We just missed the top 10 of ESPN.com’s college basketball prestige list, coming in at #11. IU was #13. The conference tournament drought and several first-round NCAA losses hurt us:
11. MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS, Big Ten
Positives: 14 20-win seasons; 4 No. 1 seeds; 18 NCAA berths; 9 Sweet 16s; 4 Final Fours; 2000 national championship; 12 All-Americans
Negatives: 2 losing seasons; just 3 conference tourney titles, the fewest of any team in the Top 17; 14 20-win seasons is tied for the fewest of any team in the Top 20; lost to 14th-seeded Weber State in 1995
Total points: 230
Did you know? The Spartans are tied with four other programs with the fourth-most Final Fours in the last 24 seasons. However, their five first-round losses, including an upset to Weber State in 1995 as a 3-seed, cost them a spot in the Top 10.
As SpartanDan pointed out in the comments section, the scoring system is a bit screwy. It seems designed to reward/punish first-round NCAA upsets–which, to be fair I suppose, is one of the defining aspects of college basketball.
By process of elimination, the ten teams ahead of us are UNC, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Georgetown, UNLV, UCLA, Syracuse, and Arizona.
Who can name the 12 Michigan State All-Americans since 1985?
Shame-induced blogging is good: Up With the Colors is back. Be sure to read their upbeat-but-realistic take on where the MSU football program stands at the moment.
A little surprised by UNLV – although I suppose their best days were before I really started paying attention, so that probably accounts for it. More surprised by Syracuse – they had the one great year with Carmelo, but since then it’s been a pair of first-round flameouts and two NIT trips.
We were actually tied with Georgetown for #10. They beat us on the tie-breaker (overall winning percentage).
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3501739
(stretching and doing high kicks)
Here’s an attempt, in no order:
1 Skiles
2 Steve Smith
3 Respert
4 Cleaves
5 Peterson
Do second-team, honorable mention, and pre-season picks count?
6 Neitzel
7 Davis
8 Ager
9 Richardson
10 Bell?
I’m tapped out.
2nd and 3rd team selections count. As do multiple selections. Still, I came up with only 11 All-American seasons since 1985 (AP team only) based on the MSU media guide:
Sam Vincent: 1985 (3rd team)
Skiles: 1986 (2nd)
Smith: 1990 (3rd), 1991 (2nd)
Respert: 1995 (1st)
Cleaves: 1998 (2nd), 1991 (1st), 2000 (2nd)
Peterson: 2000 (2nd)
Richardson: 2001 (2nd)
Bell: 2001 (3rd)