 2 (UCLA, UNC)
GBBound 112, 3 (all but Memphis)
Dave 105, 2 (UCLA, UNC)
wifeofaspartan 96, 4
Dan 96, 2 (UCLA, UNC)
Erik J 95, 4
Hoopraker 93, 4
NorthernSparty 75, 0
The three people with all 4 teams still in will pick up 18 points (1+5 for each game).
TMadison25 will win unless Kansas beats UNC and either Kansas or Memphis wins the championship game; if that happens, Devin will win.
Tman, we all certainly hoped for more this year, but let’s keep a few things in mind:
1) The lack of Big Ten championships over the last 8 years is disconcerting, but 7 sweet sixteens in 11 years is nothing to sneeze at. There’s only one coach in America who can match that record. And you failed to note the 2005 Final Four, which was achieved with a completely different group of players from the first three Final Fours.
2) We’re all enamored with big, athletic guards after Friday night, but let’s keep in mind Derrick Rose is like a one-and-done player. Izzo has chosen in recent years to go with guys that will contribute 3-4 years. That’s a better way to build a team and will lead to a couple more national championship contenders before Izzo goes.
3) Saying the program is in “the bottom of the top 20″ isn’t terribly accurate, unless you’re only talking about this season. List the programs beyond UNC/Kansas/UCLA you think rank above MSU on a consistent year-to-year basis. Keep in mind the top-notch programs that didn’t make the tournament this year (Florida, Ohio State, Syracuse, Illinois).
Some of us still remember when a 27-win season and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen would have been reason to party in the streets. The bar is set higher now and we all want the program to pick it up half a notch from the results of the last several years, but it’s also important to note this program has been and remains one of the most consistent performers on the national stage under Izzo.
KJ…you make some good points. My comments are focused on the fact that it is Izzo himself that has commented time and time again about making MSU an “elite program” to be mentioned in the same names as Duke, UNC, Kansas and UCLA. I would say we are not there….yet.
I would also say that as it is Izzo himself that set such high standards, that it is right for us to now expect those standards to be met. If we don’t hold him accountable or to these standards, then we are merely settling for a decade of excellence before we slip back to the past.
I just want to make sure that all of us devoted MSU fans do not lose sight of the fact that this is a “what have you done for me lately” business and frankly, notwithstanding sweet sixteens and an abiration/unexpected final four in 2005, Izzo has not done anything for us lately as respects championships.
Also, I note it was mentioned on this very blog that Izzo loves the sweet sixteen game appearances as what it does for recruiting (i.e. exposure). However, if you are a MacDonald’s All-American and are recruited by the likes of Duke, UNC, Kansas, UCLA and MSU (and we can now add Memphis to this list given their recent streak over the past three years), who would you rather play for after watching MSU lay a major egg and a 30 point deficit at halftime????
Let’s just make sure we are keeping perspective and holding those who set the standards accountable.
I would add that I have high hopes for next year given that the team is fairly young and now that they have had a year of playing together, on a national stage, and with Drew N. gone, someone will have to step up to be the leader. I think it will be exciting! GO STATE!!!
Clearly, the program has not met the standards Izzo has set for it the last several years. I just wouldn’t read too much into one game. This team did have the talent to compete toe to toe with Texas and UCLA earlier in the year.
And I think there’s also an assumption it’s easier to maintain an elite program than it really is. Duke hasn’t made the Sweet Sixteen for two consecutive years. Kentucky barely made the tournament this year. Syracuse has played in two straight NITs.
Anyway, just a matter of keeping perspective, as you say. For all the disappointments of these last few seasons, we shouldn’t throw out the positive stuff.