The reason there was no Linking Laconically yesterday was because the Indiana recap came in late. We have plenty of links for you today though.
Tom Izzo: Michigan State still recruiting at guard position | MLive.com Izzo's words surely make it sound like Korie Lucious won't be back. Unless Izzo recruits someone for one year, there's really no space for a scholarship...yet.
Spartan Fastbreak Update: 1-31-11 Tom Izzo Press Conference A link to video of Izzo's press conference yesterday.
Spartans' Draymond Green stuck in foul trouble | MLive.com The stats don't lie in this case -- Draymond's picked up 23 out of a possible 25 fouls in the past five games.
Blizzard forecast changes travel plans for Michigan State, Penn State, Michigan and other notes - AnnArbor.com In case you wondering how the basketball team will handle THUNDERSNOW 2011, they're leaving East Lansing at 3 today. How they'll get back is anyone's guess.
The Audacity of Hoops: Time of Possession & single-team pace A breakdown of the Ohio State-Northwestern game by length of possession. Morale-killing stat - Northwestern averaged 1.6 points per possession when they held onto the ball 30+ seconds. How do fans watch this?
Basketball Prospectus | Unfiltered Slow-ball is tolerated because it can lead to upsets, but John Gasaway brings up a good point:
I also suspect we hear about 100 percent of slow-ball’s successes but none of its failures. In a dress rehearsal for their upcoming Ohio State clash, Northwestern lured already slow Wisconsin into a slow-even-for-the-Badgers 50-possession game in Evanston on January 23. Bo Ryan’s team (very slowly) ran the Wildcats out of the building, winning 78-46.
I also agree with Gasaway's proposal of cutting time off the shot clock - a few teams in the Big Ten don't really run offense in earnest until the shot clock hits 10 anyway, shortening possessions will create a greater sense of urgency. What do you think? Vote in the poll at the end of this post.
How The Big Ten Stacks Up Against The SEC In Sports Revenues - SportsMoney - news on the business of sports - Forbes A couple flaws in this study (no mention of the BTN for example) but still worth a look. MSU's about the equal of Iowa when it comes to football $$$.
the kenpom.com blog The rhetorical question is this:
This year, I have a new question, or maybe it’s more of a thought exercise. Do committee members really need to watch games? More specifically, should they make an effort to attend games in person?
I get Pomeroy's point - that one anomalous performance could skew a committee member's point of view, but it seems heretical that the people tasked with choosing the NCAA tournament field would avoid watching basketball to improve their objectivity.