Wildcats, Badgers, March Madness Oh My!

by Ryal

It’s that time of year again. Bandwagons are filling, Cinderella slippers are being prepped and Greg Gumbel is clearing his throat for yet another poetic introduction to the annual sports celebration, known to all simply as March Madness. For me, this means my Spartans are in action. Michigan State has spoiled my circle of green-and-white since 1999, making their way to 4 of the last 8 Final Fours, most recently in 2006 against the “love ‘em or hate ‘em Tar Heels down on Tobacco Road. The dream ended there last year, putting a heart-breaking halt to a dream run of repeated greatness. Spartan fans clung to their 2000 national championship for comfort.

Yesterday afternoon, MSU received their first of hopefully many tests against the lowly Northwestern Wildcats. Tradition and past clobberings gave State fans (including myself) the impression that Round One of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament would be a quick n’ easy. Tradition seemed to only fuel the Wildcats on Thursday, as MSU did their best to blow a 10-point lead with 1:17 left in the game, barely sneaking out a victory in the waning moments. The Spartans backed into a 62-57 victory, improving their overall record to 22-10.

In an interview with the Lansing State Journal’s Joe Rexrode, MSU Coach Tom Izzo stated, ”This is one-and-done time, and the secret to that is winning and advancing, not how you play,”

“It was scary, disappointing, and yet that’s the way basketball goes.”

Next up for Michigan State is quarterfinals play against the No. 3 ranked Wisconsin Badgers. Big Ten play saw two close games between these two rivals, resulting in a 1-1 split. The Spartans have most likely already clinched a spot in the 65-team tournament, but a win over Wisconsin would secure a higher tournament seed, not to mention give State fans the one-up in one of the nation’s fastest growing rivalries.

Michigan State is scheduled to play Wisconsin tonight at 6:40 p.m. at the United Center in Chicago. The game will be shown live via satellite at the Spartan alumnae hangout Rudino’s in North Raleigh.

“I’m just looking forward to that game,” Izzo said. “I think a lot of people are looking forward to it.”

Go State!

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1. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Some people love December for its holiday spirit. For others, the changing seasons and preparation for Halloween in October is best.

   For me, nothing beats the excitement that is “March Madness”. In the last few weeks every school in Division I has been fighting for their right to play in the NCAA tournament. Whether teams needed to win their conference tournament to punch their ticket to “The Big Dance” or simply needed more wins to get off the bubble, each game means more right now.

   March is a time when small schools fight for the right to become the next “Cinderella” team. Last year George Mason rode their cinderella status all of the way to Final Four. Who knows what small school will slay the “Goliathes” that are big time programs in college basketball with tourament upsets.

   March is the time of the “bubble team”. Universities across the nation are hanging by a thread to know if their season goal of a national championship is still alive or whether they are destined for the NIT tournament. (When I was little I played in a traveling basketball tournament called the Gus Macker. It was a double elimination tournament, meaning if you lost twice you were out. However, if you lost your first two games you were entered into the “Toilet Bowl” with everyone else who had lost their first two games. That is kind of like what the NIT is in college basketball.) Only the NCAA tournament committee will be able to say for sure what schools are in and what schools are out during “Selection Sunday”.

   Of course, the icing on the cake of “March Madness” is the tournament itself. It is a modern day gunfight where you “win or go home”. There are no excuses except to play hard and win. The tournament is the most exciting sporting event for me because there is so much riding on every single game. There are no series, no best of sevens, no choices except to win and advance or to lose and start preparing for next year. My fellow Spartans of Michigan State University have been known to get so excited with the NCAA tournament that riots start if we lose. It’s kind of a big deal in East Lansing.

   The excitement of this time of year has no equal in my opinion. I love all sports. But neither the Super Bowl, World Series, or NBA Finals can match up to the emotion of March Madness That is why it is my favorite time of year.

   
   — Tyler    Mar 9, 01:35 PM    #

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