Izzo wary of ranking
"One through four we're probably as good as anybody in the country. But to be a great team, you can't have that void. Right now we have a donut in the middle. It's a big weakness at the moment."
Other items of interest:
1. Says Purdue is the favorite to win the conference. (I agree.)
2. Talks about where last year's Final Four ranks in terms of his life experiences.
3. Says MSU would really like to schedule Notre Dame as a nonconference opponent.
10 months ago
KJ@theonlycolors
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I know we hear a lot about starting Roe in the middle but every time I read a comment from Izzo he makes it clear that’s not his preference and talks about the need to find a center. I’m sure he’s going to give someone a shot and I can honestly see it being any of those three guys.
My money is still on Tom Herzog to begin the season, especially if he’s truly 250.
I think Herzog can do it
He won’t be Davis/Suton, but then again, with Lucas/Summers/Roe/Morgan/Lucious/Green, does he really have to be?
Right, primarily Herzog needs to be able to hold his own for position, rebound, and guard the hoop. He doesn’t have to score a great deal. There’s four guys on the floor who should be able to do that.
One thing I’ll say too – if not this season for TH, probably not the next one either. This is his moment! Grab it, Tom!
by intrpdtrvlr on Oct 13, 2009 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Getting ND on the schedule
I’m not sure UND really wants any part of Sparty, especially after that series with Michigan went so badly for them. Think about it, Brey already has to play about five top-25 programs in his own league, what point is there to scheduling MSU? One more beatdown? They don’t really compete for the same kids and it’s just not in ND’s interest to schedule a home-and-home which will get them nothing more than two Ls. As a Spartan fan I’d love to see a matchup against a football rival, too, but I just don’t see any benefit for ND.
Think about it, Brey already has to play about five top-25 programs in his own league, what point is there to scheduling MSU?
Given that we actually play everyone (almost) in the league twice, we usually play at least that many top-25 games in conference too, and it hasn’t stopped us. Not everyone shares Izzo’s scheduling philosophy, though (the Big East in particular often makes a spectacular point of this – Syracuse rarely leaves the state for a non-conference game).
Yeah… I don’t see them adding us to their schedule, but why not? In college basketball, teams (especially from respected conferences like the Big East) can rebound from tough losses with all the love they’d get for having a tough schedule. The upside to playing MSU far exceeds loading up non-conference schedule with South Carolina Upstate and Savannah State.
Roe and Green
Perhaps I’m in the minority but I’m excited about seeing Roe and Green playing together. It is easy to over-emphasize height but it is not the only criteria. Playing a big stiff, just because he is big, is silly when you have quality under-sized big guys like Roe and Green. Granted, there will be situations where having a big stiff is useful such as the majority of minutes Ibok received last year. If Herzog, Sherman and Nix are no better than Ibok, then we will see a lot of Roe and Green as the two bigs.
Sure, totally valid, but I think the question remains whether can you reach the team’s full potential with a 6’8" center and a 6’6" power forward? No doubt Roe and Green together will win a lot of games but I think you can infer from his comments that Izzo is among those who isn’t sure it’ll win a championship.
I’ve always said, I’m fine with a 6’8 center and I’m fine witha 6’6" power forward, but both together as your primary line-up makes me nervous. Kind of dumb comparison, I confess, but this is what finally derailed an incredible Butler team their first year in the Sweet Sixteen
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