Fanshots

"The last thing I saw flopping around like that was in the bottom of my boat and I hit it with an...

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"The last thing I saw flopping around like that was in the bottom of my boat and I hit it with an oar."

Color man on the MSU-UMinn basketball game Jan. 25, 2012, after an egregious flop by a Minnesota player.

If anyone doubted Matt Costello belongs in a Spartan uniform next season, the Michigan State-commit...

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If anyone doubted Matt Costello belongs in a Spartan uniform next season, the Michigan State-commit put those thoughts firmly to rest and left East Lansing drooling for his services by finishing with a game-high 34 points, 26 rebounds and seven blocks.

Cory Butzin of the Bay City Times on Matt Costello's epic performance in a near-upset of Class A top 10 Detroit King at the Holiday Hoops Invitational. The event was held at Lansing Eastern this year instead of the Breslin due to concerns about NCAA regulations regarding prospects.

There is risk and reward in everything that we do, whether it's a particular play or blitz or...

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There is risk and reward in everything that we do, whether it's a particular play or blitz or whatever there is. I would say the same thing when you're challenging your players and talking with them. There is risk involved in talking with them about dreams as big as a Rose Bowl or dreams as big as a national championship. But if you don't do that, who will? Certainly nobody sitting in this room did five years ago, but here we're all sitting here talking about it. So somebody had to step out and talk about it from within.

http://www.freep.com/article/20111130/SPORTS07/111300362/MSU-s-Mark-Dantonio-using-pressure-motivate-players-title-game

The answer — made possible by these game-changing safeties — came in the form of "Cover 4," also...

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The answer — made possible by these game-changing safeties — came in the form of "Cover 4," also known as "Quarters." It's the most important defensive scheme of the past decade.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7124536/how-troy-polamalu-ed-reed-changed-nfl-defenses

Russell’s foot has been slow to heal. This aggressive approach will better position Russell for...

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Russell’s foot has been slow to heal. This aggressive approach will better position Russell for long-term health, while also allowing him to be on the court this fall.

Byrd to have surgery | LSJ Blogs | Joe Rexrode Russell Byrd's troublesome left foot is going to require surgery again. He's projected to be out 4 months. He's still expected to play this season, but at this point have just have to hope it's not career threatening.

"We are not going to just take anybody, either," Izzo said. "We are looking at a couple kids in...

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"We are not going to just take anybody, either," Izzo said. "We are looking at a couple kids in Ohio. We are not relying on (this potential recruit) to be any kind of savior."

Freep article on bringing in one more player next year

Can anyone confirm? I checked the FREEP and DetNews but nothing. --- RT @thesnews_sports: RT...

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Can anyone confirm? I checked the FREEP and DetNews but nothing. --- RT @thesnews_sports: RT @Brandan1Kearney: Congrats to my (future) teammate Dwaun Anderson on his Mr. Basketball award

Do teams that underachieve expectations during the regular season tend to overperform their seeds...

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Do teams that underachieve expectations during the regular season tend to overperform their seeds in the tournament? Here, the evidence is more mixed. . . This year’s set of underachieving schools — like Gonzaga, Butler, Kansas State and particularly Michigan State — need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, but they are plausible picks to pull off a surprise or two.

Nate Silver in the NY Times looks at preseason expectatons as a predictor of tournament success. Since MSU has been beat up all year over their preseason ranking, at least this offers a slightly different take on it. BTW, it appears that MSU, especially in the Izzo era, has a noble tradition of regular-season underachievement (or at least pre-season over-ranking).

By virtue of Penn State's victory over Minnesota on Sunday, the Spartans will be the No. 7 seed in...

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By virtue of Penn State's victory over Minnesota on Sunday, the Spartans will be the No. 7 seed in the tournament and play Iowa at approximately 5 p.m. on Thursday.

MSU to play Iowa on Thursday in Big Ten tournament | detnews.com | The Detroit News

The post season starts now if Michigan wants to make the NCAA tournament. A win will keep Michigan...

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The post season starts now if Michigan wants to make the NCAA tournament. A win will keep Michigan on the right side of the bubble while a loss would push the Wolverines into the NIT, barring a miraculous Big Ten Tournament run. Ken Pomeroy gives Michigan a 64% chance at victory and projects a 64-61 final. The fact that Michigan won in East Lansing obviously proves that the Wolverines are capable of winning this game. However, I still have that sinking feeling that something will go wrong. Here’s to hoping that the only thing wrong is my prediction: Michigan State 64, Michigan 63.

Dylan's sandbagging it, too