Michigan State Basketball - Page 2

SpartanValor · #41 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 05:52 PM

And thanks to the game moving back one week (two?), to the 22nd of December, i'll be home for the Texas game. I'm pumped!

Tressel · #42 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 07:11 PM

OSU will be hurting without Conley & Oden, but I'm cool with Butler going back to the point, and Kostas Koufas should be just fine at the C position...

SpartanValor · #43 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 10:13 PM

Yeah, I forgot about Tom Herzog too. We get every significant player back, Herzog, then add Allen, Summers, and Lucas...has Izzo ever had this much talent? I know talent and success and two different things, but with his coaching acumen, I like their chances.

Edit: And its scary to think how good Raymar Morgan might be this year.

lionstigersand... · #44 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddha

This may be the first time in a long time that Michigan has a tougher schedule than Michigan State.

Sparty should be tough this year. I don't know who else from the Big Ten will be any good. llinois will continue it's decline under Bruce Weber. What about Purdue? Indiana? The Luckeyes?

Yeah, Beilein has a bit of a rude non-conference awakening awaiting his debut season - and not a lot of known offensive assets to tackle it. I know Beilein wasn't too pleased about the schedule and tried to lobby a couple schools (Duke and G'town?) to postpone a year. It's his first season though, so I have to assume he'll get a measure of patience from what remains of the faithful. My concern would be how it all sets up early...Your first road game comes in the third game of the season @Georgetown, you then follow that up with the trip to Siberia USA. Now the Great Alaska Shootout field is so-so, unfortuneately they have to start out with a solid Butler team, but you can't totally underplay the effect traveling out there can potentially have (both near and long term). Upon returning, Michigan has its best shot at a decent non-conference win, hosting BC. Jet Lag anyone? I mean that really couldn't set up much worse for the Corn and Blue. Of course after that you guys will have a shot at Tommy Turtleneck - How about that for ironic! And we haven't even mentioned traveling to Cameron Indoor and hosting UCLA (who will have probably recovered fully from the pasting MSU gave them nearly a month earlier!) before the B10 starts. Things have the potential to get ugly early. What they really have to avoid is a slip-up against a team like Radford or Oakland U (who isn't terrible). One positive for the skunk-weasels is that they only have to play MSU and IU once apiece.

The two best teams in the B10 look to be MSU and Indiana (Eric Gordon and DJ White make for a very very formidable duo - and there's some other talent there too). That said, OSU should be tough as well, some good returning talent: Lighty, Butler and another very good recruiting class. Purdue brought in a very very good class. Wisconsin's just always going to be solid. Teams like PSU and Minnesota will be "better".

SpartanValor · #45 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 10:21 PM

Is DJ White a 5th year Senior or something? It feels like hes been at IU forever.

lionstigersand... · #46 (**permalink**) 10-19-2007, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpartanValor

Is DJ White a 5th year Senior or something? It feels like hes been at IU forever.

Speaking of DJ (and I think it's his 4th year), what about Patrick Ewing Jr.??? Isn't he back with Georgetown this year? I mean not only does it seem like he's been around the block, it seems like he's getting 4 years at every stop!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpartanValor

Yeah, I forgot about Tom Herzog too. We get every significant player back, Herzog, then add Allen, Summers, and Lucas...has Izzo ever had this much talent?

Good question. I'd submit probably - but it's at least arguable. The national title team had 3 first round picks (Cleaves, Peterson and Richardson) and Charlie Bell (who's become a pretty decent NBA player)...And what, 8 total guys that played or are playing professional basketball somewhere. The very next season (another Final Four team) subtracted Cleaves and Peterson (and Granger), but added Randolph and Taylor (who did at least get drafted)...

The '04-'05 Final Four team would probably be my choice for most talented. 4 NBA players (Ager, Anderson, Brown and Davis), two playing overseas (Hill and Torbert), and of course Neitzel. Not to mention Trannon and Naymick. That's a team that 9 times out of 10, wins the B10 but the Illinois team that season was truly great. Before losing Alan Anderson prior to the North Carolina game, I honestly thought MSU could have won that FF Match-up.