Good, Bad and Ugly: Michigan State

by Ryan Corazza in Good Bad Ugly | March 3rd, 2009

I have put little emotional investment into this Big Ten season. As the losses piled up, it was hard to. With so many turnovers and so much frustration, there came a point where you had to cut your losses and just ride this season out. Even when IU was able to get a win against Iowa, I wasn’t really that charged about it.

It’s not that I didn’t still watch, or didn’t still hope IU would win, it’s just that I didn’t find myself cursing out the TV every game, didn’t find myself hooting and hollering like I’d done so many times before.

Tonight was different. Tonight I cursed. Tonight I slapped my hands together and clapped. Tonight my heart skipped a few beats. This is what it’s supposed to be like; I had almost forgotten.

After Tom Izzo picked up that technical foul and MSU went on that ridiculous scoring drought, I believed. Believed IU had a legitimate shot at winning this game. We’ve been close countless times this season and I’ve thought the opposite. IU is bound to lose, IU will blow this, the Hoosiers are doing the same thing they always do: play hard and then watch it come crumbling down late in the game.

I’m not sure why I thought different tonight. Perhaps it was the dulcet tones of Steve Lavin and Brent Musburger. Perhaps it’s because I’m mentally to next season already, and an effort like this made me think the Hoosiers were already there.

Whatever it was, I was hooked, enraptured for the last ten minutes of this ballgame. It felt good, felt right. But as soon as Raymar Morgan did this with 27 seconds to go, that was just about it:

Sure, IU still had a legit shot to win, as the Hoosiers were only down four points. It was far from insurmountable. But this year’s feelings starting to creep in again. If they’d only shot better than 64 percent from the free-throw line, they’d be right in this still, or winning. If they only didn’t turn the ball over 22 times, they might be winning. If they only didn’t blow all those chances when MSU was missing shots and turning the ball over the last few minutes, they would certainly be winning this game.

But, as always with the 2008-09 incarnation of the Indiana Hoosiers, all the hustle, scrap and effort in the world can’t win you a basketball game if other components aren’t working in conjunction with all that.

But that will come next year. And I’ll be cursing at my TV right along with it. I can’t wait.

Tags: Michigan State Spartans, Tom Izzo

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Matt S

Great read! I had exactly the same feelings while watching the game, and I'm just as excited to see what happens next year.

dale11

Was at the game and the Hall was rocking when Williams hit that 3. Good atmosphere. This season is almost over. Next year can't come soon enough.

EC

I agree-- tonight's game brought back the old adrenaline rush I haven't felt since early-to-mid last season. I found myself sitting on the edge of the couch, hands clasped in a prayer-like embrace, pleading with the basketball gods to pull this off. That dunk absolutely brought me down to earth. It was like waking up from a daydream; this wasn't last year's team. Pritchard isn't DJ. VJ3 isn't EJ. But my god, if those little sparks of enthusiasm and dedication roll over into the next few seasons where they fuse with the raw talent I believe Crean can and will recruit, that dunk and this season will all be but forgotten. Thank you, Taber. I know these have probably been a rough 5 years, but if you can be the leadership behind a team that played with the dedication and ferocity as tonight's team, you got something real special going for you.

HoosierSmitty

I was right there with you in this game. I was on the floor leaning against my coffee table, fist clinched, hoping for that ultimate miracle...screaming out loud when we came back from the "here we go again it's a 13 point lead" ...we play so tough...

seriously..this might sound ridiculous...but I think that we're probably the best shitty basketball team in the nation. Have you ever seen a team that is 1-15 in league play fight that hard for a win? The Hoosiers do it night in and night out.

If we can do this with no experience and no "go-to talent" just imagine how solid we can be next year with a deeper team and better players. I don't care that they're only freshmen...we've got the potential to easily be competing for a Big Ten title...not necessarily winning, but definitely competing.

I hope we don't cash it in for our final conference game or the Big Ten tourney. I still think there's a win out there to be had.

IOUIU

seriously..this might sound ridiculous...but I think that we're probably the best shitty basketball team in the nation. Have you ever seen a team that is 1-15 in league play fight that hard for a win? The Hoosiers do it night in and night out.

I spit my coffee out reading that one Smitty. Quote of the year!

ZG360

I am the ultimate Hoosier-pessimist and even I had a little ounce of faith in the final minutes of this endeavor. The Hoosiers put it to the Spartans in the second half and I love the fact that we finally have a well-respected and for-the-most-part liked coach in Mr. Thomas Crean. Coaching rivalries feed well into team rivalries, but as along as Bruce Weber is at the healm of the Fighting Illini, I think that all of Hoosier Nation will vomit in their mouth a little bit every time a burnt-orange blazer paces the sidelines....As for this young Hoosier team, they are finally showing signs of maturity. They are obviously not quite there yet. They are somewhat like a 15 year old driver with their learner's permit. They know how to work the accelerator and the brake, but haven't quite mastered the art of 'feathering the clutch'. Their expertise and perseverance in tight situations will come. At that point I will be transformed into a 'glass is half full Hoosier fan' and trust the kids in the candy stripes not to roll back into the BMW behind them at a stop light on a steep hill. Counting down til next October and Midnight Madness already.....

coverdaleISgod

I am the ultimate Hoosier-pessimist and even I had a little ounce of faith in the final minutes of this endeavor. The Hoosiers put it to the Spartans in the second half and I love the fact that we finally have a well-respected and for-the-most-part liked coach in Mr. Thomas Crean. Coaching rivalries feed well into team rivalries, but as along as Bruce Weber is at the healm of the Fighting Illini, I think that all of Hoosier Nation will vomit in their mouth a little bit every time a burnt-orange blazer paces the sidelines....As for this young Hoosier team, they are finally showing signs of maturity. They are obviously not quite there yet. They are somewhat like a 15 year old driver with their learner's permit. They know how to work the accelerator and the brake, but haven't quite mastered the art of 'feathering the clutch'. Their expertise and perseverance in tight situations will come. At that point I will be transformed into a 'glass is half full Hoosier fan' and trust the kids in the candy stripes not to roll back into the BMW behind them at a stop light on a steep hill. Counting down til next October and Midnight Madness already.....

HoosierDavey

Oh, if that 3 from Jones had gone down, giving us the lead towards the end, the roof would have come off the Hall. Great fan support tonight, Hoosier Nation!

Proud of this team and this coach! Can't wait til Hoosier Hysteria!

CutterInChicago

Listened to the game via Yahoo Broadcast and turned off the TV (and channeled the way I would have to listen to WOWO-AM back in the 70s and 80s with my family when we were on vacation somewhere far away from WTTV coverage). Listening to Fischer and Leary going crazy as we got back into the game made it a great experience.
This is a great post and sums up what I think a lot of us feel this year. We almost had to encapsulate this season in order for it to make sense, in order to deal with it rationally, in order to avoid harming ourselves (and I am wondering what effect it will have on me next year... my guess is zero, I will once again become the occasional-profanity spouting, crazy fan as I've always been).
I am optimistic and excited for next season.

silkyslim

Nothing but pride & hope from the game & for IU team!!!

Sure wished Morgan would have missed that dunk, it was impressive, & a game changer.

Great job, IU & Coach Crean! Taber well done & thanks for being a rock & role model of what IU stands for, even during a difficult year.

nd3

i work at the srsc and for the last 5 mins of the game about 30-40 people were huddled around this little 32 in box t.v in the weight room 100% captivated by the game, believing.....first time thats happened this year and i've worked during 7 or 8 games....great to see again...felt like old times

good things are coming

JerryCT

I agree with everyone's feelings about the game and have good feelings for next year.

I thought the key to staying in the game was Finkelmeier's defense on Lucas , breaking through picks, preventing him from getting to picks etc.. He should play more and Moore less.

Finkelmeier's play is important to see because it is a taste of what we all expect from Rivers next year and hope to get from Hulls when he plays. Also, I hope Rivers and Hulls eliminate Jones from starting the offense with his back to the basket and the other 4 players while dribbling in place.

In a zone defense it is difficult to block out. Zoning MSU, a terrific rebounding team, proved fatal on that one play. I donot fault Williams.

Many of you want the season to end. i want it to continue to the B10 finals. In 1963 , I think IU went from 9th to 1st in the B10 maybe the biggest turnaround in B10 history...................................until next year

deedubbadoo

Wow, I tried to comment on the live blog last night but for some reason the iPhone wasn't having it. Maybe it decided, "Dom, you need some time to reflect about what just happened, what you just watched, and what you will be watching in the years to come." I saw a team last night, that loveable bunch of losers, play with a sense of urgency. They knew that it was Kyle Taber's last home game, a guy who had stuck it out, through the good and bad times. Like a good Rocky movie, our team was ready for a knock-down, drag out, donnybrook of a night. They were scrappy, fearless, and loose. They were 14 point underdogs to the best team in conference on senior night and give them all they could handle.

I am not mad at Nick Williams for not boxing out, nor am I mad at Verdell for missing free throws. We played the #8 in the nation to the bitter end without one of our best scorers in Devan. We showed last night what people have been saying all year about this team, you can't teach heart, drive, and determination. Those boys became men last night, gave us all a little peek of what's to come and something to smile about today. Some say there is no such thing as a "moral victory," up until last night, I might have believed that...

tberry

"I’m not sure why I thought different tonight."

You though different because yo can see the improvement and you know Coach Crean can and will get us back.

That is the major difference between IU Basketball, as bad as it may be this year, and how IU Football is every year, no matter how much hope fans have in them.

bz

perfectly stated ryan. my thoughts exactly.

BFowler

I thought the 3-pointer at the end of the half (I think it was Lucas) would have been a back-breaker for this year's team. They never gave up, the defense was pretty good and the crowd was great. It got ugly especially when they showed a little statistic on TV where both teams were on a 4 and 5 minute drought.

But I like this team, it makes me wonder next year who is going to be out of the rotation in 2009-10.....I think VJ III has looked like the best player on the floor here recently. He has shown the ability to find open players and I think once he gets stronger, his turnovers will decrease. Nick Williams plays tough, Story provides instant offense off the bench, Pritchard is a big, strong inside presence, and Dumes and Roth are very good shooters. So with the new class coming in, who's out? Most people are saying that Rivers and Hulls will get a lot of minutes at point, but how do you take Jones out of the rotation with the way he has been playing? Most are saying Creek and Dumes at the 2, but where or when does Roth get time? A lot of people are saying a no-brainer with Watford at the 3, but in the rotation, is it Story or Williams and who is out? Inside the rotation will be Elston, Pritchard, Capobianco and maybe Miniru with Watford able to be a front-liner as well.

So, we must assume that the roation would not exceed 10, with probably no more than 9 normally. So, who is out?

PG: Rivers, Jones, Hulls
SG: Dumes, Creek, Roth
SF/Wing: Watford, Williams, Story
PF: Elston, Capo, Pritchard
C: Miniru

That's 13 (12 if you don't want to count Miniru) and with the improvement of Jobe....

Kelin Blab

Pritchard is starting at center.....I see elston at PF

Kelin Blab

One of the most interesting things about the whole game was, we played without Dumes. Last year...IU without EJ was a do nothing stand around team...this year there is movement and a lot of solid team play....love it.

msdiu81

Personally, I didn't miss Dumes at all during the game. With him turning the ball over and jacking up ill advised 3's or getting into the lane with nowhere to go, we probably wouldn't have been in the game at the end. I vote for Dumes to lose his scholarship to make room for the incoming recruits. Yeah, Dumes can hit a wide open 3 once in awhile, but when we need something, he tries too hard and usually fails. These guys showed they can play without him and add the new guys next year, I wouldn't miss him one bit.

aerialM

missed the game but was thrilled to see the recap & read all about it. lots of heart, seemed like assembly hall was rocking. now let's hope we don't get buried by wisconsin on sunday by 20 and lose all this steam. will we play minnesota in the b-10 tourney? if so, that seems like one of the better possible match-ups for us as far as pulling out an upset. as far as next year's rotation goes, it is going to be a good problem to have...there are whispers hulls might redshirt but that's perplexing to me. (especially if he wins, or comes close to winning, mr. basketball) I think roth might take the redshirt, build up some strength, add an element or two to his game that is missing so when he comes back he's not so one-dimensional. VJ has looked great lately and might not play at the point, but can play the 2 with Creek and Williams...Watford starts (SF), so does Pritch(PF/C) and I think Elston (PF) will too. Rivers will be PG I'd think...and maybe it is just me, and maybe I'm way out of line for thinking this, but is there any chance, ANY, that Dumes isn't back next year? we can all assume Tijan will sadly be gone, but what about Devan? He hasn't exactly been a leader on this year's team and with Rivers coming along next year, we have to wonder how Devan will react to going from the primary scoring option to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th option...

aerialM

also, a few games back Crean made a comment about how some of these guys would be redshirting had they gone to a "normal" situation and I was really surprised by that. Then I looked around at some of the potential/possible IU recruits from this year and I started to see what he was saying. Ebanks @ WVU: 9ppg, Negedu @ TN: 2ppg, Holloway @ XU: 5ppg...then I thought about Story being on G'town, he'd redshirt. Or Williams on senior-laden Marquetee, he'd barely play. Or VJ at MN or KY, he'd redshirt. Or Pritch at PSU, he'd play half of what he does now...anyway, made me realize what Crean was saying. Also made me appreciate how far this young team has been pushed beyond reasonable expectations for the types of players they are and what would have been expected of them had the situation not been so...Kelvin-ized.

Sallad

We may play Minnesota, but the middle of the Big Ten is so muddled right now that we'll really have to wait until this weekend shakes out to find out who the 6th seed is--could be Minnesota, could be Michigan, could be Penn State, could be Ohio State. I really feel good about stealing a win in the first round of the tournament.

bedub

I just wanted to applaud our guys for never giving up and for playing as hard as they can for the name on the jersey . These kids have grown tremendously and will be outstanding role players in the future . I believe they have learned more than any other team as individuals on and off the court . Crean has done a great job , and this years trials will put one of the grittiest teams on the court next season . Job well done .

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