I’m still reeling over Tuesday night’s thriller between the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines.  If you are a Michigan fan, it was nothing but embarrassment and disappointment.  To Spartan fans, it was an incredible thrill ride--one for the record books.  Recall in an earlier post that I claimed that the best games are the ones that are true, close battles.  If you noticed, there was an asterisk with that comment that stated blowing Indiana or Michigan out by 30 points would also fall under the “best game” category.  You make comments like that truthfully, but not really under the belief that it would happen. But indeed, it did.  Tuesday night’s clash consisted of one team having a game for the record books and another team trying hard to just get something positive in the record books.

It's time to recognize. Don't stop recognizing Indiana or even Michigan. Everyone knows that the Wolverines aren't really that bad. BUT, it's time to recognize the Spartans as not only a good team but a National Title contender. This was a "coming of age" game, so to speak. It's a recognition that the Spartans have matured and just at the right time. No one doubted in early season play that we possessed talent, but it did seem that we couldn't sync our talent at the same time. We were inconsistent and rarely played a game for a full 40 minutes. But the Spartans have truly blossomed and Tuesday night was a statement to the rest of the Big Ten as well as teams across the nation: Watch out, because when the Spartans are on, they are a true force to be reckoned with. Their defense is stifling and their offense has the ability to make a hard punch to the gut of ANY opposing team. You think these guys are scared of Indiana and Duke? Guess again.

Why, you might ask, has this team developed and matured so much? Answer: brotherhood. Don't worry, I'm not going to get too sappy again, but truthfully, you can have a team with a lot of raw talent but if they can't learn to play together, they won't get very far. From the mouths of these players, they genuinely enjoy one another--even off of the court.  They play unselfishly and cheer each other on, rejoicing in the success of their teammates. They read eachother well, making fewer foolish decisions and thus, less turnovers. And lets face it: perhaps it took a brotherly fight in a hotel lobby for Payne and Dawson to grow up a bit because since their benched first half against Penn State, these two players have played impressive, aggressive basketball.

I couldn't be prouder of our guys, who played what izzo called "their best game in three years." This game places a confidence (hopefully not arrogance) in our young guys (Valentine, Harris, Costello, and Gauna) that they can compete with the big dogs...they have what it takes...even under pressure. The Spartans have the opportunity to show that Tuesday was no fluke as they take on Nebraska and then Indiana on Tuesday at the Breslin. If they take care of business tomorrow and another top team loses this weekend, you could be looking at a top-five team come Monday. Let's wait and see.

Go State!