Michigan State: The Early Games
by StegerWithSwagg on Sep 8, 2011 3:44 PM CDT
in Michigan State
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At first glance of the Spartan’s non-conference schedule, you can already sense difficulty and interesting headlines in the future. Michigan State has to not just combat the Big 10 schedule, but also some tough non-conference opponents, with the hardest and most interesting one coming in early November. Tom Izzo is known for scheduling a grueling non-conference schedule, but his teams always seem to perceiver through it all.
It was a year or two in the making before 11/11/11 matchup North Carolina was set in stone. The game against UNC will be as neutral a site can ever be. It will be played on an aircraft carrier on the shore of San Diego. The Tarheels and Spartans play each other almost every other year and it has turned into a friendly rivalry. It features two of the best coaches in all of college basketball along with a selected few McDonald’ All-Americans and great fans.
The first seven games of the Michigan State schedule will set the table and bar for the rest of the season. Besides the battle on 11/11/11 with North Carolina, they play Duke at Madison Square Garden. Blue Devil fans are notorious for going to MSG and making it a Duke home affair at a neutral site. The Duke Blue Devils have a lot of questions marks, including scoring after the senior departures of both Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, along with stud Kyrie Irving. Duke always knows how to compete, and Coach K is known for squeezing all the basketball juices out of his players.
In the following three games, the Spartans get to come back to their friendly confines of the Breslin Center to host a small tournament with some of the small teams in the NCAA including Milwaukee. That tournament runs close to the Thanksgiving break.
Finally, they have to head east to Ypsilanti for a game at Eastern Michigan. These games are all before the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
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Dear MSU
I appreciate the fact that you’re willing to play UNC, but could you PLEASE stop losing to them? This is just getting embarrassing.
Editor at BT Powerhouse, a Big Ten Basketball blog.
Author at Acme Packing Company, a Green Bay Packers blog
"Don't mention execution around Paul Johnson. People will die." -Chris Pendley, on EDSBS
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 8, 2011 5:05 PM CDT reply actions
Sorry
We should just play all of the crappy UW-middleofnowhere teams right? Ever wonder why the Spartans know how to handle themselves in the tourney?
by StickyGreen on Sep 9, 2011 2:55 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Amen to that
And nobody is going to apologize for losing in the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (you know, the one it takes 5 w’s, or Wisconsin’s usual 4 tourney run total, in the tournament to make it to) to a team that had the entire starting 5 drafted.
Come back once you’ve won something they hang banners for.
This isn't about that. Stop being so prickly.
I’m talking about the year after the national title where MSU lost to a UNC team that finished six games UNDER .500 in ACC play and somehow managed to get into the NIT.
Editor at BT Powerhouse, a Big Ten Basketball blog.
Author at Acme Packing Company, a Green Bay Packers blog
Follow @GSchofield50
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 15, 2011 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions
I love the idea
of Tom Izzo playing tough games. Every big time program should do it! And thats why teams like Kentucky, UNC, and Mich St succeed
Swagger Up!
