Spartan Preview

The men's basketball team heads back onto the floor tomorrow at the Breslin Center.  I normally do a preview of the opponent before each game, but in this case, I'm going to adjust that a little bit, for the simple reason that:

• You already know about MSU
• They're one of the Top 5 teams in the Country.
• They are 39-9 at home over the past 2+ seasons.
• They have six straight 20 win seasons
• They have 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances
• That's 2 straight in the final 4 and 4 straight in the sweet sixteen.

You get the point.  I could go on.

So, this will be more a love note than a preview.

I just have a huge amount of respect for this program and the coach, Tom Izzo.  First, they play road games out of conference, which they do not have to do.  In fact, they are going to play in BG in a couple years, something they really don't have to do and a previous Coach swore never to do again.

They are consistently good in a way you just don't see anymore.  Even when the regular season isn't great, they are built to compete in the NCAA tournament.

They have an incredibly loyal fan base that lives and dies with the program.  This has been built on winning, because they definitely play a less than sexy style of basketball.  (As I have often said, my favorite style of basketball is winning).

I heard an interview with Izzo recently, and he was incredibly honest about how poorly he felt he handled the Cav thing this summer and yet absolutely unapologetic in seeking it, saying that it was a once in a lifetime chance that he looked into.  You could not listen to the interview and not think that he was doing the right thing and pursuing what he wants as a Coach.

You get the idea....I have a crush on them.

I'll still be rooting for the orange and brown Saturday, and it isn't like this hasn't happened before.  Since 1990, we have beaten them twice, and once on the road. The one in BG probably stands as one of the 10 iconic moments of The House That Roars, with an assist to the Jud Heathcote temper tantrum when it was over.

College Basketball Stats by StatSheet.com

I'm not saying anything that is too shocking when I say that if BG wins on Saturday, it has to be the biggest upset in the history of the program.  We're playing better but we've not beaten any D1 teams and it is unlikely that this will be the one.  Anything can happen.