I’m hitting the road for Indy shortly. Here’s your open thread to converse before, during, and after tonight’s game. I may or may not post a game recap tonight after the game; if I don’t, I’ll get the post up in the morning.
Discussion-inducing links:
- A KenPom Preview: Michigan State
Interesting to get the tempo-free-analysis treatment for our own stats. Rock Chalk Talk sounds like us: worried about turnovers and 3-point shooting. - Rocks, Chalks and Jayhawks
In case you were wondering about the origins of those three words. - Michigan State’s prolific rebounding a product of hard work, desire
. . . and sweat, and tears, and football helmets, and . . . - Goran Suton’s flight still rising
More fawning over G. Only took the media 4 and a half years to get to this story. - Balanced offense makes Spartans tough to guard
“10 players, including senior forward Marquise Gray, have held or shared scoring honors in 34 games this season.” Bill Self says he won’t use a gimmick defense against us. But did he pinky swear on it? - The Silver Lining
Purdue is out. The fate of the Big Ten rests solely with us now. - Plenty of good basketball left in E.L. this weekend
Derrick Nix and co. playing at Breslin today.
I’ve obviously been negligent in my blogging duties this week. (Take this as proof that ceasing operations at this site is an unavoidable eventuality.) I will leave you with my own gut feeling on tonight’s game: We win tonight, unless we beat ourselves. Tom Izzo will have a defensive gameplan that will ensure that Collins and Aldrich don’t beat us by themselves; another Jayhawk player will have to step up. Beyond that, our fate will hinge on (1) offensive execution, (2) three-point shooting (on both ends), and (3) foul trouble (either way).
The obvious pick for the key MSU player is Raymar Morgan. Can he take advantage of the less experienced Kansas wing players? I’ll throw in Durrell Summers, too. With Aldrich in the lane, scoring in the paint is going to be a challenge. Because of his high release, Summers can get a 3-point shot off even against a team that knows it might be coming. If he can knock down a shot or two early, that could open up the ability to drive and score on some mid-range shots, as well.
In terms of intangibles, I think it’s a wash. Kansas is the younger team, so the added hype of playing at the Sweet Sixteen level may affect them more. On the other hand, there’s less pressure on them than there is on us to advance to next round. The bottom line is that these are two solid teams that both won the regular season title in pretty deep conferences; this should be a great game.
There you go. Three paragraphs of original (if not rigorously analytical) blogging. Enjoy tonight’s action and . . .
GO GREEN!
Okay. First two games of the night are blowouts. Maybe ours will be too.
The defense has looked good so far. Now if we can just get shots to fall …
After 4 minutes, I hope our offensive rebounding improves.
We need some shots to start falling if we don’t want a blowout in the wrong direction.
Suton, beat Aldrich!
just like that, msu leads!
Wow, nice little spurt on offense.
That foul on Suton was bogus
Also, that foul on summers. He only jumped high, and ku player couldn’t
mk: Summers definitely went over the back. Jumping higher than the other guy doesn’t give you the right to lean over him and land on him, and Summers did. Less sure of the Suton foul, but the Summers one was legit.
That rebound penalty was awful. And that replay of the tip showed that it should have been MSU ball to start the game.
We better start squeezing the orange a little better (as Clark Kellogg likes to say). The turnovers are killing us.
We’re not getting rebounds right now, which is a problem.
I’m not sure I understand the rotation here. Why is Ibok out when Aldrich is in?
The turnovers for easy fast break points need to stop.
too relaxed? too many fast breaks allowed.
Coach ‘em up, stop these silly turnovers.
They all look kind of tentative to me. Someone needs to take control and calm everyone down.
Ridiculous. He lifted his pivot before the pass that set up the original shot. But it’s not going to matter if we keep giving them dunks off the fast break.
We’re only 7 of 21. Hard to win when you couldn’t hit water if you fell out of a boat.
So much for Raymar having a breakout game. He looks like a lost puppy.
I bet digger is smiling.
Please, focus… it is certainly on its way to a blowout loss….
Nice turn over and basket.
How is it that teams figure out all of our set plays if they have played us before?
Beginning to look like it is going to be a blowout, except the other way…We need to keep it within 10 at half or this will be UGLY!!
IT COUNTS!
We needed that, really badly – if for no other reason than to take whatever momentum they got off Aldrich making a jumper that he normally never takes.
Good sign at the end of the half. Started to create turnovers and get some offensive rebounds.
What was with Gus Johnson saying Izzo feels unappreciated? BTN should dock his pay!
We need to start hitting some shots from the perimeter. Morgan looks pretty bad – 0 for 5 with one rebound and 2 turnovers and two rebounds. Roe has one rebound on the stat sheet. We’re getting more from Green.
On the plus side Suton has managed to play Aldrich to a relative draw. Aldrich has a couple more rebounds but Suton is outscoring him. So far he and Lucas are our only guys showing up on offense.
“What was with Gus Johnson saying Izzo feels unappreciated? BTN should dock his pay!”
He heard it from a fellow with a block M and hopeful smile. At the press conference, Izzo went on for some length about how good he felt things were and that he still has things he wants to accomplish in East Lansing.
Well, I didn’t think I’d be glad to be down by 7 at half.
Yeah, you know it’s a bad half when being down 7 is a plus. Still, there’s hope there, because if you consider how many points Kansas scored on breakaway turnovers (at least 8. ) we could be in the lead. We’re a second half team and I believe in Izzo’s ability to make the adjustments we need.
More Day-Day, less Ray-Ray.
Think Kentucky would pony up $7Mill/year for Izzo? They are bball crazy down there. I think the appeal for him would be slightly easier recruiting. OTOH, I think he really likes Hollis & Dantonio (& Merchant).
The guy was speculating on him taking the Arizona job during the game for Pete’s sake! What the hell is that about? I heard Roy Williams might take the Kentucky job.
Roy is Carolina Blue thru & thru, zero chance. To me Arizona is not an upgrade over State.
Yeah, it was a joke. Just to prove that I can start baseless rumors too. Roy has about as much chance of taking the UK job as Izzo has of leaving for Arizona though.
Kentucky isn’t a step up at this point.
I don’t see the easier recruiting, with John Calipari, Rick Pitino and Bruce Pearl on your doorstep.
go green!!!!
Uh oh … somebody’s closer.
GO GREEN indeed!
That was a nice run. Now we just have to sustain it.
Not sure about his contract but Coach Cal to UK makes the most sense.
Aldrich appears to be getting the star treatment – no fouls can be called on him.
I heard his base is fairly low, and KY has deeeep pockets.
Calipari’s the only big name who makes any sense heading to Kentucky, aside from Donovan (and he doesn’t seem interested). For anyone else it’s a sideways move at best, and you’re leaving a place with high but reasonable expectations to deal with a bunch of fans who won’t tolerate anything short of championships year in and year out. Calipari moving up to the big leagues instead of feasting on the weak CUSA year after year gives him some incentive, but nobody else has any reason to leave a good situation to head there.
Raymar is missed… With a small line up of kansas, it would be good for raymar to show what he can do…
how many layups for them and how many travels for us….. ugh….
Suton’s going to have to come back in, fouls or no fouls. We just can’t seem to get anything done with him on the bench right now.
We have missed a lot of gimmes in this game. No one but Suton is showing up offensively. We absolutely need someone else to provide some scoring.
Some of the travels are bogus IMO
Nice steal(?) by Ibok!!!
It’s gotta be the momentum changing play!
We lead? Is that correct? Who would have believed it in the first half?
Hey, Walton learned how to shoot! Uh-oh!
Slow it down, guys. We’re taking rushed shots and missing. Fortunately, Kansas can’t shoot either right now.
That may have been in the open court but it was a charge.
Anyone else notice that the announcers seem to be leaning Kansas’s way a bit? Any time there’s a call against us they immediately say “good call”, and there’s a lot of “Suton better be careful, that could have been called his fourth”.
Yeah I’ve notciced. The refs seem to be leaning that way too. That should have been a foul on Aldrich on that rebound.
This Michigan fan’s favorite Spartan is Draymond Green. I’m happy to see him getting some run this year for you guys and he’s really stepped up. I was pretty mad when he got away from U-M and was convinced he would RS in MSU’s deep front court.
In regards to tonight’s game… It seems like there are a lot of bad shots… Wrong people at the wrong time. Suton threes, Walton runners, etc. I would like to see Lucas take control of the game and demand the ball a little more.
Maybe I’m missing something though.
please suton, get in the paint, not for 3 point jump shot
Yeah, he’s feeling it a little bit too much.
No kidding, mk. It’s nice that he can hit those, but we need him in position to get the rebound, and if he’s shooting threes he’s not under the rim getting boards.
At least he’s feeling it. No one else seems to be. I have no idea how we are still in this game.
Has morgan or Roe been in at all in the last ten minutes?
Of course, it also wouldn’t hurt if they’d actually call it when he gets pushed in the back on a layup.
finally, foul on Aldrich.
Turnovers.
If we could have just avoided that disaster stretch midway through the first half, we’d be up a bunch right now.
I have not seen Roe since about half way through the first half. I’m beginning to suspect an injury or something. Morgan just made his presence felt (finally).
Atta boy #2.
Might be a matchup problem, Mark, given the small lineup that Kansas always uses. Might not be quick enough on defense.
The battle of coaching!!!!
Yeah, it may be a matchup problem. Nice stop we got just there.
YES!!!!!!!
Lucas all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LUCAS!!!!!!!!! And one!
Llllluuuuucaaaasssss!!!!!!!
Looks like everybody is in the same boat – have to yell on the keyboard or wake up the whole house!
This game is going to give me more heart attacks than the Sparks game. And that one had me pacing back and forth wearing a hole in the carpet in front of the TV.
That’s why Kalin needs the ball….
stupid call.
Thanks a lot, refs. He tripped over his own feet and you give him two free points.
How do you make that call… Yikes.
Izzo can’t even look at lucas’ free throw
Stop fouling!
Or foul a guy who can’t make the front end of a 1-and-1. That works too.
There was no foul there, but considering the result I can’t complain too much.
Lucas is the definition of clutch.
IT’S OVER!!!!!
Wow that was a great game!
I cannot believe what I just saw!!!! Excellent finish!!!!!
Come on, Digger, Say it!!!!!!!!
Congrats Guys. Last Big Ten rep left…
It was unglier’n Margret Thatcher naked on a cold day, but I like the results.
Our close game mojo came through one more time. I sound like Austin Powers baby!
called me biased, but that was probably the best game of the sweet 16
my whole body has been tense the last hour plus
How did MSU ever win this game?
tag: Considering that it was pretty much the only one that was in doubt with a minute to play, that’s not hard to do. But yes, that was an intense game. Hats off to Kansas – they played one heck of a game.
Unbelievably tense. I need one celebratory beer to calm down (at least that’s what I tell myself – I really don’t have a problem).
At this point Suton should have no fear of Blair or Hansbrough given how he’s played in this tourney. Griffen is another story – that guy looks unstoppable.
SpartanDan – yes and no… the Pitt game was pretty close down the stretch – until Fields drained that 3-pointer, and then followed it up with a steal and a layup to give Pitt the win.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I woke up the entire apartment building and I couldn’t care less.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
We have Izzo.
We have Kalin Lucas.
We have Goran Suton.
You do not.
Goran Suton outplayed Cole Aldrich.
Speechless.
that was, uhm, well, a great game for fans to watch if they like college basketball. but a nearly insufferable one on the blood pressure and heart rate for anyone who rooted for either team, i’m sure. It went basically how I thought it would, but scared the dickens out of me in the meantime.
PP-TPW