Comments on: NCAA Championship Game: Michigan State-North Carolina Preview, Analysis, and Prediction

By: uncfan

uncfan — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:01:15 +0000

@sparty, any questions? Learn your team, learn your sport, and you won’t make incorrect comments. I told you 3 days ago it would be a double digit win, what happened? Do you still think I need to “check myself”? sparty looked good until they ran into a good team, for the 2nd time this year. Uconn and Louisville are not UNC caliber teams this year. I guess you know that now. Homecourt advantage means nothing. 50,000 MSU fans at ford field is nothing compared to 9,000 Duke fans at cameron, but you guys don’t know that because you don’t play there. Need anymore motivation, or would you like some tissues?

By: don allen

don allen — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:35:57 +0000

mmmmmm…!! Looks like most of the Heels fans were right and all the Spartan fans were wrong… That wasn’t a game… It was over the first 5 minutes… What a beating..!!

By: JRod

JRod — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:58:17 +0000

Geez…what idiot wrote this preview?

UNC up 20 early…proving me right that the first game UNC-MSU played didn’t matter. This one is looking worse.

Come on Spartans! Battle back and give us something to watch!

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By: heelhook

heelhook — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:15:43 +0000

@tarholehater, This is Rocky vs Apollo in Rock’s hometown with everyone behind him, for all intensive purposes. The Heels are a far better team with more speed and depth, but talent is about 20 percent of the game at this level of competition. If the best always won it would’ve been Buster Douglas trying to find his mouthpiece on the canvas fifteen years ago and not Mike Tyson. I’m almost too nervous to watch this game because this very well could be an upset. State has everything to win for and Carolina has everything to lose. Just from a mental aspect that is a big advantage for State, and a mental advantage is just as big, if not bigger than a physical one. I hope my Heels win but good luck Spart fans. Should be a classic

By: 95catamount

95catamount — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:14:15 +0000

@DukeMan,

Another intelligent and insightful comment form a ‘Dook’ fan. young1 simply said he is excited about watching the game with his dad and hopes for UNC’s success this evening. There is no need to make ugly and sophomoric comments to a teenager.

Over the years I have met many Duke graduates and am proud to call many of them friends. It is a shame that many Duke fans (especially one’s who did not attend school there) act in a obnoxious and truly classless manor. I am a graduate of UNC and have a life long Tar Heel and college basketball fan. My knowledge of basketball is not limited (especially when it comes to the ACC). I have been following college basketball for almost 30 years now. I have met Dean Smith, Coach K and Roy Williams and all are class individuals and coaches. Duke had a brief run for a few of years in the late 90’s & early 2000’s but they are the second tier basketball school in the ACC and (in my humble opinion) always will be.

By: tarholehater

tarholehater — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:28:47 +0000

@brian kennedy,

You’re a tarhole alright, typical, unwarranted arrogance.

You can join the entire rams club (lol) aroud 11:30 tonight, I can hear the mass boo hooing and ‘poor tylers’ now, ha ha.

Go ABC (anybody but carolina)

By: DukeMan

DukeMan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:26:43 +0000

@gambii,

LOL, lets all see if your still spouting that nonsense this time tomorrow!

Go Spartans, send the tarholes home crying!

By: DukeMan

DukeMan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:25:01 +0000

@young1,

“Iâ€™m only 15 so my knowledge of basketball is limited ”

and your a unc fan so that’s two strikes against you!

By: DukeMan

DukeMan — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:22:24 +0000

@Nancy,

The tarholes will choke up in the last 3-4 minutes and Spartans will bring the trophy home!

Go Spartans!

By: JRod

JRod — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:21:22 +0000

@Seth, there is no question that the crowd at Ford Field will not be able to replicate the intimate craziness of the Breslin Center. But remember, during the Final Four you had groups of fans from each of the four teams. Now many of the UConn and ‘Nova fans have presumably sold their tickets, and probably to a majority of Spartan fans already in the area. It will be much louder for MSU tonight. It won’t be the deciding factor, but it certainly will help MSU mitigate the threat of a blowout and make things a little more difficult on the Heels. In the end though, it will come down to the Spartans’ guards’ ability to score and MSU’s ability to compete on the glass while playing strong transition D. If they do those things, the crowd is able to become a factor. If not, it won’t matter.

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:08:22 +0000

I was a student at UNC when they won in 1982. What a fine victory celebration ti was. I hope tonight is a repeat performance.

GO HEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Seth

Seth — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:19:05 +0000

Re: Home Crowd Factor

I have heard on-scene reports that while the crowd noise was at times very loud and a plus for MSU it wasn’t as raucous as the top college atmospheres. The flat student sections behind the goal at Ford Field are nothing compared to the risers that surround 3/4 of the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Even if it was that loud these Tar Heels are 4-0 when playing in the “toughest home court in the NCAAs”.

By: young1

young1 — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:03:43 +0000

Jrod, thanks allot for this for this clear and easy to read insight on the game.
i’ve been out of the states until the final four so I haven’t really been on top of the stats.
both teams are amazing and their drive to win is astounding.
while people say that MSU is the underdog, i think that people forget how much the UNC team has done to get to his position.
after that absolutely horrible loss to kansas last year, UNC put in so much effort into getting better!! they push themselves to the limit every game and their ability to shut down every team comes from such a single minded determination.
i’Il expect Tyler Hansbrough to be absolutely BEASTING this game as he will undoubtedly want to make his senior year end on a high. plus Ty lawson will no doubt make his free throw shooting improve drastically from saturday.
I’m only 15 so my knowledge of basketball is limited but this game will one for the ages. both teams have amazing drive and dedication and either way i cant wait to watch this game with my dad!
GO HEELS!!!!

By: JRod

JRod — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:50:43 +0000

@bob, thanks for the kind words. No real tutorials here…just my painstaking best effort at trying to predict the games as accurately as possible. The tool I link to (Game Predictor) at the very top of the post is a really fun and insightful way to analyze games based on the stats you think are most important. From there, it’s all about trying to take a deeper look at the numbers and matchups to see which ones can actually tips the scales in one direction or another. I keep hearing all this talk about how Michigan State HAS to win the rebounding battle. Why? Only one of the four teams that beat UNC this season outrebounded them (FSU +1). What MSU has to do is make their best effort be effective on the glass — but not at the expense of being vulnerable on the break. And the Spartans have the personnel and gameplan to do that, which is one main reason why I think they can — and will — win.