By Paul M. Banks Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net,

Michigan State entered this past season ranked #2 in the AP poll. They had their struggles in midseason, but played up to the hype when it counted in March. Without top player Kalin Lucas, the Spartans still finished just one HORRIBLE non-call away from playing in the national title game.

Butler star forward Gordon Hayward even admitted it himself, telling CBS’ Seth Davis that he legitimately hacked MSU’s Draymond Green on Green’s potential game-tying shot in the final seconds of the national semi-final game.

It was very cool of him to come clean, and some State fans might feel a little better now about how the Spartans met their Thermopylae. However the hope in East Lansing is that next year’s team will be so good even a miserable FAILURE by a NCAA referee isn’t enough to keep them from the title.

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Kalin’s torn left Achilles tendon served as a short-term rallying point for his teammates this past March. Winning for Kalin was their “cause” for reaching the Final Four; much like having the Final Four in their home state was the “cause” to reach the title game in ‘09.

“And I think after Kalin went down, everybody just made that commitment to just join together, just try to make a run, And that’s what we’ve been doing,” Lucas’s replacement, another KL, Korie Lucious said during the tourney.

And now Lucas is officially back for his senior season, as is his teammate Durrell Summers, the Midwest Regional’s Most Outstanding Player. The last time both a star Michigan State point guard and a stellar MSU wing chose to stay in school instead of turning pro, the school won a national championship.

Remember 1999, a time when Ricky Martin and really annoying “boy bands” were oppressively popular? Back then Michigan St. was led by a spectacular floor general named Mateen Cleaves, who battled major injuries to lead his team to the Final Four during his junior season. In his senior year, the player famous for his ugly Bill Cosby style sweaters he sported while injured and cheerleading on the bench, came back.

As did Morris Peterson, a talented wing player like Summers. And during the 1999-2000 season, the Spartans earned their second NCAA title in school history.

“We want to follow the same path Mateen and Morris did,” Summers, who averaged nearly 19 points a game during the NCAA, told the AP Friday.

So with Lucas and Summers officially back, what will the supporting cast look like? The only notable senior gone for 2011 is Raymar Morgan, an all-conference honorable mention. He certainly is a key loss, but the Spartans will once again be locked and loaded next year. Their incoming freshmen class is very stellar- highlighted by consensus top 5 center Adreian Payne and Keith Appling, a top ten point guard. Draymond Green has NBA potential too, and he’ll have another year of seasoning going for him next year, as will the talented Derrick Nix and Delvon Roe, who both came to East Lansing with much fanfare.

With all this going for them, it’s hard to think of a better “team to beat,” at least on paper, in college basketball this November.

Head Coach Tom Izzo said it best after the Final Four loss to Butler. Early second-half foul trouble and a roster decimated by injury forced him to play a rather unusual and disjointed line-up. He addressed this issue in the post-game presser, and looked ahead to 2010-11.

“That’s something I’ll learn from. We’re going to do a better job next year. You think our war drill is something now. Next year it’s going to be fist-fighting because I’m going to make sure my guys are never, ever, ever, ever, physically beaten out of a game again,” Izzo said.

Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com

By Paul M. Banks Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net

When Kalin Lucas went down, Michigan St. lost their best player and floor general. His replacement Korie Lucious, a 5-10 sophomore point guard from Milwaukee, did an admirable job in his place.

He didn’t have the flashiest game statistically, with 9 points on 3-9 shooting, but he played every minute but one, contributed 6 boards and only committed 2 turnovers.

“Watching ESPN this last week I’ve been hearing a lot of analysts saying I can’t run the team,” Lucious said. “They don’t think we can win because Kalin went down, but I just tried to show everybody that I’m a good point guard and can run the team to a win,” he continued.

Most importantly, Lucious hit the game’s most pivotal shot, a stunning turnaround jumper with the shot clock expiring on the game’s most crucial possession.

“I just think it’s from years of staying in the gym, just working out a lot with my dad and my friends and whoever else was in the gym with me, my teammates, just having the confidence in me to take that shot, Lucious said about the play.

“I mean just staying in the gym throughout all my years and just trying to perfect shots that may seem difficult or something like that,” he said. But I don’t know, I just try to take it with confidence and try to get an open shot. I saw the shot clock was going down and thank God it went in,” Korie stated.

“This guy did a heck of a job, Korie did. It’s not easy to run the point. It’s not easy to run the point at Michigan State,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “And, yes, down the stretch had enough confidence to go to them in a couple of those keys, including one of the incredible shots,” the King Leonidas of the MSU Spartans continued.

It’s true, running the point at Michigan St. requires living up to the legacy of Magic Johnson, Scott Skiles, Steve Smith, Drew Neitzel and now, Kalin Lucas. Big shoes to fill indeed.

“I didn’t mess with Korie much, because I knew he was cocky enough and I knew he was tough enough, so I felt like everyone else putting pressure on him, I said just go play your game within our system,” Izzo said.

Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com

Here’s more from Lucious in his own words (see video below)

Paul M. Banks, Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, has an exclusive with NFL Network analyst/former San Francisco 49ers Coach Steve Mariucci in the Michigan St. locker room.

Iron Mountain, Michigan is a unique place. Rarely, does a small town like this produce two individuals who achieve such a high level of success in the such similar fields. And it’s even rarer that the two individuals maintain a close friendship for many decades. However, NFL Network’s Steve Mariucci and Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo, are certainly two unique, outstanding individuals. And during the 2010 NCAA Tournament, “Mooch” came to see his best friend when his star is shining brightest.

I caught up to Mariucci in the Spartans’ locker room following State’s win over Northern Iowa Friday night. I asked him about the message this game sent to everyone who doubted State’s chances without Kalin Lucas.

“It’s not easy. Kalin’s a really great player, and they’ve had some other injuries, Chris Allen had to suck it up,” Mariucci said. “But they’re gritty, they’re a tough team, and Tom likes to schedule tough games early in the season, to get them battle tested for this reason, and it usually pays dividends because they seem to peak at tournament time,” he continued.

He’s exactly right. Izzo has certainly become “Tournament Tom” over the course of his career, with 13 straight NCAA tournaments, nine Sweet Sixteens, seven Elite Eights, a 5-1 record in regional finals, 25-3 versus lower seeds, five Final Fours (including one for each player that he coached at Michigan St. for all four years) and a national title in 2000.

“It’s just fun to watch. Every year in my mind, I say maybe this is Tom’s best coaching job. And this coaching job is right up there because it’s been a tough year on a lot of different fronts, to try to hold it together and win enough games to win that Big Ten again- a very difficult conference,” Mariucci.

I asked “Mooch” how he’s able to keep up (text, Facebook, Twitter, etc) with Izzo given how busy both of them are. He gave me this answer, and also a light, friendly punch on the arm.

“I’m not as busy as he is. We just stay in touch, you stay in touch with your best friend, don’t you? You just do.”

The exchange made me realize how stupid my question was, even though it seemed to make perfect sense at the time. But I have no regrets.

Since being fired by the Detroit Lions in 2005, Mariucci, who now resides in Monte Sereno, California, has been rumored as a leading candidate for a series of college and NFL head coaching jobs; USC the most recent destination.

At the Saturday press conference, I asked Izzo what Steve said to him as he victoriously came off the court and about having his good buddy around for March madness.

Izzo’s response:

“Well, he’s just so excited to be here. I think when you’re in pro ball for so long and you get the college atmosphere, he loves all the NCAA tournament games, and he flew in all day from Iron Mountain. He was up visiting his dad and on his way back. And he was just proud of all of us. I think he loves the atmosphere. You know, it’s kind of different than the NFL in a lot of ways and pro ball in general, I guess.

So he loves being around the locker room. He loves being in the film room. Last night he watched film with us until wee hours of the morning. He kept telling me to run the fly pattern. I don’t know what the hell he was talking about. But other than that he’s pretty good.”

Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com

By Paul M. Banks and Jeff Ghiringhelli, The Sports Bank.net

By now you all know that Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas will be out for the remainder of the tournament with a ruptured achilles tendon. Rehabilitation will last 4-6 months, but head coach Tom Izzo is confident that he will make a full recovery and be ready for next season.

Stepping into the spotlight for the second time this season will be backup point guard Korie Lucious. He filled in for Lucas earlier this season when the star point guard went down with a sprained ankle. Lucious did not fare very well, as the Spartans lost three games in a row against tough opposition with him at the point. Officially, MSU is 0-1 this year without Lucas

Things may be different this time however. Lucious hit the exciting, buzzer beating three pointer on Sunday to beat Maryland, and send the Spartans to the Sweet 16. His confidence should be sky high. Of course, even if Lucious does well the rest of the tournament, MSU will be missing their team leader.

Lucas led the Spartans in points, assists, field goals made and attempted, and minutes per game. Not to mention his abilities as the floor general and calming influence during the game. He didn’t earn the nickname “Too Easy” for nothing. “Leadership- that’s what my most important trait is,” Lucas told me after the Big ten tournament, “also what I’m focused on improving on the most,” he continued.

Lucas is easily one of the quickest players in basketball, if not THE quickest. His loss greatly hurts their transition game, so expect the Spartans to possibly play at a slower pace versus Northern Iowa than they did against Maryland. You won’t be hearing a game plan like this

“As far as us I think we are going to push the pace a little bit. That’s something we do well. We’re going to make sure we push the ball, make sure I push the ball at all times and we’re going to make sure we run,” Lucas said before Sunday’s game.

Of course, no player is perfect, and Lucas is no exception. After returning from his sprained ankle, Lucas went through a stretch where he only averaged nine points per game with a shooting percentage under 40 percent. The Spartans struggled as a result, finishing their last ten games at 5-5. He can also get frustrated on the court at times, and that can bring the entire team down.

Izzo knows the importance of Lucas to his team’s success, and has used some tough love this season to prove it. He threw Lucas out of a practice near the beginning of the season, saying that he needed to better realize and demonstrate his role as leader. Lucas responded well, but now that he is done, other players must fill this role.

Senior Raymar Morgan has been playing very well of late, and he must keep it up this weekend. Sophomore Draymond Green is expected to see an increase in minutes, and may even be asked to become the new vocal leader. Green fits the role well despite being an underclassman. He is not afraid to speak up and show emotions on the court, as he began doing so at the Final Four last year. This season, Izzo has clearly shown he’s frustrated with how State’s year has gone. Both Draymond and Kalin were asked what needs to be done to get this team back into Izzo’s good graces.

“I think we’re pretty much past that point where he’s frustrated. It’s one and done time. We have pretty much wiped our slate clean of everything that went on in the regular season. We’re all working together as a team now. Coaches, players, managers, everyone, because we all know that one loss and you’re done for the year. So it’s pretty much wiped clean and no more frustration for anyone,” Green responded.

Kalin’s response? “Pretty much agree with that answer.”

Regardless of who steps up statistically, Lucas’ shoes cannot be completely filled. He will obviously travel with the team this weekend, so his vocal leadership will be present on the bench. Of course, everyone on the team wishes he was in uniform instead. How the Spartans react and play on Friday will be very interesting to watch.

A good sign for State? They already beat a higher-seeded Maryland team without a 100% Kalin Lucas. They won despite playing without their star for much of the game, and when they did have him on Sunday, he really wasn’t himself again. Lucas tweaked his ankle again in the win over New Mexico St. on Friday.

“I wouldn’t say he’s a hundred percent. Because I think he’s a hundred percent in his mind because he knows what is on the line and that’s all that matters to me. But there’s no doubt he tweaked that ankle again and he did practice today, wanted to practice which speaks a little about him,” Izzo said on Saturday before the game.

Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com

This year’s NCAA tournament will see Arizona, North Carolina, UCLA and Indiana missing from the dance card. Those four tradition rich programs have produced 22 National Championships and 144 tournament appearances. So what are the benchmarks, the numbers, the standards of entry into the same class as the four historically elite programs I just mentioned?

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, whose program has been in the national conversation for the last 10 years or so, offered a couple definitions. Izzo has led his Spartans to 6 Elite Eights in 9 years, 5 final fours in 11 years. However, his most impressive statistic is the fact that every player he’s coached for all four years at State has been to at least one Final Four.

“The old adage is true: it’s harder to stay there than to get there. There’s more outside distractions, not the media, but for the players: agents, different things they deal with, and recruiting is getting harder. I think there’s more cheating, I think it’s getting worse as we make more money- let’s be honest about it,” Izzo said.

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So what is the gold standard?

“There’s NEVER an off-season when you’re at a a school like ours; which means the school doesn’t recruit to itself like a Kentucky or Kansas or Carolina does.  We’re not Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State football; those are all 100 year deals. But you still have to stay up to those standards,” Izzo said.

I asked for further clarification on what the term “recruit to itself” means. Basically, it seems like the benchmark is having more people come to you than you coming to them.

“The program {Michigan St.} does not recruit to itself, but I’m not sure it ever will and there’s only 5 or 6 programs that do that. Do I think we’re in that next tier? Yeah I do, the UConns, Texas, Florida, UCLA’s a different bird because they were so good for so long. But I have to be out every day of the summer. I think I’ve missed two days in 14 years. Those programs {the top tier} they work, but they can be out 10-12 days in the summer. And that’s not gonna change, not in my era. Because what I’m trying to build, they built at Kentucky and Carolina in 50 and 70 years. What I’m hoping to do is get to that point where the basement and first floor are so good. Maybe one of my guys comes in from there and takes it up another level down the road,” Izzo responded before later articulating about what growth he himself has left to achieve:

“My next step is to learn to enjoy what we have, because we proved now that we’ve sustained it, and that was a big deal because if you can do it for 10-12 years or more, you should be able to say, yeah we weren’t a shot in the dark. And I’m not sure I’ve learned to do that. Players got to learn new things, so do coaches,” he said.

Essentially, Tom Izzo regards his program as not within the top tier of elite programs, but in the second tier right beneath it. Is the pantheon the ultimate goal for him?

“It bothers me enough to drive me, but it doesn’t eat me alive. And makes me want to say let’s win the third national championship, let’s be elite in that way; not many coaches have done that. The comparisons to the Dukes and Carolinas, that stuff is ultimately out of my control.”

Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com

When Michigan State meets #3 Purdue on Sunday, it’ll have huge influence on who wins the Big Ten regular season title. But beyond that…who will eventually take Purdue’s #1 seed in the NCAA tourney now?

The Purdue Boilermakers are 12-3 in the Big Ten, a half-game ahead of Ohio State and a full game in front of the Michigan State Spartans, so Sunday’s clash in West Lafayatte between the two is already huge. But now we have the added storyline of Purdue playing their first game without their most important player- Robbie Hummel. And it will be the first of EVERY game they’ll play this season without him, as he is out for the season with a torn ACL.

When I asked Tom Izzo earlier this season, who Purdue’s most valuable player is, he told me “I think it’s Hummel. He’s really what makes them go.” And as I’ve pointed out numerous times before, Izzo is an all-knowing, all-seeing sage; whose status as an all powerful guru is never to be questioned- EVER!

Since Robbie Hummel is the Purdue engine, the Boilers are now like an airbone plane with an engine that failed and Coach Matt Painter is a pilot attempting to glide this craft back to land without crashing massively. What will they be without Hummel? Last year, when Hummel suffered more back problems than a 70 year old furniture mover, Robbie missed 4 games, and the Boilermakers went 1-3.

This will be sort of be like Ohio State without Evan Turner. Times five.

The Boilermakers controlled their own destiny for a Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in the big dance. But like Barack Obama said, “it’s not enough to just change the players, you have to change the game.” And Hummel’s loss actually changes a lot more than a player in the starting lineup, it changes the game on a national scale. Michigan State or Ohio State could grab the Boilers’ once likely conference title.

But in the bigger picture, that #1 seed they once had penciled in could now go to…..

…the Big East runner up? Why not? Syracuse is a “top line” team, and Pittsburgh or Villanova could play their way into joining them by running the table at the Big East tournament in a couple weeks.

…Duke? Well that would certainly please the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network; seeing Coach K.’s current bunch of star college players that will likely go un-drafted, or be NBA busts, grab another #1 seed. But do they actually have enough down low to not stumble anywhere down the stretch?

…K-State? Seriously, you know that Kansas and Kentucky join the ‘Cuse as mortal locks for #1 seeds. And two #1 seeds coming from the same state? A state that’s not North Carolina, Indiana or Kentucky? Yes, the Kansas State Wildcats could indeed be the biggest benefactors from Purdue’s soul-crushing loss. If things play out their way of course.

…New Mexico? No, sorry #1 seeds are reserved for high-major big boys

Paul M. Banks is Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net, an Upper Midwest sports webzine. He’s also a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association and a sports writer for the Washington Times.com Communities and Walter Football.com

So what did we learn coming out of the event?

• Ron Zook broke his regiment of water skiing and small child eating to show up, which was nice.  Zook actually spent a lot of time talking discipline and off the field issues, which I guess is disturbing.  Apparently a couple of bars are off limits to players around campus (any guesses?) and they have drafted “character teams” so either Zook is very proactive in attacking character issues, or there are some serious ones.  He also jokingly–or not so much–chided the media for picking Terrelle Pryor as preseason Big Ten Offensive POY.  Good for him.  Way to base the distinction on hype rather than, you know, the guy who won the actual Offensive POY award last year (Clark). 
• Joe Pa is still living and stuff, and he was there cracking jokes and drawing out plays on tablecloths about how they used to run the spread in the 1840’s 1940’s.  A couple years ago I thought he should just hang it up, but now I hope he lives/coaches forever.  Not because of the diagrams, just because I changed my mind. 
• So yeah, Terrelle Pryor was preseason POY for offense and Greg Jones, a linebacker from MSU, got the honor on defense.  Jones is a solid choice and if you hadn’t heard of him, try to watch him play this year.  He will only be a junior, but is a heck of a talent.  Pryor…well, it’s no secret I don’t like him.  You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think Todd Boekmann could have done just as well, if not better for the Buckeyes last year.  It’s not that hard to lob deep balls up to future pros when the other team has eight or nine in the box to stop your star running back.  Pryor can run and he throws a nice bomb, but his intermediate passing game will need to improve if he wants to live up to this hype. 
• The top three teams as voted by the media will be OSU, PSU, and MSU.  Well there’s no surprise there…wait, MSU?  This is a team that was actually outgained by its opponents last year, and loses it’s only offensive star in Javon Ringer.  The QB situation should be addition by subtraction with Hoyer out and Cousins or Nichol in, but come on.  The best thing the Spartans have going for them this year is that they miss Ohio State and Dantonio has been better at avoiding embarrassing losses in games they should win easily.  I like Illinois and Iowa over the Spartans. 
• In terms of the other coaches, Dantonio and Tressel were unbelievably boring, Bielema made some lame excuse about why UW plays cupcakes every year, Rodriguez said his team was on track to improve, but he didn’t seem to want to be there, and Pat Fitzgerald continues to look like the perfect guy to lead Northwestern and I mean that in a good way. 

Plenty more Illini coverage will be coming, along with previews for each team before the season gets started in September.  You can rejoice football fans, the long month of July is almost over.

• The Big Ten did, well, okay.  Ohio State and Illinois were upset in the first round and Minnesota lost to Texas, but Michigan and Wisconsin pulled first round upsets of ACC teams, Purdue made the Sweet 16 and Michigan State rolled all the way to the final game, beating two 1-seeds from the Big East. 
• In retrospect, the exclusion of teams like St. Mary’s and Creighton does not sit well with me.  Sure, Arizona and Maryland both won games, but those mid-majors, along with San Diego State, deserved a shot.  That combined with the lack of upsets really made this tournament a step below some others in recent memory. 
• Who were the Cinderellas this year?  As much as it sucks for Illinois, Western Kentucky took on the role again, beating the Illini in the first round, then taking Gonzaga to the brink behind the shooting of Mendez-Valdez.  Cleveland State, Siena, and Dayton all won first round games, but I’d say Siena was the closest to Cinderella status after their close game with Louisville in the second round. 
• Pitt was pretty bad again this year.  Every year I think it will be the one where they turn it around and play well in the tournament, but it never happens.  Oh, and Memphis: HA!  Maybe if they played anyone with a pulse after January they would be a little better prepared in the tournament. 
• North Carolina was absolutely amazing in the tournament.  Their closest game was a 12-point win against Oklahoma that wasn’t really that close.  Their biggest scare came against LSU in the second round when they were down by three with 12 minutes to go and tied with just over 8 minutes left, then Ty Lawson decided enough was enough scoring 21 of his 23 points in that second half.  Every one of their starters was a key factor or the go-to-guy at some point in the tourney.  I heard Dean Smith say that the single elimination tournament isn’t the best way to decide a champion, but in this case the best team definitely won it. 

One good thing about the end of the college basketball season is that it isn’t one of those sports that leaves you with nothing interesting to watch when it’s over.  We have the playoffs coming up for the NHL and NBA, with MLB season just getting started, so even Pirates fans have something to cheer for at least for a couple of weeks.

Despite all the hyperbole and sappy package pieces, the Michigan State-North Carolina match-up does present a great story.  In my mind the real story is being slighted by all this “hopes of a city” and “hopes of a state” talk that is being associated with MSU’s run.  Yes, it’s great and it is a nice distraction for people who are struggling, but people won’t be devastated if they lose and won’t have it any easier if they win.

It sounds fantastic, it sounds like a phenomenal story, but it just isn’t the case.  Michigan State basketball  is simply the most recent in a long line of inspirational stories of success in sports  for teams in the state.  They aren’t saviors, they aren’t “just what the state needed,” in fact about half the people in the state either doesn’t care if they win or hopes they lose.

So what’s the big deal with the media blowing this angle of the story out of proportion?  I feel like it only makes up part of what the story should be today and pushes one particularly  important angle right out of the spotlight: respect.  Why are we not talking about how badly the Big Ten and Michigan State were disrespected all year?  While the Big East had a great tournament, our horse knocked out two of their 1-seeds.  A couple weeks after Vitale was incredulous when talk of a 1-seed for the Spartans came up, they’ve knocked out two of the top dogs in convincing fashion.

Speaking of fashion, teams from the Big Ten are supposed to win ugly.  All I heard before the UConn game was how MSU needed to play it at their pace.  I’m certain they didn’t mean the pace where they score 80 points, but that’s actually how Izzo prefers it. And speaking of Tom Izzo, can we finally acknowledge that he is a top five coach in college basketball?  Five times in the last 11 years the guy has taken his team to the Final Four, his teams are rarely outworked and never under-prepared, and he hasn’t had a hint of scandal, something very few coaches can say these days.

I know it’s an easy story to get caught up in, and an easy story to generate interest for the media, but can we agree that there is much more to the story and that maybe things are getting a little carried away?  At least take a moment to consider all the Big Ten hate from earlier in the year.  Maybe Michigan State isn’t the savior for Detroit, but they certainly were for the Big Ten this year.

The last four days were no better than the first four of the tournament.  There were 12 games over the weekend and only three of them were what I would call good games.  Two of them involved Pitt, a team that underachieved the entire two weeks and the thid was a back and forth affair between Kansas and Michigan State on Friday night.

Michigan State came off their great game on Friday night to take part in one of the worst games I watched the in entire tournament on Sunday.  Not to take anything away from the Spartans who played great defense, but it was just difficult to watch.  This was almost entirely Louisville’s fault.  What a pathetic display of basketball they showed every time they had the ball.  Two passes around the perimeter and a contested three was apparently what they decided to go with on offense.  Gross.

The most hyped match-ups turned out to be some of the worst games as Syracuse got blown out by Oklahoma, who was run off the court by North Carolina, and  Duke was killed by Villanova in the other highly anticipated game.  Hey, at least with all these good teams, the Final Four should be great, right?  Nah, I think I’ll bad-mouth it and hope for the opposite effect again.

This is what I get for taking joy and celebrating the opposite of what March is all about.  Next year I’ll be back to being mad that the San Diego States, Creightons, and St. Marys of the world didn’t get in the tournament.  I’ll be looking for a Dayton t-shirt to wear for their game against Kansas, and this whiny complaining post will come a week earlier.

So if you were ever watching a game and thinking “Boy, I wonder what Stormin’ Norman thinks about that play,” or maybe, “Do you think StevieY thinks this college basketball team is overrated (he does),” then this live-blog is right up your alley.  Hopefully our inability to understand technology at all doesn’t affect this little event.  If we manage to pull it off, we will see you there.  Otherwise whatever, since my stupid f#$%ing bracket is busted anyways.  Have a good weekend.

(3) Kansas vs. (2) Michigan State, 9:37 ET-

This is one of those times that it isn’t hard to break down how the teams match up, because they have played once already this year.  Michigan State won that game by 13 points, which sounds closer than the game actually was.  In fairness to Kansas, the Jayhawks were a different team back then and won 13 of 14 right after that contest.

For Kansas, it all starts with their sparkplug point guard Sherron Collins, averaging about 19 points per game while adding five assists per.  The kid has been on the stage before and can really fill it up from anywhere when he’s on.  Kansas can also hurt you from the inside with Cole Aldrich.  The former super-sub is now putting up about 15 and 10 per game while altering shots inside on a regular basis.

Michigan State has a great point guard of their own in Kalin Lucas.  The Big Ten POY sets the tone for the offense and it hasn’t taken him long to earn Izzo’s trust to run things.  Lucas can really do it all, and he has a good cast around him.  Raymar Morgan may end up being the difference in this game, one way or another.  Morgan is the second leading scorer behind Lucas, and is a phenomonal player…sometimes.  If Morgan is at his best, Kansas doesn’t stand much of a chance; if he isn’t, it will take a lot from guys like Chris Allen and Durrell Summers on the wings and Delvon Roe and Draymond Green on the block.  Senior Goran Suton gives some experience, and with Roe and Green he is part of a barrage of bodies Izzo will throw at Aldrich.

The Jayhawks have been playing great and Michigan State has show that it is prone to letdown games, but I think the Spartans match up very well with Kansas.  To beat MSU, you really have to come with a balanced attack, and I don’t see anyone other than Collins and Aldrich getting it done.  MSU wins by six.

(4) Gonzaga vs. (1) North Carolina, 9:57 ET-

Gonzaga gave us one of the best games of the tournament last round and we can only hope this match-up proves to be as good.  For all the Lawson toe coverage before last weekend’s games, I have heard nothing this week.  I assume that’s good news for UNC, but I guess we’ll see.

Gonzaga has only lost one game in 2009 and it was to Memphis.  If the Zags plan on keeping that whole thing going, they’ll need some help from one Austin Daye.  The 6-11 sophomore has disappeared in the tournament as much as a giant like that possibly can.  No big deal, it’s not like he has a good frontcourt to go against or anything.  Of course, Josh Heytvelt will be there too, but the advantage even where the Bulldogs are excellent still goes to UNC with Hansbrough and Thompson.  On the perimeter, one of my favorite players in the tournament, Jeremy Pargo, is lurking always ready to thunder down a dunk.  Matt Bouldin has also emerged as a star and will need to keep it up to run with the Heels.

For North Carolina, their chances are very good if Ty Lawson is a go.  When he decided to turn it on against LSU, the game was over and everyone knew it.  Even without Lawson, North Carolina sports a roster of stars like Hansbrough, Ellington, and Danny Green.  Look for Ed Davis off the bench too, the kid can play.  The Tar Heels stumbled a bit in their last game against LSU though, and if they do it again, Gonzaga can really put a scare into them.

Whatever.  North Carolina will methodically beat down Gonzaga and set up a sweet game in the Elite 8 against either Syracuse or Oklahoma.

11:00 am (1) Michigan State vs. (8) Minnesota-

Michigan State swept the series against Minnesota winning easily on the road and blowing the Gophers out 76-47 in the Breslin Center.  Both teams have quite a bit to play for as well.  The Spartans find themselves still alive for a one seed in the NCAA Tournament and with Oklahoma and Pittsburgh losing, they actually have a pretty good chance if they run the table.  Minnesota finds itself scoreboard watching already and might need a win to get in.  Westbrook and the big guys inside will need to lead Minnesota if they’re to have a chance, but Michigan State can rotate a lot of bodies in there with Suton, Roe, Green, and Gray, and the Sparties have the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Travis Walton to match up with Westbrook.  The Gophers pulled off the upset of the conference tourney last year against Indiana, and they’ll need an equally surprising result today.

1:30 (4) Wisconsin vs. (5) Ohio State-

The Badgers hosted the only meeting between these teams and won it by five.  Both teams are near locks for the tournament at this point and are both nine seeds in the latest Bracketology.  That doesn’t mean that we’ll see a relaxed game between two apathetic teams though.  The Badgers seem to make it to the last day of this tournament every year, and Bo Ryan will likely be pissed with anything less this year.  Ohio State hasn’t played its best basketball down the stretch and would like nothing more than to build a little momentum going into the Big Dance by winning today and getting a shot at Michigan State tomorrow.  The key for Wisconsin will be to contain Evan Turner.  The kid can score and is capable of putting the Buckeyes on his back for a win.  Ohio State will need to keep Wisconsin off the glass.  The Badgers are at their best when they hit the offensive boards.  So many easy putbacks and open threes are set up on second chance points for Wisconsin.

Michigan takes on Illinois at 5:30 and Penn State gets Purdue in the late game.  I’ll preview those a little later today.