MSU Sneaks past OSU, IU does just enough...again

In a true display of Jekyll and Hyde, MSU came out against Ohio State at home last week to play some of it's best basketball all season (first 10 minutes), pedestrian (end), and some of it's worst (middle).

The energy, the crispness, and the execution were top knotch out of the gate. Neitzel hit two quick shots. Defense was keyed in and in passing lanes. No second chance shots were allowed (and the refs let the teams play!). There was a flow and MSU was up big.

Then OSU hit a 3. Then another. Then a foul and the basket. Then an MSU turnover. Then OSU pressed full court with 3 MSU freshmen on the floor. Suddenly the 20 point lead was only 3. I put the fault on: 1. a predictable and lazy offensive effort, 2. HORRIBLE defensive rotation, and 3. some hot OSU shooting.

1. Morgan was not even awake. He was in foul trouble, I'll concede that, but he was also a non factor when he was in the game. The offense was too willing to stand around the perimeter and pass, dribble, and fire up a late or poor long distance shot. The post was not an option. Is that the fault of post players, guards, or gameplan? I don't know. But it doesn't work. You have to get penetration, you have to get effective post play (not just on rebounds) and you have to get offense other than on the fast break.

Neitzel was hot early and very cold late. The shot fake is losing credibility. Soon people won't even leave their feet. He might be hurt. I hope (the last 10 games) he was hurt badly, because his shot (and willingnes/confidence in his own shot) are not inspiring.

Suton. Wow. He was just bad with the ball in his hands. He rebounded and he actually played pretty ok on defense. He just panics with the ball under pressure.

Finally, as a team our offense likes to run the play...and that's it. Teams can predict where we will be. They step into passing lanes, they bait passes. Our players won't ad lib to keep teams honest. I've been there before as a player. I don't suggest a move toward a Memphis style free for all, but going backdoor or making defenders that cheat on screens pay would make this good team excellent. Remember when Mateen and Mo Pete would just give that look? A defender cheated on a screen 2 times in a row, then mo pete would either go back door for the lob or cut back on the screen for a 3...oh the old days, when basketball was an art and not robotics. Izzo likes you to run the play, but he also likes results. Some people look at a play on paper and see limitations. Others see a starting point with options to make gambling defenders pay.

2. The biggest reason for the OSU comeback was defense. OSU went to a zone trap in the full court. MSU couldnt' break it cleanly, and used a lot of time and energy even when they did break it. That is discouraging (but better to know now than March). MSU's defensive rotation could be likened to a group of decapitated chickens trying to defend the Globe Trotters. MSU was 3 seconds late (but not for lack of speed, it was mental) to each pass and OSU always found the right man. It was only a stretch of the game, 12 minutes or so in the middle, but it was ugly.

3. OSU followed their perfect passing with clutch (and sometimes disgusting) shots. I mean, who hits off balance 3's while defended? A couple I can deal with, but it seemed like the circus was in town.

Finally, I cannot tell you how disgusted I am to watch MSU fumble around like paranoid and jittery crack heads trying to do something rather routine...inbound the basketball. Can we not spend 3 minutes a week on this to work out the kinks? Suton should NEVER be throwing a pass into the backcourt from the free throw extended area. We should never be inbounding the ball TO SUTON where we know he is about to be double teamed 30 feet from the basket. We did both. Multiple times. We seriously have not run an inbound play this year, that I've seen in the games I've attended, where I wasn't on the edge of my seat. We take nearly the full 5 seconds running around doing nothing, then make a haphazard and dangerous pass to 1. someone that shouldn't have the ball in the open floor, and/or 2. a place on the floor that shouldn't be necessary. Our standard inbound in the front court (even under the basket!!) is to throw the ball to a guard in the backcourt. Well, even a flippin idiot schmuck like me can see where this is going. It happened against GVSU (and honestly, it was the difference in the game) and again against OSU. We gave up a basket (and a foul against GVSU) the other way.

This team has all the skill, coaching, and talent necessary to be great. Unfortunately we get in our own way when we can't execute common skills. Basics we need to work on:

- dribbling in the open floor (press break and travels as evidence)

- talking/rotating on defense (most of the talk goes on after the play, when Gray yells at someone because Gray didn't know where he was supposed to be)

- Free Throws (or at least when it matters, excluding Walton)

- Using what's not written in a play to our advantage (anticipate the defenders anticipation)

- Inbounding (something, anything)

Briefly, Indiana continues to win games they should lose. They aren't great but have 2 great players. Both Illinois and Minnesota should have beaten IU. It's a matter of time I think. Wisconsin meanwhile just keeps winning--and MSU only plays Wisconsin in Madison this year. That game could decide whether the BigTen title will be outright, shared, or non-existant for MSU.

Iowa Basketball and other related rants

First, I have to start with a rant. Eddie Hightower is a moron. He and his crew called one of the more disgusting games I've seen in quite some time. At one point he called 4 straight travels. The replays revealed that there might have been 1, a stretch if there were 2. Later in the game there was a blatant walk by Morgan. No call. Just off the charts drunk-howler monkey-corkyretarded bad.

That said, both teams played like crap and honestly no one deserved a win. They both should have an asterisk next to this game. *1/2 win **2 losses

The BigTen Network gets on my bad side already by, in a move that could only be explained by dipping into the ESPN2 cameraman talent pool, SHOWING ME THE PERSON THAT JUST SCORED A BASKET FOR 15 SECONDS after the basket is scored. What does that mean? It means that a fastbreaking team, say...MSU for instance, is now all the way down the floor and there is either A.) a foul, B.) a basket, or as in the case of the Iowa game C.) a turnover. Meanwhile I'm watching the remarkable skill set of Joe Blow as he backpedals down the floor. That's what I tune in for. THAT is what I went to a bar for, since Comcrap Cable doesn't carry BTN. Thank you BigTen Network, for continuing the sucky coverage I used to get for free (see: $100+/month) on ESPN2.

Finally to the game. It was bad. In this one I have to give the credit to everyone, and I do mean everyone. Izzo sucked. Neitzel sucked. Walton sucked. Morgan sucked. Suton...well, he was Suton. Also not listed, but just as sucky: everyone.

No defense. None. Honestly, the only reason that it wasn't a 30 point loss was Iowa's overall crappy and talentless nature. I give 50% of the fault to the team and 50% to the refs. We shot 4 freethrows (I'll hit on that later) while Iowa shot, I believe, 29. It's hard to play defense when you don't know what is a foul and what is not.

Offense. Just wow. Worst game I've ever seen. Neitzel was BAD. Morgan traveled more than he wowed. The team shot around 28% for the game, but what made the difference (because yes, despite that % they could have won the game) was the amount of turnovers and the times at which they occurred. It seemed like about 50% of the possession we didn't even get a shot off. Now factor in the 28% and you have 14%. We scored, by my very rough math, on 14% of our possessions. That's an overstatement, but not by much. We really had no offense at all. No offensive rebounds and no inside out game. More on that to come.

Izzo didn't snap them out of it. He didn't seem to makes us of timeouts. He didn't find an effective lineup. It was a mess. He can't play the game and I don't second guess his prep work, but in game he's been so-so. We NEVER score out of timeout anymore. Hell, we're lucky to inbound the ball to our own players. If we inbound the ball, to our own player, in the front court...WEW! That's like a little victory.

The refs truly ruined our rhythm and offense. Iowa played "good defense" according to critics. I saw handchecking and holding 30 feet from the basket. That has always killed MSU teams (except with Mateen who had strength, poise, and handles). Ref's forced MSU to run an offense from 30 feet with their backs to the basket. Shots didn't fall. Travels, moving screens, and bad passes made for empty (shotless) possessions. It was disgusting and troubling. There wasn't one good thing to take from the game. It is something you never would have seen from any other team I can remember. Even in big losses we've had single players have good games. No one played well. No one played decent.

People who sucked: the coaches, the captains, the players, the refs. Other than that...well probably Gus too...but other than...oh right, Iowa's team as well...I think that's it...oh the BigTen Network. They were horrible too. So was Trippers. Smoking needs to be outlawed in public. Or there should be true smoking sections (see: chambers).

Here's to whipping on Ohio State to get the taste out. Something tells me the slide continues in a tight one. OSU is good as a team and has one of the most polished freshmen big men the BigTen has seen in a while. Oden (last year for OSU) was just dominant on the interior. This guy Kushtafalksjlakjt (good faith effort on the spelling cause I don't really care) can step out and hit a longer shot, makes moves in the lane, and finish at the line. He's going to be good. Suton should have a tough night.

New Year New Post

I had the distinct honor of watching both a great individual effort by a pair of Spartans, and a terrible, horrible team effort in MSU's last game against Minnesota. I leave the game knowing a few things:

1. Raymar Morgan, especially against smaller lineups (and with Neitzel in the game) is unstoppable

2. Kalin Lucas is probably setting the bar too high (average fan will hate him later in the season when he only scores 10 and we lose a game) but is playing very, very well

3. When Neitzel comes around we are going to be very dangerous

4. Tubby is going to put the Gophers back on the map, and soon

Raymar still reminds me of Magic. He's tall yet agile, can run, has great hands, and he just finishes. Shots that have no business going in, quick releases, and a smile bigger than his head just have me thinking Magic. The other night Raymar cleaned up around the basket, scoring 31 points--mostly within 6 feet of the basket. If he could shoot free throws he would have had 35 easily. He also has to stay out of foul trouble. He picks up some seriously stupid fouls from time to time in the open court. Raymar will continue to do well so long as teams dedicate man coverage from the locker room to the floor on Neitzel. Offensive rebounding and Morgan will benefit most from double teams and scheme defenses on D.Neitzel.

Lucas is still playing very, very well. He's been less of a driving threat and more of a spot up shooter recently, which is nice to expand his game and help the bigs (and beats the shot clock, and softens the blow of Neitzel's 0-6 3 point shooting nights) but he still needs to take it to the basket. We need to draw those fouls. We need to get easy passes to the bigs off penetration to get them confidence. He's also setting himself up for fan outrage later in the season. He's bound to have a few down games...he is a freshman...and he's set the bar quite high. Lost in all this is how well Walton is playing. His defense and assist to turnover ratio isn't sexy to talk about, but he's quietly all big ten pg quality.

I thought it was his playing weight. The papers seem to think it's his wrist. Izzo is done making excuses and now says he's shooting bad and he has no idea why. The point is, we are looking pretty good w/out Neitzel doing squat. I mean, his shooting is just bad. Izzo pointed out that he's shooting a career high % from the field, but honestly, he misses everything. He had a nice runner in the lane last game...and that's about it. He missed all 6 of his 3 point shots. Some badly. Most pretty wide open. Once he comes out of this, once he finds a swagger (he's pump faking and passing up shots he would have taken without thinking last year) we are going to be very, very good. I hope he turns it around in time for Lucas to have a fall off, cause again, you can bet a freshman playing this well is going to slump at some point.

The Gophers should be pretty bad. I mean honestly, talent wise at least, this is the worst Minnesota team is 5 years. They really just don't have a lot of talent. Tubby has them playing hard, smart, and within their means. They play defense. They hit 3's. They go inside and exploit mismatches (see: Goran Suton vs anyone with a pump fake and quick first step). They created TERRRRIBLE defensive rotations for MSU (the WORST part about last game was watching about 4 plays where people either slipped to the basket unguarded or had open 3's unguarded. Completely unguarded). Tubby will make them a winner is less than 5 years. I expect a Gopher share of the BigTen once he has his own recruits. I also think Weber (Illinois) might be gone soon. They lost at home to Penn State this week and are just playing erratic basketball.

Bo Ryan is still a turd and still looks like Moe from the Simpsons.

Um, there's a phone call for Oliver...um...is Oliver Clothesoff here? No? What about Amanda Hugenkiss? Can I get a Amanda Hugenkiss?