[Editor's note: This post was submitted before the Spartans and Zags took the floor last night. I just didn't have a chance to edit and publish it. But as you can see, our man J-Dools had the game pretty well pegged, so I'm posted this anyway.]

Excitement is building in East Lansing as the Spartans prepare to face their first real challenge of the season against Gonzaga, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

The Spartans will showcase their talented line up that is gathering more and more comparisons to the 2000 championship team. Coach Tom Izzo is among those making such comparisons.

In an interview with ESPN.com Izzo was asked if he would ever coach someone like Mateen Cleaves again. Izzo answered saying that he may be doing that right now. The player Izzo is talking about is junior point guard Kalin Lucas.

As Lucas continues to emerge as a premier point guard, his similarities with Cleaves become more apparent. Lucas, like Cleaves, is a Michigan native and Lucas is now in the leadership role Cleaves once held. Lucas came out of the gates quick this season, scoring 21 points and one highlight reel layup against Florida Gulf Coast.

Tonight Michigan State takes on Gonzaga, for the first time since the “Goran Suton triple overtime missed layup fiasco.” (The image of Adam Morrison’s mustache is still burned in my mind from that game.)

However, both teams have changed greatly from their last meeting. Gonzaga is in a transitional year with only one returning starter, in Matt Bouldin. Michigan State is a potential Final Four team this year.

Forwards Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe saw limited time in the opener against Florida Gulf Coast due to lingering injuries. The two forwards should be ready for more minutes againsts Gonzaga, but still may be out of the starting five.

Freshman center Derrick Nix put up a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds in his debut. Nix and fellow freshman center Garrick Sherman will be utilized to take on some of Morgan and Roe’s minutes.

The trio of Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, and Chris Allen will be counted on as the primary scorers. Lucas and Summers combined for 38 points in the opener and have been the sparkplugs for the offense. Allen struggled with his shooting in the opener, but is still a viable outside threat.

Sophomores Korie Lucious and Draymond Green are the x-factors coming off of the bench. Against Florida Gulf Coast, Lucious looked very confident in his jumpshot and has been playing aggressive. Green helped score second-chance points by controlling the offensive boards.

Gonzaga will challenge Michigan State bu the Spartans should win this game. The key word being “should.” Gonzaga has a size advantage against State and the undersized Spartan forwards will have to play big. This game is not a complete lock but if the Spartans play as they did their first game they will come out with a win.

Prediction: Lucas and Summers are too much for the Zag’s backcourt to handle and Michigan State takes the win 86-78.

After two straight loses to the Boston Celtics (in Cleveland’s long awaited and much anticipated home opener), then suffering a loss on the road to the Toronto Raptors, nervous Cavs fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief!

In what has been dubbed the Cleveland “Season of Expectations,” the Cavaliers finally got their first win of the season. In an almost “must win” game (in the eyes of many fans), the Cavs beat the Toronto Raptors 104-87, and five Cleveland players scored in double digits.

The NBA’s reigning MVP, Lebron James (who scored 38 points in the home opener, and had a triple double in the team’s first road game) scored 24 points, had nine rebounds and five assists.

Mo Williams contributed 20 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points, Daniel Gibson scored 14 points (going 4-8 in 3 ball attempts) and Anderson Varejao added 13 points.

It is obvious the the Cavs team chemistry is improving. In this game, they displayed great ball movement, the team went 10 of 18 on 3-ball attempts, and both Williams and James had 6 assists.

And, although he is showing encouraging by practicing and traveling with the team–Delonte West still did not play.

With the release of basketball’s two greatest and brand new video games, NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10 (released on Oct. 6^th), lines are being drawn, opinions are being formed, and arguments are commencing.

Which of these two great basketball games is the best?

The time has come to attack this question, otherwise known as The Great Debate, systematically and with facts, proof, and evidence.

I would like to present to you the war between EA Sports and 2K Sports: NBA Live 10 vs NBA 2K10.

NBA 2K10 Analysis and Ratings

Every gamer knows very well that during the transition from PS2 to PS3 and Xbox to Xbox 360, was the point when we would really see who the true game developers would be. They would showcase their amazing graphics, game fluidity, and overall computer designing skills.

Well, I can bravely say that 2K came close to destroying EA sports in the NBA category during that period, with the release of NBA 2K7 beating Live 07 in nearly every aspect, and pretty much the same with 2K8, and 2K9.

And then there was 2K10…

Let’s look at the specifics:

NBA 2K10 Gameplay Rating: 8.9

This is 2K’s known area of dominance.

While playing this game, I felt that the pick and rolls were incredibly natural (Especially with CP3!). The dunks look simply amazing and are much better, surprisingly, with the bigger guys (Shaq, Dwight, Amare .etc). 

The three point shots are fluid and look balanced. Like always, for the most accurate shot, you must release the ball at the highest point (Ray Allen is incredibly WET!).

Although everyone loves offense, the defensive side of the ball will be a bit more crucial to game players, unlike 2K9. The CPU seems to be a bit more up to the task on defense to make you feel like a rookie, so in response the “human” has the ability to call more defensive plays than in any other 2K game.

Let’s also not forget the classic “energy meter”. There is an energy meter next to the name of every player on the court, basically representing the stamina/energy left.

So overall, you should be able to appreciate the smooth and modern gameplay of 2K10.

NBA 2K10 Features Rating: 9.0

Complementing the smooth and free flowing gameplay, 2K10 also adds a mix of classic and modern features.

One of these features, like in previous versions of the 2K series, is the Living Rosters update, which allows the game to update itself with every real-life trade acquisition, injury, signing, and release. It also even updates things like changing jersey numbers as well.

Another feature is the NBA Today mode, which allows you to actually play games that will be played in the real world on that same day with updated rosters, hot streaks, and rotations.

Then there is my favorite game mode (out of both games): My Player mode.

My Player mode allows you to create a fresh new player or you can choose a default one from the Xbox Live/Playstation Network. In this mode you will be able to run your player through various drills, practices, and scrimmages as his ratings continue to increase, and eventually you will be able to have your player enter the NBA.

But, if you are not as skilled, you just might be sent down to the D-League and have to work your way up to play with the big boys. No doubt in my mind that this game mode puts the cherry on top.

NBA 2K10 The “Other” Rating: 8.0

The one thing that 2K always has me smiling about is their track selection. This game has one of the sickest soundtracks I’ve ever listened to on a sports game.

Here are a few of the songs featured on the NBA 2K10 soundtrack:

• Kenan Bell – Like This (favorite)
• The Game – Champion
• Kanye West – Amazing
• Akala – The Edge

And there are plenty others..

In conclusion, NBA 2K10 is a great game for those of you who want to do more than just play a single game over and over again, as you can explore the various game modes, which are complemented by the smooth game play.

NBA 2K10 Overall Rating: 8.6

——————–

NBA Live 10 Analysis and Ratings

Here we go EA!

You’ve shown us you can basically kill in almost every sporting category (except for MLB…Playstation bought it out). You’ve shown us that Madden’s voice on a video game can keep us entertained for over 10 years. You’ve shown us that Mike Tyson and Ali can actually fight eachother, and you’ve shown us that hockey fights can be better than actually playing a hockey game.

You’ve also shown us that FIFA..well, it’s probably your most bought game worldwide. Self-explanatory.

Yes EA, you’ve dominated in all of the previous categories. But, there is a force to be reckoned with on the basketball side of the gaming industry. Can you eventually take over this industry segment?

Maybe, maybe not.

But are you getting closer? Why, yes EA. Yes you are.

NBA Live 10 Gameplay Rating: 8.8

Those of you who are used to playing Live 09, good luck. The new installment of the Live series will take some time to get used to, and I mean that in the most positive way. Live 10’s gameplay is a bit more optional, meaning that it is much less predictable than Live 09.

For example, in Live 09, you would be in the middle of the air going for a layup and around 80% of the time the defender would be able to forecast how you would finish. In Live 10, there is a new feature which allows the player to change the direction or style of his/her layup, jump shot, or dunk.

So, imagine LeBron taking it to the rack and Dwight Howard is coming from the right; well, with the left analog stick you can switch the ball from the right hand side to the left..then you can finish it with a jam or a pretty layup (YOU DECIDE!)

As for the dribbling, it is extremely improved.

With Live 09 you could break down the defender by holding down the R2 Button and with right analog stick movement (right trigger for 360). But, with Live 10, you can simply hold the R2 Button down, and the dribbler will begin to dazzle you with his dribbling skills, then top it off with a sick crossover or step back with the right stick.

The offense in general has slown down a bit more, which allows the user to have more control of what he/she can do.

The defense is pretty much the same, except the game causes more turnovers than usual.

 Oh yeah, there is a also a new feature which offers off-ball control as well. Love it! 

NBA Live 10 Features Rating: 8.7

All of you who loved the NBALive365 and Dynamic DNA, prepare to fall in love again. Very similar to 2K’s Living Roster, NBA Live has a new feature called Dynamic Season.

Dynamic Season is a whole new breed of its own. Instead of being a free-for-all multiplayer affair, Dynamic Season is a single-player mode that allows you to play through a real NBA season as it happens. So if LA is playing BOS tonight, you could actually play that game, and then later that night compare your stats, to the actual games!

My personal favorite mode in Live 10 would have to be the Adidas Live Run. This is a refurbished and upgraded version of Live 09’s 5-on-5 online mode.

Live Run is a bit different though. Instead of choosing two teams and having to play a whole NBA game, you can actually have two teams of five online players. And guess what, now you can choose any NBA player you want!

Imagine having CP3, Kobe and Wade on the same team..can you say devastation?

EA may not have added as much as 2K, but they did improve nicely in each of their previously added Modes/Features.

NBA Live 10 The “Other” Rating: 9.3

Okay, this is the category that made up my mind.

EA has always been about authenticity and originality. They have always been about making you feel like, “Hey, maybe this is digital guy really is Chauncey Billups”.

Well this year, EA did it again.

I might as well begin with “The Hangar”, which is where you first play ball as soon as you start the game. It is basically a humungous basketball court with all of the NBA greats balling inside, and the best part is, you can listen to ESPN Radio as you work on your jumpshot. Amazing!

Then there is the gear. NBA Live 10 is adding all new (or old) retro jerseys to every team, along with new style jerseys such as the Miami Heat’s “El Heat” jerseys. Sick!

Then they have added over 500 shoes to the game, with guys like Bron and Kobe rocking their new kicks throughout the year.

Then last but not least is….the CROWD!

Yes, the crowd.

EA has really outdone themselves in one of the minor categories, which in the long run will definitely pay off. By listening to real crowds from NBA games, EA has added MVP chants when D-Wade takes the court in Miami, they have added boos whenever Vince Carter gets the ball in Toronto, and so many other life-like sounds that will make the gamer believe he is actually playing a fresh game every day!

Big Props to EA!

NBA Live 10 Overall Rating: 8.9

——————–

I appreciate your patience for reading this, and don’t let this make up your mind, but only help you on choosing which game to buy (both rock!)

But…

In the end, I can happily say that EA has brought themselves back into the game!

Respectable links to watch vids:

NBA Live 10:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u0HbSG–jI
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDhbHtY7AhM

NBA 2K10

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj4omrp0V1Y
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n4EBuWJe3k

**********

You contact the author of this post at: devonnba4193@aol.com

I don’t know why basketball fights tend to differ so dramatically from those in other sports; like baseball, where everyone just gets into a comfortable clinch; soccer, where the players simply run away, or football, where it seems no one really fights at all. Unless you play at Miami. In basketball, for some reason, they fight for real.

Don’t know what Rick is talking about? Behold, the beauty of international basketball brawling:

Video: Mexico-Uruguay Basketball Brawl

Yeah, there have been some pretty intense NBA fights, but I don’t really recall anything quite this intense where players were picking up chairs and throwing them at eachother. The game was called after the fight, with Mexico up 68-60 and about :40 seconds left in the third period. The two teams meet up again on Sunday. Well that should be fun.

As Rick reminds us in the open of his post, other sports never really seem to fight as intensely as basketball players…unless you play at Miami. I was living down in Miami when the ‘Canes had their epic brawl with FIU and then-Hurricanes announcer Lamar Thomas was fired for his unabashed excitement:

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” Thomas said as the brawl raged out of control. “You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don’t come into the OB playing that stuff. You’re across the ocean over there. You’re across the city. You can’t come over to our place talking noise like that. You’ll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing.”

Don’t remember that one?  Here is a little trip down memory lane for you, with an ironically hilarious song providing the musical accompaniment:

Video: Miami-FIU Football Fight

What a great way to start the morning, huh? Just remember, you don’t come into the MSF playing that stuff. You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked!

Virtually identical, I couldn’t find any serious differences in numbers and percentages while I scoped the official Minnesota Wisconsin box score from last night. I read up on the game, watched the highlights and still couldn’t find a serious statistic or problem that would point to how Wisconsin fell to the Gophers at home, after taking an 11 point lead before the half. It had to exist in the intangibles, and it does.

Since he left Kentucky, the SEC has suffered, but the Big Ten has added one of college basketball’s best minds to match Tom Izzo. There’s a reason that he will be in the Hall of Fame one day. Tubby Smith knows how to create a team that wins. He has done that in Minnesota and we can look towards the Wisconsin game for why.

Every good coach has to “sell his system”, when the W’s come, the troops get on board. Tubby Smith has his entire team on board with his system. Not just his assistants, not just starters, not just the sixth man; I mean the whole team. That’s because everyone is involved.

Bo Ryan worked a rotation of primarily 7 players, maxing out starters with each one close to 40 minutes for the Badgers last night. While some of the best squads in the country are primarily looking at 7 player rotations – Duke, Wake Forest, Michigan State, UConn. The minutes lean heavily on 5 starters and two players coming off the bench, for the most part.

7 players came off the bench last night for Tubby Smith. That means 12 players got minutes in a hard fought, OT battle, in the heat of conference play. 9 players saw more than 15 minutes in the game. The whole team got a win. Not just 7 guys and there’s value in a having a long bench in college basketball and it extends beyond conventional sports thinking

Putting guys on the floor, and having a deep bench doesn’t just keep legs fresh and defense active, it creates intangibles. It creates a new definition for team game. Tubby Smith has 9 players averaging 15 minutes, more than 5 points and 2 rebounds. No those numbers aren’t staggering but at the minimum everyone is contributing, positively. To have accountability and 9 players that you can trust on the floor isn’t something every coach in the country has or wants to risk.

That’s a decision by the coach, to get every member of his squad on board, to get every man minutes, to create a culture of belief around your program. Taking risks on young players in college, at the peak of their development breeds confidence and hunger in a team and a locker room. When virtually every player on Minnesota’s team has contributed something to their start, players are all in. It shows, too. They’ve won 16 games and they are 4 wins away from the magic 20 and gaining that invitation to dance in March.

We all know that college basketball is an emotional game. One that champions a team game played with commitment, toughness, and a never-die attitude. The Gophers showed that last night overcoming a huge second half deficit. They showed swagger and depth on the road. They showed that their record is not a fluke, and that they have the moxie to challenge Tom Izzo’s team for the Big Ten title. (By the way, Feb. 4 is the date when the two see each other again in East Lansing.) All this, thanks to a new face on the sidelines. Tubby Smith has created a team in the Barn that is enjoying unseen success, and challenging the hockey team for headlines due to selling his brand of team basketball.

Far-fetched? Maybe, if you’re a numbers guy, or one that just believes in talent. Though, for those who have been part of a scrappy locker room, jumped around in warm-ups as part of confident bench, or get a little choked up during “Rudy”, it makes sense. When your coach calls your number more often than not, you’re that much more willing to fight for that team, that fight will win games in college basketball.

]]> http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/01/minnesota-basketball-tubby-smith-has-a-whole-team-running-towards-tourney/feed/ 0 http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2008/10/indiana-big-ten-network-verizon-dallas/ http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2008/10/indiana-big-ten-network-verizon-dallas/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:24:41 +0000 Jerod http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/?p=357 I woke up this morning disappointed that there would be no more Chicago White Sox games to watch this season, although I am still proud of their season and optimistic for the White Sox future. However, my disappointment was quickly transformed into pure, unbridled joy when I was scrolling through the recently updated channels on my Verizon cable at home.

What was it that gave me such a huge pick-me-up?

Well, the title of this post probably gave it away: the Big Ten Network is here in Dallas! This, of course, means that I will be able to watch every Indiana Hoosiers basketball game this year (as I now live in Dallas). I grew up going to IU games in Assembly Hall, I went to Indiana University, and after a few years away I moved back to Indiana last year. Naturally, I rarely if ever missed a game when I lived in the Hoosier state. I have also lived in Miami, Fl and now Dallas, and for some reason these unenlightened sports fans are not as passionate about their IU basketball as I am. I suppose the rational part of my mind understands this, but it didn’t provide any solace during those winter nights when my Hoosiers were playing and I had to listen to it online sitting in front of my computer if the game wasn’t nationally televised.

It did give me a chance to enjoy the soothing sounds of Don Fischer, but still; I want to see the games! Now that the Big Ten Network is here in Dallas (and in HD!), I will get to enjoy pretty much every game of the 2008-09 IU basketball schedule.

The TV schedule does not seem to be set, as the Peegs.com schedule usually displays it, but I don’t recall any game last season that was not either on the Big Ten Network or nationally televised. (One depressing caveat I just realized: most of the “national” CBS games are usually played concurrently with other games and shown regionally. So I will still have to figure out a solution to this problem. Perhaps the college basketball package is still in my future.)

Regardless, nothing will rain on my parade of Cream and Crimson joy tonight. I was already pumped up for the 2008-09 season of IU basketball. We may not win more than 10 games (although I, for one, think that we will) but it is the first step forward into the Tom Crean era and away from the horrific BS of the Kelvin Sampson era of Indiana basketball. A part of me would like to issue a petition to create a moratorium on the phrase “Kelvin Sampson era of Indiana basketball.” That slimeball liar should not have the privilege of seeing his name in the same sentence as Indiana basektball; he sure as hell should not have had the privilege of coaching Indiana basketball.

Now that the White Sox season is over, and leaves all across the Midwest are changing colors, falling, and whistling in the ever-cooling Fall and soon-to-be-Winter wind, you will start to see much more coverage of the Indiana Hoosiers here on Midwest Sports Fans. And to my unlimited delight, I will not be forced to provide commentary based on radio broadcasts, box scores, and IndyStar recaps. I am a White Sox fan, I am a Browns fan, and I am a Dolphins fan. I love all three of these teams. But the excitement I feel for all three of these teams combined will never equal my passion for Indiana University basketball. Thank you Verizon and the Big Ten Network for bringing Indiana basketball here to me and thousands of other IU fans living in Dallas.

We now have a coach in Tom Crean who will give us something to cheer for well into the future, without (God we hope) the fear of having the rug yanked from under our feet as during the era of the-former-IU-coach-who-will-no-longer-be-referred-to-by-name. And thanks to the Big Ten Network, I will be able to watch and cheer the much anticipated debut of the Crean and Crimson Hoosiers.

[tags]indiana hoosiers, basketball, tom crean, big ten network, verizon cable[/tags]