Welcome back, Keith Appling! Oh how we've missed you! Your leadership and confidence are vital to the success of this team. Consistent, solid games from Nix, Payne, and Harris are not enough to carry this team. They depend on you to set the tone of the team. If you're down, the team plays sluggish. If you're confident and attack the paint, the team appears on fire! What woke you up?
Random Hoop wonderings...
1) Congratulations to Derrick Nix for a successful four years at MSU! I'll be honest, I had many doubts about you but your senior year, you proved to be the captain and leader your teammates knew you to be. You've shown us that it is possible to be a big man and make your freethrows. You've wowed us with your "lightness" of foot and dance-like moves under the hoop. We graduate you forth. Well done.
2) I'm writing this while Michigan and Indiana head off. If Michigan and Michigan State both win tonight, the Big Ten Championship will be shared by four teams: Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. A fitting way to end what has been one of the most exciting seasons of Big Ten Basketball, if you ask me.
IF there is a four-way tie, a #1 seed belongs to one of the foursome who wins the Big Ten Tournament (or gets the farthest). Two #1 seeds, however, may belong to this conference. My projected #1 seeds from the Big Ten go to the following:
1) Indiana (Let's be real)
2) Michigan State (I've never been able to detach myself from my true love).
For Michigan State to get a #1 seed, they must beat Northwestern tonight and get to the championship game, at least. Our #1 seed resume also includes no bad losses and solid wins against several ranked opponents (at some point in the season): Kansas, Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc.
3) I would love the championship game of the Big Ten Tourney to be MSU against any of the other top three Big Ten teams. Ending on losses to each of these teams is not satisfying, even though its been such a successful season. I want another chance at them.
4) How dominate will the Big Ten be in the NCAA tourney? We haven't played out-of-conference opponents in three months. Has the tough conference play strengthened our teams more than the other dominant conferences? The National Championship could belong to one of many teams. This should make for one of the most satisfying and entertaining tourneys in awhile.
What do you think? Take a risk and make some claims. Its more fun that way.
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