Let me rephrase it: Michigan State will be much more talented next year. Mcquaid and Goins were great role players, but their overall skill sets weren’t great. Quaid could shoot and was a sound defender, and Goins could shoot and rebound. Both played within themselves and didn’t have egos. Great team players. Rocket Watts and Malik Hall are skilled for their respective positions, and Gabe Brown and Marcus Bingham were already more skilled than Goins and Mcquaid already. Just not as mentally sharp or experienced nor physically ready. Their talent levels are clear though. If they can play close to as collective a unit as this year with the talent they will have, their ceiling is much higher than this year even.
They were a whole lot more talented last year too.
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He is a good post scorer against bad teams and you can hide him on defense against them. But quality teams will go right at him and they’re better at defending and he just wastes possessions. Kithier ahould becomes a solid backup by next season. I have to imagine Ward is seeing the writing on the wall too.
Seems to me Izzo was a bit reinvigorated by the way TT beat them: being the more tough, physical team. Izzo can get behind that; mentioned it respectfully after the game.
I think when Coach Beilein talks about a team with juniors and seniors who know how to play winning basketball, and Izzo talks about tough, physical teams, they’re basically talking about the same thing; different ways of expressing the same idea.
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This could look similar to us losing Duncan and MAAR this past season. Easy to write off losing them and much like we were this year, State will still be a good team next year but will miss some of the subtle things that they bring to the table.
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I really thought they were a good team coming in but the run of teams they’ve beaten has been pretty crazy. Also how they were winning for long stretches in every matchup sometimes the whole matchup was surprising. I think they are going to win by 6-8 tomorrow, maybe more. Fluke wasn’t the right word but I stand by the Mayweather sport cross over comp. unreal d, no mistakes, poise, and just enough offense in spurts to win comfortably.
They’re just not the type of team I’m use to seeing dominate style wise but that doesn’t make them any less great. If they win it all , and I think they will, it will be a pretty big shock to me.
Even if those young kid have higher ceilings what both those guys did this year particularly mcquaid will be tough to match. He was getting to the rim and finishing , creating off the dribble at times, and as you pointed was knock down from deep and a nice defender. I still can’t belirve how good he was this year.
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I’m thinking Tech takes this thing tonight, 65-55.
I think this NCAA tournament version of Texas Tech, is the best team in college basketball, but I also think Virginia might match up with TT better than Michigan, MSU, or Gonzaga. Should be a great game. I’m thinking Jerome, Guy, and Hunter May be able to score just enough to get Virginia the win
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I agree , I’m thinking 61-51. That is if both teams play like they have throughout the tourney. If Virginia from two months ago shows up they might edge tech . I think I’m coming in heavy on tech and praying Virginia plays like they have all tourney.
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I think it all depends on Owens ability to go tonight. He was in a walking boot yesterday and did not practice. I imagine that ankle was really swollen yesterday.If he can play close to 100% tonight, I have Tech winning it 58-54. I have a feeling this is going to be a very brutal offensive game to watch. The D is going to be amazing, but I’ll be surprised if either team reaches 60.
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First to 15 wins.
I’m joking.
First to 40.
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Why does this game have to be so late? Stayed up last night to watch the US women play soccer and I am going to be up until all hours tonight!
Agree that Tech wants Owens on the floor, but still think that barring an incredible shooting night from Virginia, Tech wins.
I have a question for posters, though–did Michigan get more good looks against Tech than MSU did? I tend to think so. We just didn’t make the dang shots.
It sure seemed like Michigan got more clean looks from three than MSU. I also recall at least three (if not four) deep shots that were halfway down for Michigan that harmlessly rattled out. Those Honda Center rims* suck!
*not actually a basketball arena, I know
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We did shoot 50% from 2 against them while MSU was 8-23.
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Yeah, I agree. Barring UVA playing out of their minds (like hitting 50% or better from 3 or something), I think TTU runs away with this tonight. UVA has frankly been extremely lucky to get wins in their last 2 games against teams that are not as good as any of the last 3 teams TTU has beaten. The whole ACC has looked overrated all tournament.
Saturday actually made me feel a lot better than before about our season. It looks like the best 4 teams in CBB this year may have been (1) TTU (at least the current version), (2) MSU or Gonzaga, (3) Gonzaga or MSU, (4) UM. Teams 2-4 just happened to play #1 in succession.
In short, this is starting to look like a “ran into a buzzsaw” season-end – like last year, but a few rounds earlier due to luck of the draw.
I don’t see how Michigan is 4th in your scenario. UVA and Duke have to be above us as well.
That’s my take (as posted above). But poking around the internet I see a lot of pundits picking UVA. I’m always interested in whether knowing too much–as in following and admiring UVA and Bennett all season–gets in the way when a team like TT comes together at the end of a season. Seems like Michigan has followed this trajectory a little too in past seasons. . . You can throw some of the stats into a cocked hat at that point.
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Neither team (nor anyone from the ACC) impressed me much this tournament – I think we’d beat either of them.
Of course, I also thought we were a matchup nightmare for TTU (and we were, just 180 degrees from what I thought).
UVA is an East Coast school and a member of the ACC. Texas Tech is neither. This alone guarantees a lot of sportswriters will pick the Hoos.
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