MSU Men's Basketball Preview

Seth David (CNN-SI) recently made a visit to the land of Sparty to take a first hand look at the Spartan basketball team of 2007-2008. His remarks about the team & his outlook for this upcoming season were right on target in my opinion. All of us Spartan fans, & much of the nation’s college basketball fans know about Tom Izzo’s coaching techniques & philosophy during his tenure. Some of these philosophies include running, rebounding, leadership, & hard work….all of which this year’s team will incorporate. The Spartans are primed for a run to the NCAA championship this year behind some veteran leadership, new faces, & another year of great coaching by Tom Izzo and his staff.

Preview

Starting Lineup

Travis Walton -PG

Drew Neitzel - SG
Raymar Morgan - SF
Marquise Gray - PF
Goran Suton - C/PF

Projected Back-Ups

Kalin Lucas - PG

Chris Allen - SG

Durrell Summers - SG/SF

Isiah Dahlman - SF

Drew Naymick - PF/C

Tom Herzog - C

Idong Ibok - C

When you look at the roster & potential line-up, there are a lot of areas that players can be interchangeable. This will be a huge strength for this team this year & will allow the team to go back to running the floor like the great Spartan teams of the past. The biggest question mark is that of the players in the low post. This could be the Achilles heal of the team this year. A lot of their success is going to depend on how Marquise Gray performs along with Goran Suton. Both players have showed signs of brilliance in the past, but on an inconsistent basis.

Big Ten - My Prediction
I believe this team will take the Big Ten fairly easily. The only team that will give them some problems is Indiana. MSU doesn’t match up well in the low post with Indiana considering the presence of DJ White. That being said, I still believe if MSU can get consistent scoring out of the 1, 2, & 3 positions….they should be OK.

As for the NCAA tournament, I believe this team has a shot at winning a championship this year. There aren’t many other teams nationally that can match up with MSU in depth. Going late into the season, this will be the Spartans biggest strength.

Overall (Biased Prediction Being an MSU Alum): The only place I don't agree with Mr. Davis......MSU will bring another championship trophy back to East Lansing this year!

Renteria Traded to Tigers For Prospects

Another great move by Tigers G.M. Dave Dombrowski….{Applause}. The Tigers brought in another all-star caliber player in that of the Atlanta Braves’ Edgar Renteria. Renteria will replace Carlos Guillen as the Tigers’ full-time short stop for the 2008 season. The move will allow the aging Carlos Guillen to become the full-time first baseman for the Tigers. I love this move for the simple fact that the Tigers’ plan is to win now with the core of players that they are currently working with. Players like Guillen, Pudge, Sheffield, Polanco, etc. are starting to get past their prime so the time is now to make a world series run.

There has been a lot of flack given on this move because the Tigers had to send Jair Jurrgens along with minor league up-comer, Gorkys Hernandez. To many, this was a lot to give up for a +30 year old Renteria. I understand the argument, but I fully believe the Tigers are in a position to make a World Series run now & if they can pick up another starting pitcher, or sure up their bullpen, it’s going to be great for the city of Detroit. I think the point needs to be made that the Tigers are in a position to make Detroit a “desirable” city to play in. If a winning attitude can be built in Detroit, it only spells as a positive for the team and the city.

Potential Line-Up for 2008
Curtis Granderson – CF
Placido Polanco – 2B
Gary Sheffield – DH
Magglio Ordonez – RF
Edgar Renteria – SS
Carlos Guillen – 1B
Ivan Rodriguez – C
Timo Perez – LF
Brandon Inge – 3B

*Key point of the move allows Pudge to be moved down in the line-up & additionally, Renteria is a player who can be moved around the line-up on off-days for other players. He can fit in as a hit for average or power hitter. I’d be happy to see him anywhere from 1, 2, 3, 5, or 6 in the lineup.

Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos – Lions Impact

Although the Denver Broncos/Green Bay Packers game really has nothing to do with this site initially, it really does. The Lions are now one game behind the Packers for the NFC North division lead. Additionally, the Lions will be facing the Broncos at Ford Field this coming Sunday in a battle between teams which are very similar in some senses. The Lions are a team on the rise this year, however they do have some concerns on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary played very well against the Bears this past weekend due in part to a Chicago offense lead by that of University of Michigan alum, Brian Griese. Griese struggled all day & in my opinion, it was not because of a stellar Lions defense but rather a product of his inability to throw to the open man. Don’t get me wrong, the Lions defense played well enough to get by, but Denver could pose other problems.

The Broncos will come into Detroit hobbling on one leg with injuries to Travis Henry, and many defensive players. For Denver, luckily they’ve found a decent replacement in that of Selvin Young. Young performed great against Green Bay & could pose problems for the Lions. Should the Broncos be able to establish a running game early, it could open up the passing game leaving potential one-on-one matchups with average Lions corners. I still believe they’ll put enough of a positive product on the field to get by, but it should be an interesting game. The Lions offense will need to score with the run & hold on to the ball in order to win this game.

Matchups
· Lions Offense vs. Broncos Defense --- EDGE: Lions
· Lions O-Line vs. Broncos D-Line --- EDGE: Lions
· Lions WRs vs. Broncos Secondary --- EDGE: Broncos
· Broncos Offense vs. Lions Defense --- EDGE: Broncos
· Broncos O-Line vs. Lions D-Line --- EDGE: Lions
· Broncos WRs vs. Lions Secondary --- EDGE: Broncos

My Spread: EVEN – Slight edge to Lions for playing at Ford Field

Prediction: Broncos – 17 Lions - 21

The Lions ROAR Past the Bears!

I have to say, watching the Lions is starting to get fun....I mean, how can you argue with a road victory at Soldier Field? The Lions put on a fantastic performance against the Bears on Sunday & the only complaint I have about the whole thing is that they should have won by a lot more. The red zone offensive scheme needs improvement, but I'm not worried. They're taking step-by-step improvements & I believe with Kevin Jones back in the lineup, there's not much to be worried about (unless the injury bug starts infecting the team of course).

After listening to sports talk radio & watching Mike & Mike a bit this morning, I do have a complaint about the media. GIVE THEM SOME CREDIT, PLEASE! Every comment I've heard is about how the Bears lost, not how the Lions won. I suppose I can understand it a little considering where the Bears are coming from in 2006, but what about where the Lions are coming from? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Lions can walk into Ford Field against Denver next week & keep up the good work. Can we get consistent offensive line performance next week? If so, it should be another glorious week for the Lion faithful.

Hats Off To:

- Jeff Backus -- It's about time you block someone!

- Kevin Jones -- Thank you for your quick/dedicated rehab from your knee injury. You've shown your value to this organization.

- Rod Marinelli -- I'm starting to believe!

BACK OFF TO:

- All the media who aren't giving the Lions any love.

- Tatum Bell -- HAHAHA, Inactive.....You Suck! Please go back to Denver, we didn't get anything for you anyway.

Coming Soon: Matchup Comparison for the Lions vs. The Broncos

The State of MSU Football

Wow, what a game Saturday! The thing I like the most is how we were able to see 3 teams play in one game! First, the 1st half MSU team was fantastic. They were able to move up and down the field without a struggle, they were able to shutdown a pathetic Iowa offense, just great all around! The 2nd team was that of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Not much of a surprise here, your basic bottom tier football team that is young & inexperienced. The 3rd team is the 2nd half MSU team. They looked like a high school team that was playing the Buckeyes of THE Ohio State. How MSU can make Iowa look like a force in the Big Ten is completely beyond me......oh wait, I guess I am talking the Spartans.....shouldn't be surprised I guess.

Bottom line for me is that I can't wait for John L's boys to move on with their lives. It's hard to fault the coaches at this point because of the history that these players have on their back. I'm giving the coaches a full 5 years to clear out the lockers of these bozos so we can see how good of a recruiting staff we currently have.

Next Game: University of Michigan @ Michigan State University

My Line: Wolverines By 14

Outlook
Had MSU showed up in the 2nd half against Iowa, I would have the spread closer to even but since the Spartans of old have showed up again....they have no shot at beating the Wolverines in my opinion. My predicion is that MSU will look like the team from the Ohio State game....no offense, & the defense will score once in the 2nd half creating some excitement for the home fans.

Score: Michigan - 34 MSU - 21

Can't wait for basketball season to kick-off on Friday....even though it's an exhibition game!