Five things to remember about MSU basketball:
1) Happiness = Reality minus Expectations
I must admit that I was seduced a bit by this team in December and November. My expectations were not super high coming into this season (maybe Sweet 16) and I was frankly just still basking in the afterglow and pride of getting back to the Final Four last year. But, in late December I got greedy (as we all did), and now we are feeling the effects
2) A team is never as bad as their most recent loss and seldom as good as their most recent big win
MSU just lost two games by a total of 2 points with the starting PG on the bench and best player maybe not 100%. If Denzel hits those last two shots (@ Wisconsin and last night), everyone we be celebrating how resilient the team is and talking about getting the #1 seed in Chicago. Now, there is talk about not making the tournament. Most fan bases are bipolar, and we are no different. Take your sports-fan lithium and chill out.
3) Izzo does not coach to win in January. He coaches to win in March
We have all seen this movie before. In November and December, Izzo figures out what pieces he has and what their ceiling is. In January, Izzo works to try to correct the small (or large) problems that will keep his team from reaching that ceiling. In February, Izzo takes what he has learned so far and builds the team back up to be the best that it can be. In March, Izzo wins. I would have to go back season by season, but I don’t remember an Izzo team EVER playing well early and then just fading and continuing to fade, especially a team with this much depth. I don’t expect it this year either.
4) This team looked REALLY good just a few weeks ago on both offense and defense and nothing fundamentally has changed.
Guys are hurt and out of sync, but I see no reason why MSU can’t adjust, get its mojo back, and start winning again. Deep Izzo teams with this much talent (and yes, there is enough talent on this team) wind up being successful.
5) At the end of the day, this team will get what they deserve
MSU has a lot of quality wins and a reasonable excuse (injuries) for all its loses. If they can turn it around and finish strong, a high seed in March is certainly possible. If they continue to struggle, the seed will continue to drop. As Comp always says: 30 games; get your crap together. There is still plenty of basketball left to play.
1) Happiness = Reality minus Expectations
I must admit that I was seduced a bit by this team in December and November. My expectations were not super high coming into this season (maybe Sweet 16) and I was frankly just still basking in the afterglow and pride of getting back to the Final Four last year. But, in late December I got greedy (as we all did), and now we are feeling the effects
2) A team is never as bad as their most recent loss and seldom as good as their most recent big win
MSU just lost two games by a total of 2 points with the starting PG on the bench and best player maybe not 100%. If Denzel hits those last two shots (@ Wisconsin and last night), everyone we be celebrating how resilient the team is and talking about getting the #1 seed in Chicago. Now, there is talk about not making the tournament. Most fan bases are bipolar, and we are no different. Take your sports-fan lithium and chill out.
3) Izzo does not coach to win in January. He coaches to win in March
We have all seen this movie before. In November and December, Izzo figures out what pieces he has and what their ceiling is. In January, Izzo works to try to correct the small (or large) problems that will keep his team from reaching that ceiling. In February, Izzo takes what he has learned so far and builds the team back up to be the best that it can be. In March, Izzo wins. I would have to go back season by season, but I don’t remember an Izzo team EVER playing well early and then just fading and continuing to fade, especially a team with this much depth. I don’t expect it this year either.
4) This team looked REALLY good just a few weeks ago on both offense and defense and nothing fundamentally has changed.
Guys are hurt and out of sync, but I see no reason why MSU can’t adjust, get its mojo back, and start winning again. Deep Izzo teams with this much talent (and yes, there is enough talent on this team) wind up being successful.
5) At the end of the day, this team will get what they deserve
MSU has a lot of quality wins and a reasonable excuse (injuries) for all its loses. If they can turn it around and finish strong, a high seed in March is certainly possible. If they continue to struggle, the seed will continue to drop. As Comp always says: 30 games; get your crap together. There is still plenty of basketball left to play.
