Middle Tennessee 90, Michigan State 81

Middle Tennessee State went up 15-2 in the beginning of the game. If Michigan State had held it even before that, I wouldn't be writing this right now.

But what happened is that MTSU kept making outside shots, and our Spartans could neither rebound or defend well. And for that, they deserved to lose.

Let's not pretend this was a fluke. Our Spartans came out flat and MTSU came out hot to a tune of a 15-2 run. The Blue Raiders deserved to win this game, and I won't tolerate any arguments otherwise.

As for Michigan State, the transition year is here. I fully expect Deyonta Davis to go the NBA (he's been a lottery pick in every mock draft I've seen), but we've got a lot of talent coming in. Tum Tum and Eron Harris will anchor the backcourt, and Schilling should be a good center.

The disappointment you're feeling is massive. I'm feeling it too. But still, this should reflect on how hard it is to win in the NCAA Tournament year after year, and next year's team is going to have the drive.

Vent, please do. But don't forget about the student-athletes who sacrificed a lot to get us here. Chris and Joe will start the post-game show around 6, and you can find it here:

The board is yours. Vent, gripe, do whatever you need to do: but know that this won't happen again next year.