One aspect of tomorrow's game that I am really curious to observe is actually the psychological part. Rod alluded to this on one of his podcasts, but it has been my feeling that a major reason why MSU has lost in the last three games with the Wolverines is due to mindset. UofM just seemed to be the more focused and determined team.
That should never, EVER happen in this rivalry. EVER.
One could argue and speculate about this point for hours (making comparisons to football... whatever) but to my eyes, that is what happened. I feel like 2 years ago MSU squeaked past Michigan and home and then on the return trip to Ann Arbor, they flat out did not take Michigan seriously... and they got blown out. I chalked it up to a young team and a lesson learned.
Last year at Breslin, MSU was coming off the loss at OSU and they were around a 10-point favorite. Once again, they seemed to take UofM lightly, which was inexcusable after the beat-down in Ann Arbor the year before. Then, I had the feeling that in the Big Ten Tournament, the team was on a long winning streak and felt it was their turn to even the score. But, for the third time in a row, MSU seemed not sharp, and they lost yet again. Was some of that Michigan's new found love of defense? That was likely a contributor, but I don't think it was all that.
So, after a 3-game losing streak to the evil empire, has this MSU team finally learned their lesson? Are their backs finally against the wall enough to find good focus and energy? Will the lose of Ward galvanize the team even more? I really, really hope so.
That said, this game is interesting in part because it is essentially a must win game for the Wolverines. With road games left at Maryland and at MSU, they simply cannot afford to lose tomorrow and stay in the B1G race, especially since Purdue won again today. An MSU win would sink UofM's odds down to about 10% to even just share the title. I wonder if that pressure will be a negative for them.
Furthermore, did their little run of success over MSU and in March last year go to their heads? It doesn't take much at all in that town to drag out the "little brother" mentality. Is it possible UofM might take MSU lightly?
The game flow will be interesting as well. If MSU starts slow, UofM might smell blood, and this could get away from the green-and-white real quick. But, if MSU starts strong or makes a patented big 2nd half run, UofM might just pucker and turtle. That would not surprise me at all either.
We shall see.
That should never, EVER happen in this rivalry. EVER.
One could argue and speculate about this point for hours (making comparisons to football... whatever) but to my eyes, that is what happened. I feel like 2 years ago MSU squeaked past Michigan and home and then on the return trip to Ann Arbor, they flat out did not take Michigan seriously... and they got blown out. I chalked it up to a young team and a lesson learned.
Last year at Breslin, MSU was coming off the loss at OSU and they were around a 10-point favorite. Once again, they seemed to take UofM lightly, which was inexcusable after the beat-down in Ann Arbor the year before. Then, I had the feeling that in the Big Ten Tournament, the team was on a long winning streak and felt it was their turn to even the score. But, for the third time in a row, MSU seemed not sharp, and they lost yet again. Was some of that Michigan's new found love of defense? That was likely a contributor, but I don't think it was all that.
So, after a 3-game losing streak to the evil empire, has this MSU team finally learned their lesson? Are their backs finally against the wall enough to find good focus and energy? Will the lose of Ward galvanize the team even more? I really, really hope so.
That said, this game is interesting in part because it is essentially a must win game for the Wolverines. With road games left at Maryland and at MSU, they simply cannot afford to lose tomorrow and stay in the B1G race, especially since Purdue won again today. An MSU win would sink UofM's odds down to about 10% to even just share the title. I wonder if that pressure will be a negative for them.
Furthermore, did their little run of success over MSU and in March last year go to their heads? It doesn't take much at all in that town to drag out the "little brother" mentality. Is it possible UofM might take MSU lightly?
The game flow will be interesting as well. If MSU starts slow, UofM might smell blood, and this could get away from the green-and-white real quick. But, if MSU starts strong or makes a patented big 2nd half run, UofM might just pucker and turtle. That would not surprise me at all either.
We shall see.
