MSU and the Injury mantra
A viable reason can easily become a sad excuse. Just as easily "bad luck" can reveal itself as part of an identity. Nobody ever wants to see a team decimated by injuries. Injuries are a variable that many times do come into play in terms of how things play out for any given team in a season. That being said, this display from Michigan State as to the extent of their injuries and the effect it had on last nights has truly become embarrasing for them. From the miniute Brandon Dawson puched Dan Dakich in the.....um, table, table I guess, the rhetoric gushing out of East Lansing and onto ESPN and finally, desperately, pouring out of Dick Vitale last night when it became clear Michigan was leaving with a W has left me losing a certain degree of respect for Michigan State's basketball program. In one way or another, injuries have taken stage front center of the multitude of excuses coming out of East Lansing in the last several season for results on the court. They are an ace in the hole, a fallback that can be dispersed it seems at the will of Tom Izzo to justify any form of underperformance from his team, in a loss, in a close win, in November, in March, whenever it is needed it is there, and the local and national media just start lathering up in it at a moments notice.
I used to really respect Michigan State as a basketball program. At one time, they were a no non-sense, no excuses outfit. They were tougher than you and they wanted it more that you, and you knew it. Now, they are a program that diverts the attention from a truly remarkable basketball game last night to an excuse for their loss, and basically, refusing to acknowledge the result of the game as legitimate. I have never liked Tom Izzo or Michigan State, because they are Michigan State, but I have always respected the hell out of them for the type of program they were. It was the type of program that I wish Michigan had. I now could not be prouder of the distinction between the programs and the way it responds to wins and losses and the way it carries itself in regard to a worthy opponent. That was a great win for Michigan. There is no asterick, there is no qualifier. That is the headline after last nights game and I would have a lot more respect for Michigan State basketball if that was their bottom line after a really great college basketball game.
January 26th, 2014 at 4:43 PM ^
ellis and kaminski provided more than dawson would. and izzo chose to give byrd minutes instead of shillling, who is clearly better. that's just a bad coaching decision.
January 26th, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 3:32 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 3:32 PM ^
and shows izzo's true colors was the fact his first comment out of his mouth at the press conference was blaming the refs for not calling a foul when appling chose to drive the lane against two bigger UM guys standing there with their hands straight up. and moments later bitching about the double technical and having to take appling out. he didn't have to take appling out. and yet that T caused morgan to foul out; albeit a minute later.
he lacks class bigtime when things aren't going well. if he would have started his conference saying that he was proud of his kids stepping up, despite the obvious injuries, and playing a hard fought game against our biggest rival. we still had a chance but came up short. they made some key plays at the end...yada yada yada.
he would have come out looking much better instead of the whiney bitch that he is.
January 26th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
MSU came into the game averaging 79 points and 39 rebounds. They finished just under those numbers with 75 points and 35 rebounds.
Michigan State gave up 80 points. Even with the argument that Dawson's defense was missing, Stauskas scored 19, LeVert scored 17, Walton scored 19. He wasn't going to guard all three.
January 26th, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
His players are regressing.
Recruiting doesn't matter though.
It's all the fault of injuries.
January 26th, 2014 at 8:57 PM ^
Guess what so did UM! LOL. They were just too young. Both teams started three sophs and one frosh and one SR. Sounds very familiar to UM Football fans. Izzo only has one NC to his name in 20 years of coaching, hell Lloyd Carr did better than that. He should be proud the way another team of his fell short of promise and just became mediocre.
January 26th, 2014 at 7:27 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 8:09 PM ^
We're missing our preseason All-American. You're missing your good big man plus an idiot. Both teams had injuries, deal with it. You lost fair and square (at home no less)
January 26th, 2014 at 8:16 PM ^
January 26th, 2014 at 8:31 PM ^
Izzo seemed classy until he started losing. People show their true colors when they lose. Izzo just looked classy but he is poor loser. He was always classless. We just didn't know it. Badgers probably knew it before we did. Even that disgusting Bo Ryan is classier than Izzo.
January 26th, 2014 at 8:47 PM ^
one announcer say they thought UM would win. In fact all I heard was the Spartans this the Spartans that. After UM won the game they all said, oh well, MSU was hamstrung by injuries. (paraphrasing here) So even though they picked Sparty they couldn't give UM credit for winning the game. The way I see it, the Sparties Blue it with 13 min. left in the game and then sucked it after 3 min. left in the game. It was theirs for the taking and they just plain Blue it. Or as we used to say in the day CHOKED, and yes I missed spelled Blew on purpose.
January 26th, 2014 at 8:48 PM ^
I'm no Izzo supporter, but it looks to me like people are giving Izzo a bit too hard of a time on this one. Unless I'm missing something, these post games quotes are not indicitive of the response he's getting on here.http://www.msuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012514aac.html Comparing his comments to Beilein's, you can tell JB is def. more classy, but I'm not seeing the hatred for Izzo justified based on his comments here. Maybe the presser told a different story, however.