" title="Spartans Weblog">Spartans Weblog

MSU guts out their 15th conference win 62-51 in a 68-possession.  StatSheet box score.
Raise your hand if you had us winning the conference by FOUR games:

TEAM
CONFERENCE

OVERALL

Michigan State
15-3
25-5

Illinois
11-7
23-8

Purdue
11-7
22-9

Ohio State
10-8
20-9

Penn State
10-8
21-10

Wisconsin
10-8
19-11

Minnesota
9-9
21-9

Michigan
9-9
19-12

Northwestern
8-10
17-12

Iowa
5-13
15-16

Indiana
1-17
6-24

In a conference with 8 teams deserving of an NCAA bid–and a 9th team that will probably end up a couple blown leads away from the Big [...]

Two Spartan warriors at the scene of their greatest triumph.
Mrs. SW and I will be at the Breslin Center to wish Messrs. Walton, Gray, Ibok, and (especially) Suton farewell.  Enjoy the game and GO STATE!

Noon Sunday.  The Breslin Center. CBS.
I hope this won’t be interpreted as a lack of enthusiasm about Sunday’s game, but I’m going to have to phone this game preview in due to birthday-related festivities for the Official Oldest Son of the Spartans Weblog that commenced earlier this evening and will extent into tomorrow evening.  Here’s [...]

Purdue wallops MSU 72-54 in a 70-possession game.  StatSheet box score.
After 3 of MSU’s 4 losses, I’ve downplayed the result.  I’m not going to downplay tonight’s loss.  MSU’s performance was extremely disappointing, both in terms of their lack of composure and their inability to take advantage of Purdue’s weaknesses.  The two sets of bars on [...]

Is he quicker than Lewis Jackson?
Mid-week road game against out top rival for the conference championship.  I’m expecting record open-chat participation levels tonight, my friends.
Pregame Reading

Conference Check: All-You-Can-Eat Edition
Based on efficiency margin, MSU has been as dominant in their conference as any team in any of the six BCS conferences.  (Update: Luke Winn’s noticed this, [...]

I’m back–like a bad rash.
Rankings Update

AP: #6 (up from #9)
Coaches: #5 (up from #9)
Blogpoll: #6 (up from #11)
Sagarin: #7 (up from #8)
Kenpom: #9 (up from #11)
RPI: #6 (up from #7)
Bracketology: #2 seed (steady from last week)
Crashing the Dance: #2 seed (steady from last week)

Crashing the Dance has us as the highest of the #2 seeds.  [...]

Not a lot to hang your hat on in terms of the MSU offense today.  Javon Ringer was contained for most of the day.  Brian Hoyer was erratic.  Brett Swenson was a nonfactor due to the weather.  And we managed to turn the ball over four times.
But the defense was magnificent.  They took an opposing [...]