MSU vs Georgia

[Sbee]

Moving on from yesterday's disappoitnment, our team had a chance to hang a banner and the late mistakes and no calls will blur the fact that MSU has grown a lot in the last few weeks.

We go into the tournament winning 4 of 5 games, beating a 9 seed, 10 seed on the road, 10 seed neutral, 4 seed neutral, then losing to a 1 seed.

Georgia is a tough team to handle, I don't know a ton about them but of course Yanten Maten from bloomfield hills who MSU offered very late last year. he turned us down, Georgia was on him for a long time and I think he wanted to go somewhere that really wanted him, not someone who offered him late because they missed on Cliff Alexander. They also come in with some injury issues with Kenny Gaines, one of their top shooters has an ankle injury, Juwan Parker, who started 14 games reaggrevated his injury and didn't play in the second half against Arkansas, they have some injury issues. I only watched them when they played Kentucky but they really looked good in their second game against them.

Overall I don't like our draw, thought we'd be a 6 and play a 3 vs a 2 in Virginia. If for some reason we can make it out of the first weekend I really like how things set up, I just give us about a 15% chance of making the sweet 16. If we did, it would be 8th time in 9 years that we did make the sweet 16.

 

[johnny2x2x]

The committee released their rankings 1-68 and we were #25. UVa was #5, so you have the strongest 2 possible playing the strongest 7 in game 2. UVa has to be just as ticked as we are.

Georgia's a decent team, but there biggest credentials are playing UK tough. We had our chance to make the season mean something and Denzel Valentine threw it away. Would not surprise me if we come out flat on Friday.

 

[Sbee]

The committee released their rankings 1-68 and we were #25. UVa was #5, so you have the strongest 2 possible playing the strongest 7 in game 2. UVa has to be just as ticked as we are.

Georgia's a decent team, but there biggest credentials are playing UK tough. We had our chance to make the season mean something and Denzel Valentine threw it away. Would not surprise me if we come out flat on Friday.

I think we come out pissed off, they should, i think this team will play with a lot of energy, the extra day helps.

The difference between a 7 and 6 is huge, I think there are about 6-7 elite teams that are 1 seed worthy and then there is a huge drop off. I think we would beat just about any of the 3's out there but the 2's are tough. As for UVA, they play a little similar to Wisconsin in that they play slow and don't make mistakes, the blueprint will be similar this week.

 

[MSUMatt28]

I don't like the Virginia matchup at all, if we can get past Georgia. I'm still trying to figure out Xavier as a 6. 20-13 record, 9-9 in the Big East. Their best non-conference win was probably Alabama, a lower tier SEC team. Ridiculous the amount of love the Big East got with the seeds.

Increasinly it looks like making a run in the BTT doesn't do jack squat for your seed. Last year we stormed through it and still ended up as a 4.

 

[Sbee]

I don't like the Virginia matchup at all, if we can get past Georgia. I'm still trying to figure out Xavier as a 6. 20-13 record, 9-9 in the Big East. Their best non-conference win was probably Alabama, a lower tier SEC team. Ridiculous the amount of love the Big East got with the seeds.

Increasinly it looks like making a run in the BTT doesn't do jack squat for your seed. Last year we stormed through it and still ended up as a 4.

Providence as a 6 as well? Oklahoma as a 3? i'd love to be a 6 playing them in the second round.

 

[Michchamp]

...

Increasinly it looks like making a run in the BTT doesn't do jack squat for your seed. Last year we stormed through it and still ended up as a 4.

yeah. I mentioned in a thread on our board that I just read Don Canham's (Michigan AD from 1968-1988) book.

he said when the initial discussions about having a Big Ten Tournament came up (late 80's - early 90's), all the good programs at the time (MSU, UM, Indiana... & maybe UI, I think Ohio St. was the fourth or fifth) got together and killed it. They all knew they were getting in anyway and the BTT could only hurt their seeding if they crapped out early. Plus it negated any rest those teams would have before the NCAA tourney.

the Big Ten office wanted the conference tourney though ($$$ reasons) and dangled the auto-bid out there to entice the crappier programs to vote for it. when his book was published (1996) he was still hoping they could avoid having a conf tourney, but he expressed a low opinion of Jim Delaney. Two years later we had a conference tourney.

looking over the BTT results, it looks like the lowest seed to win it was a #6 Iowa team in 2001. most of the time it's a 1, or 2, with a couple 3's in there. So much for it providing some upward mobility to the conference bottom feeders...

I guess if you're on the bubble though, two wins in the BTT could help you over the hump. would be interesting to figure out how many teams it's helped vs. hurt.

 

[Spartan23MSU]

Providence as a 6 as well? Oklahoma as a 3? i'd love to be a 6 playing them in the second round.

My thoughts exactly, we were a 6 before the wisc game even started.

 

[Sbee]

My thoughts exactly, we were a 6 before the wisc game even started.

Lunardi had us as a 7 going into the big ten tourney and we beat a 10 seed and and 4 seed and lost in OT to a 1. Maryland was our best win this year, wouldn't you think that would elevate us? Hell, iowa was a 7 and we had a much better resume.

 

[SpartyNash]

The biggest joke is Xavier as a 6, I honestly started laughing when I saw them announced. 6th place in a vastly overrated Big East with 13 losses, BYU/Mississippi over them is my first round upset lock of the century.

Georgia is tough, of course I have us beating them. Virginia is finally getting healthy and their defense is suffocating, I will be pretty damn surprised if we were able to beat them.

 

[Sbee]

The biggest joke is Xavier as a 6, I honestly started laughing when I saw them announced. 6th place in a vastly overrated Big East with 13 losses, BYU/Mississippi over them is my first round upset lock of the century.

Georgia is tough, of course I have us beating them. Virginia is finally getting healthy and their defense is suffocating, I will be pretty damn surprised if we were able to beat them.

Flip MSU and providence and it's a dream draw

 

[Spartanmack]

Providence as a 6 as well? Oklahoma as a 3? i'd love to be a 6 playing them in the second round.

I'd rather play G'Town than Providence and the hoyas are a 4 seed. The Friar's beat G'Town twice and went just as far in the Big East - and they got bounced by 'Nova while G'Town lost to Xavier...

 

[Spartan23MSU]

Lunardi had us as a 7 going into the big ten tourney and we beat a 10 seed and and 4 seed and lost in OT to a 1. Maryland was our best win this year, wouldn't you think that would elevate us? Hell, iowa was a 7 and we had a much better resume.

Exactly, Ive repeated several of these things verbatim.:bs:

 

[kalinecountry]

http://www.freep.com/videos/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2015/03/17/24904783/
Webvideo Tom Izzo: State of the Spartans heading into NCAAs.

 

[Sbee]

Msu -5.5

 

[Sbee]

couple of tidbits

Gauna is going to come and sit behind the bench, Izzo heard he's having a hard time adjusting to life with a young child and being out of school. Izzo called him up to see how he was doing and asked him to come to the game, I heard the team is really happy about this and looking forward to having him there.

Also, Izzo hasn't talked to Alan Anderson in a while. Anderson called him Monday morning after the Wisconsin lost and asked Izzo who he could call to pick up or provide some motivation to. It's nice to see those guys staying a part of the program and it shows how this program really is a family.

 

[Sbee]

also, Kenny Gaines is still iffy, my guess is that he tries to play but it's anyone's guess what kind of impact he's going to have. after the SEC tournament he said 100% sure he was going to play but as of yesterday he hasn't practiced with a foot injury, similar to Javon Bess, I heard that he did some shooting drills but that's it. I'd expect him to give it a go but if he can't, that's big for us. They may always have someone step up but I like our odds without him vs with him.

 

[gotime909]

I'm most worried about Maten. He's been playing pretty well lately and I hope he doesn't have some out of this world performance with the extra motivation.

 

[Sbee]

Gaines is playing

 

[LuciousGameWinner]

Here's one of these famous droughts...

 

[gotime909]

Trice with 2 early turnovers and misses. We need him to be on today....because he's gonna keep shooting regardless.