What I Saw: Michigan State - UConn, 11-9-12
I'm going to document games that I watch throughout this season and weigh in with my own expert analysis. First off is the Spartans-Huskies game at Ramstein Air Force Base near Kaiserslautern, Germany. My first thought is that I love college basketball for doing this. The energy in the gym was incredible, with fans cheering for both teams intermittently. As a college basketball fan, I can appreciate a good basketball play no matter whom I'm cheering for, and these servicemen and servicewomen got it. Great scene, great atmosphere.
I can't remember the last time I saw a Tom Izzo team come out looking unprepared. He always does such a great job making sure his teams come out flat. But they were flat, plain and simple. You have to wonder if their ranking combined with the perceived strength of the Big Ten, as well as the relative weakness of the Big East this year, maybe caused the Spartans to overlook this game a bit.
Of course, on the other side you have a team under Kevin Ollie that is looking to prove itself after a mass exodus of talent to the NBA and other programs. Lamb, Oriakhi, all these guys took off for one reason or another, and their hall-of-fame coach retired. This is a team looking to prove itself in transition.
I liked how both teams weren't afraid to penetrate into traffic. Lots of shots near the rim off dribble drives, lots of body contact, lots of good finishes while getting bumped.
Michigan State seemed to want threes when they really didn't need them, and in the end I think it cost them. They missed several open looks from distance, and in one series hurried another three on a rebound from a first missed attempt. Unnecessary.
UConn was absolutely tenacious. Michigan State would battle and battle to regain the lead, and every time UConn had the answer on the next possession. Great composure and focus.
When Gary Harris' decision making gets better, he's going to be a tough player. And when Izzo is your coach, you learn how to make good decisions.
You kept hearing the commentators talk about freshman mistakes. And they were absolutely right. Especially for MSU, their youngsters need to keep an eye out for an extra pass, not just looking to attack all the time.
They also mentioned at the beginning of the second half that Izzo wanted to get out and run, that he thought they could beat UConn in transition. You remember Michigan State getting a lot of breakaway points? Me neither. UConn did an excellent job of maintaining possessions, not rushing things, taking care of the ball, and not allowing the Spartans to get their transition game going. They had no fear about letting the shot clock wind down. Great discipline.
After Michigan State didn't get a score out of their timeout with 30 seconds left, why didn't they foul immediately? They had a foul to give, so they needed to foul twice. When you're down late, you have to look to increase your number of possessions.
Tyler Olander's face is unfortunate. But he can ball.
Ditto Shabazz Napier.
Basketball shorts anymore are too baggy. I can't focus with all that nonsense swishing around my knees.
Thought there was a foul on that three point attempt. Either Napier or Boatwright, not sure who, left his feet on the shot. I thought he bumped Appling.
Good for Kevin Ollie. Seems like a good coach and a good man. Still hate UConn.
Thanks for playing along. It's going to be a fun season.
