Sweet 16

by **steveschneider** Sun Mar 22, 2015 2:57 pm

Fuck Grant Hill

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:00 pm

Fuck Virginia

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:01 pm

ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 7m7 minutes ago

Best win pct in 2nd game of a weekend (since field expanded in 1985): Tom Izzo .833 (20-4) Mike Krzyzewski .783 (36-10) (Min. 10 games)

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:02 pm

Brent Yarina ‏@BTNBrentYarina 4m4 minutes ago

Sweet 16s since 2008: 7: Tom Izzo 6: John Calipari 5: Roy Williams Bill Self (plays today) 4: Coach K (plays today)

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:03 pm

The only team favored over us for FF is northern Iowa.

Sweet 16 CAuSQgdUwAAyQr0

by **Rocinante** Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:13 pm

What does that even mean?

by **Floyd Robertson** Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:13 pm

Rocinante wrote:What does that even mean?

It means there's a chance.

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:24 pm

The Only Colors ‏@TheOnlyColors 10m10 minutes ago

MSU now with the 5th best chance to win the tourney and the favorite in the East Region per @FiveThirtyEight

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:27 pm

Jim Comparoni ‏@JimComparoni 16m16 minutes ago

Izzo: "I'm really proud of this team. I don't use that word lightly." #MSU

by **Heat Miser** Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:27 pm

Tom Izzo has 44 wins through 60 NCAA Tournament games. Only Mike Krzyzewski and John Wooden had more at the same stage.

by **NigelUno** Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:30 pm

Heat Miser wrote:Tom Izzo has 44 wins through 60 NCAA Tournament games. Only Mike Krzyzewski and John Wooden had more at the same stage.

Wooden had it pretty tough.

by **MiamiSpartan** Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:39 pm

LooseGoose wrote:The only team favored over us for FF is northern Iowa.

That's because most of those teams still need to play 3 games to reach the Final Four, but we (and NCST) only need to play 2. I'd expect those to change by the end of the day.

by **Turtleneck** Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:01 pm

LooseGoose wrote:Fuck Virginia

Thomas Jefferson was overrated.

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:09 pm

Steve Berkowitz ‏@ByBerkowitz 46m46 minutes ago

Michigan State passed Indiana for most Sweet 16's by B1G team since '75, 1st year all teams had to win a game to make 16 (MSU now 17, IU 16)

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:26 pm

Bennie Fowler ‏@b_fowler13 3m3 minutes ago

“Question: Which NCAA team has won a Bowl game AND went to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last four years? Answer: Only Michigan State.”

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:40 pm

This certainly isn’t one of Izzo’s most talented teams, but there’s more to it than that. Never underestimate the importance of chemistry, and Izzo says it's carrying his team right now.

“I did say this is one of the more together teams we've had ever, ever,” Izzo said in the post-game press conference. “Something funny happened the other night after the (Friday win over Georgia). We watched a little film like we do and we give them a meal and we send them up and we do some stuff and we bring them back down. After the meal, they just sat there and laughed and talked. Usually, we had guys that would run up and grab their phones and text their girlfriends and call it a week.

“These guys just enjoy being around each other. I think that's the makeup of a team. And I give credit to our seniors and our junior.”

by HT Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:48 pm

LooseGoose wrote:Fuck Virginia

Who wouldn't?

by **Floyd Robertson** Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:24 pm

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/22/michigan-state-spartans-sweet-16-ncaa-tournament-virginia-cavaliers

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:31 pm

Chris Vannini ‏@ChrisVannini 13m13 minutes ago

Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield is a longtime friend of MSU’s Lourawls Nairn. Both from Bahamas and played high school together.

by **Floyd Robertson** Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:35 pm

Remember in 1999 we played Oklahoma in the sweet sixteen and Eduardo Najera head-butted Cleaves? That was fun.

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:38 pm

Floyd Robertson wrote:http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/03/22/michigan-state-spartans-sweet-16-ncaa-tournament-virginia-cavaliers

One of the best articles on Izzo/Spartans that I've read in a while.

Addresses "the black dude with the glasses" questions:

You probably saw the Spartans hit big shots against Virginia. But did you notice veteran assistant Mike Garland on the bench, sitting between two players, several seats away from the rest of the coaching staff? Garland always sits there.

“Managing players,” he says.

With most teams, all three assistants sit together, either acting like head coaches or trying to get in the real head coach’s ear. Garland learned a long time ago that Michigan State did not need four coaches in the same place, doing the same thing. So when Dawson went to the bench Sunday, Garland coached him on passing out of the post. He helped his big guys make defensive adjustments before they were absolutely necessary.

And this is a tidbit I'd not heard elsewhere....

They ended up losing to Wisconsin in overtime in the title game. But then the NCAA bracket came out, and Izzo told point guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr.: We’re going to get you a game against Buddy Hield.

Hield grew up with Nairn in the Bahamas. He plays for Oklahoma, which is seeded third in the East. Michigan State had to beat 10th-seeded Georgia and second-seeded Virginia to get a chance to play Oklahoma, and of course Izzo didn’t know if the Spartans would do it. But he needed them to know he expected it.

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:39 pm

Floyd Robertson wrote:Remember in 1999 we played Oklahoma in the sweet sixteen and Eduardo Najera head-butted Cleaves? That was fun.

Thanks for reminding me...... Sweet 16 1550444538

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:45 pm

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:47 pm

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2015/03/22/couch-column-msu-virginia-ncaa/25183085/

I think he does. I think he and classmate Travis Trice — and junior Denzel Valentine, too — were bothered by watching last year's seniors become the first class in Izzo's tenure not to reach a Final Four. Valentine has said as much.

"People asked me (Saturday) about the (lack of) chip on your shoulder because we beat (Virginia) last year," Izzo said. "But these guys lost about as much as you could lose last year if you have 16 years or 18 years straight of a senior class going to a Final Four."

Dawson appears driven to get there. Possessed even.

"Normally, at the three-minute mark (before the game) when we're running out (onto the court), we'll start jumping around doing stuff — Denzel normally leads it," Costello said. "And today, for some ungodly reason, (Dawson) jumped up, 'Let's go fellas!' He started going crazy and everybody else jumped on that. It fired us up for the first however many minutes. We were ready to go from the jump. I was kind of shocked, but I was really happy."

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:14 pm

Michigan State and Oklahoma will meet in the state of New York for the second consecutive season, though under much different circumstances.

The No. 7 seed Spartans (25-11) play the East Regional No. 3 seed Sooners (24-10) in a Sweet 16 matchup at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York on Friday.

Last season, Michigan State played Oklahoma at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, scoring an 87-76 victory on Nov. 23, 2013 in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

The Sooners return four starters from that game, while the only current MSU player who started in last season's meeting was Branden Dawson. Matt Costello, Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine all came off the bench.

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2015/03/get_to_know_oklahoma_michigan.html

by **Snake Plissken** Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:21 pm

Floyd Robertson wrote:Remember in 1999 we played Oklahoma in the sweet sixteen and Eduardo Najera head-butted Cleaves? That was fun.

Sonofabitch I do remember that. We owe them effers and need to curb stomp them now. Tum Tum needs to know he has no friends wearing anything other than green and white next Friday.

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:44 pm

Floyd Robertson wrote:Remember in 1999 we played Oklahoma in the sweet sixteen and Eduardo Najera head-butted Cleaves? That was fun.

by Guest Sun Mar 22, 2015 9:44 pm

10:30 pm start, the late game.

by **Floyd Robertson** Mon Mar 23, 2015 5:03 am

Wojo: Final Four no long shot for emerging MSU

Tom Izzo has done this so many times — the seventh Sweet 16 in eight years — we're officially out of adjectives. But what these Spartans have pieced together is amazing, taking giant steps after a lot of missteps, led by rapidly improving leaders.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Mon Mar 23, 2015 8:10 am

Heat Miser wrote:Tom Izzo has 44 wins through 60 NCAA Tournament games. Only Mike Krzyzewski and John Wooden had more at the same stage.

and they both cheat.. a lot.

by **Ass Dan** Mon Mar 23, 2015 8:30 am

Robert J Sakimano wrote:and they both cheat.. a lot.

I'm not sure Duke cheats. They've never been on probation under coach k and side from sustained success there's no reason to think that they're paying players. Also consider izzo goes after a lot of the same players.

by Guest Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:24 am

by Guest Mon Mar 23, 2015 11:20 am

by **Turtleneck** Mon Mar 23, 2015 11:36 am

LooseGoose wrote:

Xavier's mascot is the Cookie Monster?

by **Turtleneck** Mon Mar 23, 2015 11:38 am

by Chitown_Badger Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:08 pm

LooseGoose wrote:Brent Yarina ‏@BTNBrentYarina 4m4 minutes ago

Sweet 16s since 2008: 7: Tom Izzo 6: John Calipari 5: Roy Williams Bill Self (plays today) 4: Coach K (plays today)

If you count 07-08, Bo would be on that list with five, but I'm assuming the stat means the 08-09 season.

Nice win yesterday. Vintage MSU in March.

by **Heat Miser** Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:29 pm

Chitown_Badger wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:Brent Yarina ‏@BTNBrentYarina 4m4 minutes ago

Sweet 16s since 2008: 7: Tom Izzo 6: John Calipari 5: Roy Williams Bill Self (plays today) 4: Coach K (plays today)

If you count 07-08, Bo would be on that list with five, but I'm assuming the stat means the 08-09 season.

Nice win yesterday. Vintage MSU in March.

Sweet 16 10_20differential_zpsuhnnhptv.0

by Chitown_Badger Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:48 pm

Give me some context around that image, or a link to where it's from. If you're telling me that izzo is a good march coach, this is not news.

by LoneWolfSparty Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:50 pm

Chitown_Badger wrote:

If you count 07-08, Bo would be on that list with five, but I'm assuming the stat means the 08-09 season.

Nice win yesterday. Vintage MSU in March.

Better hope you don't play us again, we won't blow the lead or make a boneheaded play in our own end again.

by Sponsored content