Indiana v Michigan State Gameday

December 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Before the season began, did you think Indiana would be ranked higher than Michigan State when the Hoosiers traveled to East Lansing to open up the Big Ten season? I know I didn’t, but they are.

Tonight, the 15th ranked Hoosiers travel to their own personal house of horrors, The Breslin Center, to face 17th ranked Michigan State. It is the first Big Ten game for both teams.

Indiana enters the game an unblemished 12-0 while Michigan State is 11-2, having reeled off 11 straight victories after starting 0-2 with losses to North Carolina and Duke.

As always, we will be hosting The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show, which starts as soon as the final buzzer sounds.

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The Toms, Izzo and Crean (Photo credit: Kevin Fowler, LansingStateJournal.com)

IU-Michigan State Game Info

  • Date: Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
  • Tip Time: 7:30 ET (6:30 CT)
  • TV: BTN
  • Announcers: TBD (according to Peegs’ Gameday page)
  • Point Spread: Michigan State -5
  • Over-Under: 140
  • Postgame Show: The Assembly Call

Indiana is one of three Big Ten teams currently in the top 6 of Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. Michigan State is 14th. Kenpom’s projections for the game have Indiana losing 71-69 with a 43% chance of coming away victorious.

If the Hoosiers are able to find a way to win, it would be their first win in the Breslin Center since Calbert Cheaney was wearing #40. Tonight, he’ll be on the bench watching Cody Zeller wear #40.

Indiana Injuries

Of course the biggest storyline for Indiana is injuries. Coming out of the Hoosiers’ win over UMBC, there were question marks about Will Sheehey, Derek Elston, and Verdell Jones.

Elston should be fine to play, but he will be forced to wear a protective mask due to the nose surgery he had to undergo after taking a stray elbow from Victor Oladipo.

As best I can tell, the latest update on Sheehey and Jones is this from Tom Crean’s recent press conference (via Inside The Hall):

On the team’s health:

“There is really nothing new to report. Will and Verdell stayed back and got some extra treatment before heading out for Christmas and they continue to get better.”

So that’s that. We’ll just have to see who suits up tonight at 6:30.

If I were to guess, I’d say Verdell plays and Sheehey doesn’t, but I am basing that on nothing more than watching Sheehey on the sidelines last week and the lack of any catastrophic news regarding Jones’ injury. I hope they both play, but more importantly I hope they come back 100%, whenever that is.

I know that we all want to get off to a good start in the Big Ten season, and it will be tough to do against Michigan State, Ohio State, and Michigan even at full strength; but even if we go 1-2 or 0-3, it’s not the end of the world. This is a good, mentally tough team that – I think – can overcome a slow Big Ten start and still get to 10, 11, or even more wins. There is no reason to sacrifice the long-term to rush guys back who aren’t fully healed.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go. The nonconference schedule was great, and far more enjoyable than I ever could have imagined, but now it’s time for conference play. The Hoosiers have only won eight games in conference play under Tom Crean, even regressing last year from four wins to three; 12-0 against non-Big Ten teams is nice, but the real season starts now. Hopefully it gets off on the right foot tonight.

IU-Michigan State Postgame Show

As soon as the final buzzer sounds, the postgame show begins. Feel free to listen right here:

Call-in number: (858) 365-5571

Use this number to call in and provide your thoughts on-air or to listen on your phone.

(MOBILE USERS: CLICK HERE.)

 

 

IU-Michigan State Chat

Our postgame chat will start late in the 2nd half and continue on throughout the postgame show. We may or may not have a moderator tonight, but feel free to talk amongst yourselves, and the hosts will pop in from time to time to see what the hot topics are.

Filed Under: The Assembly Call Tagged With: Big Ten, Calbert Cheaney, indiana basketball, indiana hoosiers, kenpom, Michigan State Spartans, tom crean, Tom Izzo

ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Schedule, Preview, and Predictions

November 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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While the college basketball season began in earnest over the weekend, there weren’t too many marquee games on the schedule, and the sport was forced to compete with college and pro football.  That won’t be the case when ESPN’s fourth tip-off marathon begins.  The event features 19 men’s games spanning roughly 25 hours, starting at 12:00 Tuesday morning.

I’m too old to stay up for the whole thing, but for those of you wishing to check it out, I can offer you two things: 1) a link to the complete schedule of the games and commentators and 2) my thoughts and predictions for each contest.

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Filed Under: CBB, The Bottoms Line Tagged With: Baylor Bears, CBB, Duke Blue Devils, espn, florida gators, Jared Sullinger, Kansas Jayhawks, kentucky wildcats, Memphis Tigers, Michigan State Spartans, ohio state buckeyes, Thomas Robinson, Tom Izzo

First Impressions of 2011-12 Big Ten Basketball

May 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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While the Big Ten has been the benefactor of a low number of draft early entrants in recent years, many of the league’s best players graduated following last season.  Seriously, there are real live players graduating (or at least staying in college for four years).  Novel idea for college athletes, don’t you think?

That’s a rant for another day, but a quick look shows that the conference lost three first team All-Conference performers, eight of its top 12 scorers (including the top three), six of its top 10 rebounders, and its top two assist men.

Still, the league will be bolstered by the unexpected return of Jared Sullinger and may well boast the nation’s top point guard in Jordan Taylor.  Throw in do-it-all forward Draymond Green, the return of Robbie Hummel, and three or four Top 25 recruiting classes (depending on which recruiting site you trust), and the Big Ten may not be down quite as much as people think.

Since the conference is my first love despite being the butt of its share of jokes around the style and pace of play, I’m starting in the midwest with an early look at how each team is shaping up.

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Filed Under: Big Ten Basketball, CBB Tagged With: 2011-12 first impressions by conference, Big Ten Basketball, christian watford, Jared Sullinger, Robbie Hummel, Tom Izzo

Photo Story: Requiem For An Era – Starring Purdue coach Matt Painter and Indiana coach Tom Crean

February 21, 2011 By 10 Comments
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On Wednesday night, the highly ranked Purdue Boilermakers head south to Bloomington for a battle with their arch rivals, the Indiana Hoosiers. In the first battle a few weeks back in West Lafayette, the Hoosiers played valiantly but ultimately came up short. In the friendly confines of Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers will be looking to salvage their season by taking down the hated and favored Boilers. Regardless of what happens Wednesday night, this game will most likely mark the end of a recent era that has seen Purdue dominate Indiana in almost every conceivable way.

After Wednesday, the Boilers will go as far as seniors E’Twaun Moore and JaJaun Johnson can take them in the Big 10 and NCAA Tournaments, but will then have to fill those gargantuan shoes next season. Indiana, on the other hand, loses only defensive specialist Jeremiah Rivers while adding McDonald’s All-American Cody Zeller to a lineup that will be more experienced and more talented than any IU team since Eric Gordon was wearing the Cream & Crimson. And with Tom Crean already lining up commitments from top in-state recruit after top in-state recruit for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 classes, the balance of power in the Basketball State seems to be shifting back towards Bloomington.

Crean and Purdue head coach Matt Painter recently discussed the relative states of their programs, and as expected MSF was there to capture the entire conversation. It is presented below, verbatim, in photo story format.

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Filed Under: Big Ten Basketball, CBB, Funny, Photo Story Tagged With: Big Ten, Bo Ryan, bruce weber, funny, indiana hoosiers, matt painter, Photo Story, Purdue Boilermakers, thad matta, tom crean, Tom Izzo

Spartans’ Struggles Have Roots on the Recruiting Trail

February 9, 2011 By 15 Comments

College basketball fans and analysts are in full rubberneck mode at the fiery car crash that has become the Michigan State season, and there are a myriad of theories on what caused a pre-season Top 5 team to completely implode.

Following last season’s unexpected Final Four run, the Spartans were expecting six of their top seven scorers to suit up this year.  They dodged a bullet when Tom Izzo spurned the Cavaliers (who have turned into an even bigger dumpster fire than MSU), and Sparty seemed prime for another deep NCAA run.

But as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.”

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Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: Big Ten, CBB, Kalin Lucas, Michigan State Spartans, Tom Izzo

Random Friday College Hoops Thoughts & Some Weekend Picks (Even the Super Bowl)

February 4, 2011 By 4 Comments

Things I am thinking about while trying to decide whether to pick Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan in the first round of the death pool…

As you may have heard, the Super Bowl takes place this weekend. But while that is exciting, it is still only one game. In the meantime, we have 176 Division I College hoops games, and exactly zero of them take place at the same time as the big game, as non-Super Bowl sponsors artfully refer to it in their advertising. So what better time to start scouting for your bracket picks.

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Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: Butler Bulldogs, CBB, Michigan State Spartans, ncaa, Tom Izzo

NCAA Hoops Crash Course: Big Ten – led by (who else?) Jared Sullinger and undefeated Ohio State

January 25, 2011 By 1 Comment
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[Editor's note: I am very excited to introduce new MSF contributor Andy Bottoms. He is a former contributor to RotoExperts and SI.com, as well as College Fantasy Hoops Insider. Andy will be covering college basketball as well as lending his perspective to anything else in the sports world that strikes him as interesting. And who knows, if Indiana ever fields a Division I basketball team again, maybe he and I - two Hoosiers alums - will actually have something to get excited about!]

———-

With the Super Bowl set and the NFL season nearly over, fans will be looking to fill their sports void with college hoops as we press on toward March Madness.  However, with many spending their time calling in Amber Alerts for Reggie Wayne during the fantasy playoffs, or wondering how to earn spare cash as Mark Sanchez’s human Kleenex, NCAA basketball has taken an unfortunate back seat.

Luckily, my Indiana roots have rendered me unable to fall victim to such traps, which is a bad thing for my family but a good thing for those of you looking to start prepping for the Big Dance.  In the coming weeks, I’ll give a crash course in what you may have missed over the first couple months of the season and what to look for as we near the midway point of conference play.

The Big Ten is up first.  You may remember this conference from dreaming up the dumbest division names in the history of organized sport or going 0-5 in New Year’s Day bowls. But the conference does boast some pretty good basketball teams.

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Filed Under: Big Ten Basketball, CBB Tagged With: Big Ten Basketball, e'twuan moore, jajaun johnson, Jared Sullinger, ohio state buckeyes, thad matta, Tom Izzo

Bad Day for Basketball Team in East Lansing

September 29, 2010 By 4 Comments
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This is a triumphant week for the Michigan State football team. Mark Dantonio is returning from a recent heart attack to coach his ranked 21st Spartans against the 9th ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Unfortunately, similarly positive vibes haven’t been enjoyed by Tom Izzo’s basketball Spartans this week. Quite the contrary.

First came news this morning that guard Korie Lucious had to undergo knee surgery and will miss 2-6 weeks. This comes during the same offseason when Lucious was pulled over for driving with a BAL of 0.9%. (He plead to a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.)

Then came this afternoon’s news, which may not end up harming the Spartans on the court, but which is infinitely more disturbing. Two “high profile” Spartan basketball players have been accused, in excruciating detail, of sexual assault.

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Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: CBB, Michigan State Spartans, sexual assault, Tom Izzo

Special Guest Post: Tom Izzo’s Offseason Photo Diary (Updated: I’m Staying!)

June 15, 2010 By 1 Comment
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As you know, Tom Izzo is currently trying to make one of the most important and difficult decisions of his life: does he stay in East Lansing or bolt for Cleveland and the NBA?

Despite reports over the past week that Izzo’s decision was imminent, no such decision has been made.

Our good pals at Sparty and Friends are on record as saying that people need to lay off Izzo for taking his time in making the decision (especially idiots who would flippantly make Izzo-Favre comparisons on Twitter.) And Sparty’s right.

Izzo is weighing a lot of important factors right now, not the least of which is whether or not he’d have the luxury (necessity?) of a roster that includes LeBron James. Seeing as how he has one of the best situations in college basketball if he stays put, I think a reasonable mind could understand why Izzo is being meticulous.

We certainly do here at MSF, and that is why we have opened up our pages to Coach Izzo as he weighs this important decision.

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Filed Under: CBB, NBA Tagged With: Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, lebron james, magic johnson, Michigan State Spartans, NBA, Tom Izzo

Potential Tom Izzo-Cavaliers Marriage on the Line Today

June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s everywhere you look.

Whether on mainstream ESPN, or internet media outlets, or your local radio shows, the topic that is trending on Twitter - and is sadly overshadowing the NBA Finals – is Tom Izzo, LeBron, and the Cavs.

It was reported first by Brian Windhorst of the Plain Dealer that Izzo is the Cavs’ top choice, but even then things seemed like a long shot. As the weeks passed though, more insiders began shedding light, breaking some news, and getting the story.

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Filed Under: NBA Tagged With: cavs, chris grant, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, lebron james, Michigan State, NBA, Tom Izzo

Report: If Spartans win title, Tom Izzo to Nets a ‘done deal’

April 1, 2010 By 24 Comments
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Recently, rumors swirled that the University of Oregon was going to make a strong play for Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. The rumors were quickly shot down by Izzo himself and speculation quickly turned towards Minnesota coach Tubby Smith as choice #1 for the Ducks.

But just because Izzo isn’t packing his bags for the West coast doesn’t mean that he won’t pack his bags and leave East Lansing…if his Spartans win the National Championship.

According to sources close to Izzo, the New Jersey Nets have made clandestine overtures too attractive and convincing for Izzo to ignore. And, the source explains, if Izzo wins his second title — on the heels of making the Final Four in six out of his last 12 seasons — he will have little else to prove at the college level and will be ready for a new challenge, among many reasons why he’d leave.

If the Spartans win, it’s a “done deal,” says my source.

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Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: april fools, bob knight, CBB, Jay-Z, Michigan State Spartans, NBA, New Jersey Nets, tom crean, Tom Izzo

Final 4: Butler-Michigan State Analysis, Prediction, and Spread Pick

March 29, 2010 By 7 Comments
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There are not too many Final Four games for which I do not care who wins and then already know that I will be rooting wholeheartedly for the winner in the title game. That is the case, however, with this half of the Final Four bracket.

Butler has been one of the most compelling stories of this tournament. They are not a Cinderella, though, as many people have described them; and it is sheer laziness or ignorance if you hear any basketball talking head refer to Butler this way over the course of the next week. Cinderellas do not start out the season ranked #10.

Rather, Butler is a terrific example of how a succession of good coaches, a system built around defense and teamwork, and a tradition of fielding a team with kids from Indiana can still be a recipe for success in college basketball. Now, if the Bulldogs can successfully navigate what will be an immensely challenging two game gauntlet against very good teams and very, very good coaches, they can capture their first ever national title in their own Indianapolis backyard.

Before Butler can even think about a national title though, they must first face a red hot, tournament tested team that is led by a man who would probably be a close to unanimous answer to the question: if your life depended on winning one NCAA Tournament game, who would you want coaching your team? I am referring, of course, to the great Tom Izzo, who will lead his Spartans against Butler on Saturday night.

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Filed Under: CBB, March Madness Tagged With: 2010 ncaa tournament, brad stevens, butler-michigan state, butler-michigan state pick, final four 2010, march madness 2010, michigan state-butler prediction, Tom Izzo

Elite 8: Tennessee-Michigan State Preview and Prediction – Midwest Region

March 26, 2010 By 2 Comments
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It’s time to give the Volunteers their due.

Despite being one of two teams to hand the mighty Kentucky Wildcats a loss this season, many people underestimated Bruce Pearl’s club headed into the tournament. I had them getting to the Sweet 16 and losing to Ohio State; Wayne Chism, J.P. Prince and Co. had other ideas and decided to send Evan Turner home early.

In the second Sweet 16 game in the Midwest, Michigan State came out on top after an entertaining, physical battle, setting up  a very interesting Elite 8 matchup.

Let’s take a look at this year’s Midwest Regional Final.

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Filed Under: CBB, March Madness Tagged With: 2010 ncaa tournament, bruce pearl, elite 8, march madness 2010, Michigan State, michigan state-tennessee, tennessee basketball, tennessee volunteers, Tom Izzo

Welcome…to the Izzone!

March 24, 2010 By 2 Comments
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I’ve long been an admirer of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. It was obvious not long after he took over in East Lansing for Jud Heathcote that Izzo was one of the rising stars in college basketball.

Fifteen years and five Final Four appearances later, Izzo is among the top handful coaches in all of America, as well as the most consistently successful Big Ten coach since Bob Knight ruled the roost from the mid-70s through the late 1980s.

Perhaps even more impressive than his wins, his Big Ten titles, or his masterful ability to produce tournament success, however, is Tom Izzo’s ability to be captured candidly on film in hilariously expressive ways.

If you want some actual analysis of Izzo’s career and how it stacks up against his peers, go here. If you want to see the 20 most intense, funny pictures of Tom Izzo on the first 10 pages of a Google Image Search for his name, well here you go.

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Filed Under: Funny, Photo Hilarity Tagged With: michigan state basketball, pictures, Tom Izzo

Kalin Lucas Injury Update: Torn Achilles Feared

March 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Michigan State beat Maryland on a last second three earlier this afternoon to advance to the Sweet 16 where they will face Northern Iowa.

However, they very well may have to do it without the services of point guard Kalin Lucas, who left the game in the first half and may have torn his Achilles’.

Here is the latest injury update on Kalin Lucas, posted on ESPN.com shortly after the Spartans’ game against Maryland ended:

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Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: Kalin Lucas, Korie Lucious, March Madness, michigan state basketball, Tom Izzo
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