Saturday, April 4, 2009

The worst Final Four ever

From my living room, this Final Four is unfolding as a worst-case scenario. In the first game you have Little Tom Izzo stomping and yelling and flailing his team into the finals. In the second game you have the Yankees/Microsoft beating Villanova in their drama-free march toward the inevitable.

This sucks. It's the worst Final Four since 1993, when Michigan played Carolina in another nobody wins championship. At least Chris Webber came out of that one a massive goat.

The thing about Michigan State is that, aside from Suton, none of their guys bug me. And Suton doesn't even come close to bugging me as much as Drew Neitzel did. So really it's all about Izzo.

If State can use its formula of having its opponent shoot horribly and play their worst game of the year, like Louisville and UConn did, they've got a shot.

So do I pull for Huckleberry Hound and Psycho T to beat the Little Toms? Or do we suck it up, mutter something about Big Ten pride, and pull for State?

I'll sleep on it.

Two other things:

-At least the Big East, the Greatest Conference In The History Of College Sports, will not have a champion.

-Clark Kellogg makes me miss Billy Packer, bad.

-Here's a drinking game for Monday night: every time a talking head makes a reference to Michigan's tough times, unemployment rate, Magic Johnson, the auto industry, Kid Rock, Eminem, or Kalin Lucas being from Sterling Heights, do a shot. You'll be three sheets to the wind before tipoff.

9 comments:

Will said...

Root for Michigan State. As you wrote, this team is not filled with obnoxious characters. And I am sick of people ripping on the Big Ten. It happens a lot on the East Coast.

For some reason, Tom Izzo doesn't anger me as much as some of the other Big Ten basketball coaches (past and present), so I'll try to send positive vibes to Michigan.

Corby said...

I will be rooting for Michigan State too. It would be a major upset and that is always enjoyable to watch. Sending Tyler H. home with red, tear filled eyes would be something to see too. Anyway, I have Carolina winning it all in my office pool like everyone else...BUT, I already have the most points, so even if UNC loses...I still win. So what the heck? Go Sparty.

Anonymous said...

Scott, I absolutely love your blog. I was born in Madison, spent the first 29 years of my life there, then had to move to Chicago with my wife and I'm stuck down here but will always love Wisconsin and the Badgers. Keep up the great work!

Corby said...

I would have been drunk by 9am this morning if I had done a shot everytime I heard about how Michigan State's improbable finals appearance is helping Michigan deal with its economic woes.

Anonymous said...

How impressive has Izzo been in this tournament. The guy has adapted his style of play beautifully! Next time you guys want to argue who's a better coach, Bo or Izzo, just look back at this tournament.

MSU1978 said...

Once again, the Badgers (related to
stink bears - Wolverwhines) are
watching the final four on TV.
Nice record at the Kohl Center, as
if anyone cares. Has Bo Cryin
been to a final four? Dick Bennett did, however, you think that was lucky.

Coach Scott Tappa said...

Thanks again for the insightful comment MSU1978. My wife (NMU1996) wonders why someone presumably in his 50s leaves comments like this on blogs.

Anonymous -- care to elaborate on your comment before that? How has Izzo changed MSU's style of play in the tournament? I ask not sarcastically; to the untrained eye it seems like they've played the same style, only better, while benefiting from opponents like Louisville and UConn playing subpar games.

I'll grant that Bo does not adapt much if at all, and it is very frustrating at times.

Scott said...

And they've cut it to 18 with 2:45 left in the first half! Go Wolverwhines!

Anonymous said...

All championship runs invariably involve a lot of skill and a little luck. It's OK to be jealous of Michigan State's success, but it's not just luck. You admit MSU has been playing better in the game of basketball; this includes offense AND defense. Better defense means "subpar" performances by opponents.

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