Linking Laconically already won at The Barn

by LVS on Jan 27, 2010 7:04 PM CST in Michigan State Spartans News Roundup

The Other Side of Spartan Sports: Big House to Host Cold War II
December 11 at 3pm. If it sells out, as you'd have to imagine it will, it'll break the world hockey attendance record (still held, at the moment, by the 2001 game at Spartan Stadium). Anyway, December outdoor hockey? Sign me up.
The State News : Icers prepare for weekend series against Michigan
Important series for both teams, as Michigan is fighting an uphill battle to save the season, while MSU is looking to stop a January quasi-slide (2-2-2 this month). Friday night's at Munn, and Saturday's game is at the Joe.
Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Tickets On Sale - MICHIGAN STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE
January 31 deadline for buying your tickets through the athletic department.
Revival for Sparty? We Say Nope. " Beadlemaniacs
Viz.: "They aren’t forcing turnovers like a normal Tom Izzo team and they sure as hell aren’t taking care of the ball. Michigan State turns the ball over almost 15 times per game. In a conference that is constantly ripped for boring (read: defensively strong) basketball, that will not get it done when they have to go to places like the Kohl Center, the Barn, or West Lafayette."

A few brief retorts: MSU's TO% this year (21.5%) is barely higher than it was last year (20.7%), and just about equal to the average rate from the last 6 seasons (21.26%); the turnovers are a problem, but plenty of good MSU teams have been turnover-prone. Similarly, forcing turnovers has never been the strength of Izzo teams: as KJ tweeted, MSU hasn't ranked higher than #190 nationally in defensive TO% since 2005. Finally, uh, we indeed did "get it done" at The Barn. BOOM ROASTED.
Yet Another Basketball Blog: Coaches Part #3
See also this post, which confirms that Izzo teams 1) turn the ball over a lot, but nonetheless 2) are very efficient on offense.
2 more MSU football players face assault, conspiracy charges | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal
As you surely know, they're Myles White and Oren Wilson. Wilson started in the Alamo Bowl, so you'd suspect (hope) that the charges he faces were unanticipated; White, on the other hand, has now been in trouble several times, and you'd have to imagine he's gone. Also, expect to see plenty of people wearing these at Michigan Stadium next year. Annnnnnnnd, unless something else drastic happens, we're finished talking about this issue because, quite frankly, it depresses us.
Pre-spring football outlook Defense " JollyGreenGiants
Good rundown of the returning and new personnel. News flash: the secondary is probably still gonna kinda sorta suck.
The State News : Athletics dept. deserves faith in logo change
LSJ Blogs: Hey, Joe: This logo continues to eat up valuable time and space
'Disappointed' Tom Izzo defends MSU's new logo | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
Listening to Izzo, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Logo | Spartan Football
At this point, we're one Proctor & Gamble sponsorship short of a full-fledged soap opera.
SLAM ONLINE | " Flyin’ To The Hoop: Top Seniors, Pt. 1
On Adreian Payne: "The Michigan State recruit was great running the floor, jumps out of the gym, and has a crazy long wingspan. Combine that with the fact that he can drill the three, has nasty court vision, and can finish with either hand and it’s easy to see why he’s a likely McDonald’s All-American. Adreian still has to become more consistent and learn the game a little more, but there’s no denying the pure talent that this dude has."
Basketball Prospectus | Articles | Pomeroy vs. Pomeroy
Fascinating defense of the KenPom rankings by KenPom himself.
Is Tom Crean on the clock? - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
If he actually is, Indiana is spectacularly stupid.
Sign off on the dotted line - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
Eamonn Brennan, late of Inside the Hall, takes a look at how the altered charging rule has been enforced. Conclusion: "The mere fact that I haven't noticed it -- and commentators, analysts, bloggers and fans haven't been complaining about it -- makes me think most people are pretty happy with the arrangement. Most expected this rule, which asks referees to do so much in the matter of one second, to fail miserably. That hasn't happened."
Ohio State's Evan Turner should lead Player of the Year debates - Andy Glockner - SI.com
Co-sign.
Hey, what's Teddy Dupay up to? - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
Actually, even if he'd turned into Mother Teresa Dupay, I'd probably still hate him.

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Comments

quick rebuttal

I just wanted to say that I mentioned in the comments that you already won at The Barn, and although I don’t love the Spartans as I did at the beginning of the year, I still like them a lot.

And I didn’t write the post, so don’t yell at me :)

Beadlemaniacs - Award winning* college basketball blog
You know you like college hockey

by fetch9 on Jan 27, 2010 7:14 PM CST reply actions

Haha.

No worries. I had to say something obnoxious in order to use BOOM ROASTED.

Anyway, was happy to find your blog.

PP-TPW.
The Only Colors

by LVS on Jan 27, 2010 7:18 PM CST up reply actions

thanks

and if you are interested we can have a blog fight as Seer notes below. Just make sure to let us get our white gloves out (aka switching to a new server)

Beadlemaniacs - Award winning* college basketball blog
You know you like college hockey

by fetch9 on Jan 27, 2010 7:31 PM CST up reply actions

A few brief retorts: MSU’s TO% this year (21.5%) is barely higher than it was last year (20.7%), and just about equal to the average rate from the last 6 seasons (21.26%); the turnovers are a problem, but plenty of good MSU teams have been turnover-prone. Similarly, forcing turnovers has never been the strength of Izzo teams: as KJ tweeted, MSU hasn’t ranked higher than #190 nationally in defensive TO% since 2005. Finally, uh, we indeed did “get it done” at The Barn. BOOM ROASTED.

Ah snap son, we got a blog fight here.

On the new charge/block non-semi-circle. I actually think it’s not been so great. I’ve not noticed any real difference which to me is more a sign that refs are not really implementing the rule. If they were, we’d notice that play was different from last year. I’m of the opinion a semi-circle should be added.

Light a man a fire, he'll stay warm for a day.
Light a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

by Seer on Jan 27, 2010 7:16 PM CST reply actions

My take

I can’t recall very many instances of fouls getting called either way with defenders standing under the hoop this season.

It could be that players have just adjusted to the rule, knowing they’re not going to get the charge call if they’re standing under the hoop on defense, making the whole issue go away. In which the case the rule change has been a success.

Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!

by KJ@theonlycolors on Jan 28, 2010 9:19 AM CST up reply actions

Why can’t we just get the half-circle under the hoop?

My old blog is Tigers By The Numbers.

Now I write at Bless You Boys.

Like music? See what I'm listening to at my Last.fm account.

by Mike Rogers on Jan 27, 2010 7:19 PM CST reply actions

No reason at all

I would be suprised if the half-circle isn’t on the floor by either next year of the year after. You can just look at the NBA to see that it makes the refs’ jobs easier and doesn’t take anything away from the players/fans/flow of the game.

by zeke4heisman on Jan 27, 2010 7:40 PM CST up reply actions