It's March. And as everyone knows, that's Izzo's month. Last night the Spartans had their first tournament game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament. And despite all my Hawkeye Up! chants, MSU, after trailing all game, rallied and beat the Hawkeyes 59-56.
Before any of my Spartan fans yell at me, I was pulling for the Hawkeyes because I thought it was comical that they were flirting with a real possibility of making it to the big dance. And as I told a couple of my friends weeks ago, (and have the texts to prove it) if Iowa were playing Michigan, I would have pulled equally as hard for Hawkeye Nation. HAWKEYE UP HAWKEYE UP! (yes it'd making fun of Purdue's stupid cheer. Toot Toot.)
I watched most of the game at a very loud diner, so I could hardly tell what was going on, but here's what I did see. Iowa held the lead all game, then collapsed like Michigan with a lead; MSU built a pretty decent late lead (8 points I believe correct me if I'm wrong) and then they decided it was time to play like Michigan late in the game, and let Iowa storm back and cut it to one. Then benefitted from what looked to me like a very questionable foul call, and in very unMichiganlike fashion, made both free throws and sealed the deal.
As sad as I am for Hawkeye Nation for once again not getting that prom invitation from their secret crush, I am not surprised at all, even with Iowa holding a double digit lead for a significant portion of the game. Because it's March. And Izzo does March. I honestly don't know why I see so many Spartan freak outs after losses, wait til March. Save those couches for March, imagine how big that fire would be.
Adrien Payne is finally playing like the game changer that he is with his size and athleticism. And Gary Harris is the real deal. Combine those two with Izzo's insane ability to win in March, and you have a team poised for a Final Four run.
But they aren't perfect, no team in college basketball is this season. I mean we have Gonzaga as the #1 team... Gonzaga. Just let that sink in for a moment people... The same school that produced Adam Morrison.
Although Derrick Nix has improved year after year, he still has about as much endurance as I do. Plus it doesn't help that he's an easy target for cheap foul calls. And then there's plenty of instances where he earns the foul. He's also prone to frustration fouls/mistakes, like last night's technical.
And I'm sure I don't need to tell any Spartan fan about the question mark that is Keith Appling. He's a stud point guard, then he's as dumb as a sack of potatoes, and as useful as one too. He's the key to how far MSU will go. The Spartans can't afford inconsistent and shaky play from their point guard, no team can.
Today against Ohio State will be an interesting matchup. Payne will probably get the bulk of the duties on Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft is probably the most annoying player to ever play basketball. Ultimately, this game is important for both teams. Michigan's loss opens the door for these two teams to try to snag a two seed. If MSU wins, I think they'll be a 2 seed and play at the Palace. But since my bracketolgy knowledge is about as equivalent as my biology knowledge, I'm probably wrong.
But here's what I do know. Michigan State has got a balanced team, and strong enough bigs to bang around with any team in the country. And Tom Izzo is at the helm. This team is poised for a deep tournament run this March.
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