MSU-IU Game Thread. With Bonus Linking Laconically.
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 4:17 PM CST
in Michigan State Spartans Basketball
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PrintMichigan St. Spartans at Indiana Hoosiers, Feb 16, 2010 6:00 PM CST
- Basketball Prospectus | Articles | Tuesday Truths
Don't look now, but we're only the 4th best team in the conference on both ends of the court. - Big Ten Geeks - Big Ten Network
In graphical form. - Yet Another Basketball Blog: The Pulse, Part 2
Mr. Hanner is not high on MSU's NCAA tournament prospects. Disturbingly persuasive. - The Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix - 2010
Speaking of the tournament, we haven't talked about our potential seed lately. Bracketologists have us all over the board: anywhere between #2 and #5. - High Percentage Shots " "Battle Does It Again"
One positive link: MSU forced Penn State to run the shot clock down below 10 seconds 22 times. - Indiana v. Michigan State: another day, another tough matchup for the Hoosiers. - The Crimson Quarry
Enemy preview.
Alright, read those first three depressing links. Then forget what you read for the next few hours.
No mercy for former Izzo assistants. Beat IU.
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This is
the fourth consecutive week with a Tuesday game. I have class from 6-9 on Tuesday night. [insert frustrated emoticon here.]
Hopefully this one is not like the last two Tuesdays.
PP-TPW.
The Only Colors
I know I've been a negative nancy
but right now this looks like a Sweet 16 team. On top of that, there is a compelling argument to be made that we’re 4th in the Big Ten. I’m not not moved by the “Izzo’s teams always go through this,” “just wait until the tournament” talk. I agree with those articles.
We’ll see.
Depends
We’ve gone into a major slump, but the first half of the Big Ten season looked like we could contend for a Final Four berth. If we can get back to defending like we did earlier, then rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. (Then again, if our defensive collapse is not a result of a failure to execute but simply being overmatched or those teams identifying a weakness that we can’t shore up, we have a problem.)
Musburger says MSU bussed in to Bloomington due to snow
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:00 PM CST reply actions
Yet
The Hoosiers look completely outmatched. Gotta build a sound lead and hope they lose their hustle and scrapiness.
Oh and Musberger makes me angry.
by TMadison25 on Feb 16, 2010 6:10 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
First 7 points from bigs
When was the last time that happened?
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:08 PM CST reply actions
It's official
Raymar will never learn from his ticky-tacky fouling ways.
by TMadison25 on Feb 16, 2010 6:13 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Indiana has more turnovers than us, and they still have four more shots
Partly because we’ve been to the line twice.
He's in
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:21 PM CST up reply actions
IU with 5 offensive rebounds, zero defensive rebounds
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:21 PM CST reply actions
Summers fouls a guy driving into him
that he has a 5-inch height advantage on.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:29 PM CST reply actions
IU with first def rebound
Don’t understand how the math works on them being even close to us, given that we’re winning the TO battle, too.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:30 PM CST reply actions
Offensive rebounding so far
MSU 83%, Indiana 64%. No wonder both teams’ efficiencies so far are stratospheric.
Didn't look like much contact there
Ref anticipating the foul, I think. (Or maybe the contact was all down low; the block itself looked clean.)
Draymond
Bailing out missed FREE throws.
by TMadison25 on Feb 16, 2010 6:40 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Refs are getting real whistle-happy
Usually they go easy in the first half before they get a call from the league office reminding them they’re way behind their foul quota.
Both teams at 10 PFs
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:42 PM CST up reply actions
Gotta stop fouling on poor jumpers. Killing us.
by TMadison25 on Feb 16, 2010 6:44 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Kebler very aggressive on offense
A little too aggressive, in fact.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:47 PM CST reply actions
Another bad foul on Summers
Can’t make a play on the ball from behind the other player.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:48 PM CST reply actions
Again!
Thornton and Sherman have zero rebound chemistry. They’re going to have to start calling it like it’s volleyball.
No Shit Sherlock
Musburger w/ the comment: this is a line up we’re not used to seeing
Just 7 attempts for Indiana in the last 10 minutes
Distorted by an insane number of FT attempts, but still.
Offense really clicking
Even scoring with the Kebler/Thornton/Sherman lineup.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:53 PM CST reply actions
Izzo trying to keep it close
and/or making a point to the regulars.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:53 PM CST up reply actions
Big fan of KL2
But I don’t want to see him take the last shot of the half in anymore games.
by TMadison25 on Feb 16, 2010 6:54 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Don't have sound or stats
But IU’s FTR must be insane.
by Con-T on Feb 16, 2010 6:57 PM CST via mobile reply actions
58.3
And they’ve taken full advantage, making 13 of 14 shots at the line.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:59 PM CST up reply actions
Geeze...
How is MSU 13th in the nation when it comes to opponents free throw rate (right?) — yet go against an absolutely terrible team and let them take it to them at the line?
The low FTR thing is still a complete mystery to me
Waiting for a brilliant FanPost that explains it.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:06 PM CST up reply actions
opponent’s FTR
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:06 PM CST up reply actions
One explanation
Lack of physical offensive teams in Big 10.
6 of 11 Big Ten teams rank in top 50 in opponent’s FTR.
IU is highest ranked Big Ten team in offensive FTR at just #80.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:09 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe because opponents get so many clean looks from the perimeter?
by TMadison25 on Feb 16, 2010 7:09 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
My wild guess
1) Our good defensive games, we’ve defended well without fouling.
2) Our craptastic defensive games, we’ve defended so badly that we’re not even in position to foul.
IU taking advantage of their one four-factor offensive strength (/nonweakness): free throw rate.
30 points in 29 possessions.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 6:58 PM CST reply actions
Because MSU fans aren't all raging homers?
(And because the state isn’t all MSU fans, though you’d think Michigan fans would be just as likely to spite Turner as Lucas.)
Yeah, that sounds right.
He deserves it. Pretty clear pick, I think – due respect to Lucas and Moore.
Really?
Sherman beat his man to the spot. Wasn’t a charge, obviously, but it wasn’t much of a block either.
Obsessed with high-tech internet voting
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:19 PM CST up reply actions
Players on both sides just can't help themselves with the bumping/reaching
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:19 PM CST reply actions
There's a game?
I just hear a bunch of whistles :-).
Nice elbow, Dumes.
If last year is any indication, it’ll take, what, three more of those for an ejection?
Can we stop with Lucious?
He makes bad decisions with the ball, his defense is pretty spotty – and he can’t shoot anymore.
Somebody needs to sit him down and get him out of his own head
He’s capable of doing much better, but the last few games, he’s been conspicuous only by the frequency and severity of his screw-ups.
MSU's 19 fouls nicely distributed
8 players with 2-3 fouls a piece.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:29 PM CST reply actions
These refs are awful...
This is nearly unwatchable. Thanks big ten!
That is at least the sixth clean-looking block the refs have called a foul
Several both ways. Let them play!
We need to win this one by 15.
Minimum.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:39 PM CST reply actions
You'd think...
but what more can MSU do? They’re making most of their shots and not letting Indiana make shots. Refs are 100% keeping indiana in the game.
Or make some 3-pointers
Like that.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:44 PM CST up reply actions
Nice flop, Dumes
Granted, Green would have run him over regardless. I guess Dumes thought it prudent to get out of the way before he actually got run over.
Nice pass over the zone by Delvon
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:43 PM CST reply actions
Kalin for President
Loving it. Welcome back young man
Summers gone
That should help.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 7:47 PM CST up reply actions
Think he was almost perfect two games in a row before that stretch, too
Streaky shooter, apparently.
Wow
Glad I don’t have a plane to catch. Neither do the refs, apparently
by Con-T on Feb 16, 2010 7:52 PM CST via mobile reply actions
I am not happy with our rebounding tonight at all
But when the refs don’t bail out Indiana, we’re either forcing bad shots or turnovers. If only we could get the ball after those bad shots.
A sure possibility.
As I’ve said every time, if this is true and planned I sure hope Zogger gets the full Senior Day honors.
He deserves it
Frustrating basketball career for him, but if he practices as claimed… Gotta show him the love for his last game.
Oh, please no
Lucious and Allen trying to deal with a full-court press. This is going to be unpleasant.
Another time with the defender set and a block called anyway
You don’t need to drag out the inevitable here, refs.
Fairly workmanlike win
Outside of sending IU to the line (with the refs’ help) a couple dozen times.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Feb 16, 2010 8:01 PM CST up reply actions
Huh
Why don’t we get more of challenge from Herzog on a drive like that? Or rebound, for that matter.
Kebler the Tennis Player
apparently Kebler is not a bball player
Leading rebounder for the night has 4
Part of that is Indiana not getting any FG attempts (they either turn it over or get to the FT line) and us not missing, but even in tempo-free terms we lost the boards tonight. Our OR% was actually higher than our DR%. That’s either a really good thing or a really bad thing, and tonight it was really bad.
Late extraneous thoughts
1. Even though the zebras went crazy and took over the game, it was still over by 9:00 EST so that the Four Letter could get to Starkville. Unlike the Jim Burr called Big East hack-fest last night that ended just in time for the second half of the KU-A & M, the Four Letter was able to get in a couple of comercial spots before the switch.
2. I don’t really give a damn that Zebra Hartsell’s wife is a race car driver and I can’t believe that Brent only plugged the Nationwide race and Danica Patrick 37 times during the game. It’s getting to be like the Dick Vitale Duke Drinking Game, every time Brent mentions Danica, pound a shot of tequila. Then, sleep on the floor all night.
3. At about 14:20 of the first half, IU tried the always effective “throw the ball off the Spartan butt” play, but Sherman moved and the IU player threw the ball out of bounds on the side. It looks like we’re defending that play a bit better.
4. When IU went into the 2-3 zone, our guys figured it out quickly, got good shots and made them. That bodes well for Sunday. Neither Lav or Brent noticed that when Crean signaled with two fingers that that meant “Zone,” nor did they ever seem to notice the zone.
5. Where was Erin Andrews? At least she tries to take the games seriously, even though traveling with Brent and Lav must be a dreadful way to make a living.
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