The game at Breslin Wednesday night seemed ‘matter of fact’ really inasmuch as the # 10 Spartans beat Minnesota 68-52 (as expected) and in so doing, the Spartans clipped win number 400 for Coach Izzo and that put a prodigious milestone into the record books!
If you are unfamiliar with Coach Izzo’s journey, a little reflection is due. Let us not forget, it’s been a rather improbable journey for Coach Izzo. From ‘walk on’ scholar/athlete at Northern Michigan University (Football, Basketball & Track)…to third team Division II Basketball All American…to Basketball coach at Ishpeming High School…to Northern Michigan assistant coach…to ‘part time’ assistant at MSU…to Assistant Coach for Jud Heathcote…to Spartan Head Coach where he unfairly earned the moniker of ‘Tom Fizzo’ for a modest 16-16 record during his first season…to 6 Big Ten titles…to 14 consecutive NCAA appearances…to 6 Final Fours in the past 13 years…and, of course…a National Championship.
Not bad for a kid from Iron Mountain, Michigan…population 8,000.
And, by clipping win #400, Coach Izzo joins a rather prestigious Big Ten club including Bob Knight…Lou Henson…and Gene Keady. But Spartan Nation needs to extend a special note of thanks to Coach Izzo because there was a time when the entire Spartan athletic program seemed to teeter precipitously due to a lack of direction and leadership but yet Tom Izzo stood alone…and Tom Izzo stood strong…and Coach Izzo was the Michigan States Atlas if you will…single handedly carrying Spartan Athletics on his shoulders until help arrived. Thank You Coach!!!
At any measure, Tom Izzo got win # 400 Wednesday night and while there were a few moments of drama…in the grand scheme of things…it was classic Izzo basketball inasmuch as the Spartans appeared to be in control most of the game, sprinting away at the end to extend their record to 17-4 overall and 6-2 Big Ten. The Spartans played a slightly ‘shorter bench’ than usual but on the surface it was normal stuff: 9 Spartans got game time…8 players got double digit minutes…7 players scored…and two players scored in double figures including Draymond Green with 22…and freshman Branden Dawson with 16…and along the way the Spartans ‘unselfishly’ distributed 17 Assists. So, like most Izzo wins…it was a team win!
And, Derrick Nix. Did I mention Derrick Nix? Coach Izzo has brought him along slowly but his confidence is soaring. The 6’9” 270# ‘Aircraft Carrier’ is 14-21 (66%) from the field for the last three games…and that’s an unbelievable percentage for anything other than a throw down. If you haven’t watched Derrick Nix then check him out…he is literally ‘unstoppable’ down on the block! Fast feet…good hands…quick feeds for assists. For what it’s worth, Nix is literally unstoppable in any arena unless you mention NBA.
More importantly, Nix is the embodiment of the Izzo recruiting story. Coach Izzo recruited a ‘good kid’…and a ‘good talent’…from a distressed area of Detroit where dreams are not a normal part of the landscape and yet Coach Izzo has lighted a fire in a young man who is likely to accomplish Special things in the next two years but most importantly Nix is becoming a dedicated scholar/athlete! But back to the game…..
Just like every team assembled by Coach Izzo during his previous 16 seasons…the Spartans relied upon team Rebounding and team Defense to put this win in the record books. The Spartans held Minnesota to 38% from the field…36% from the Arc…got a 32-25 edge on the glass…forced 10 steals and rejected 8 shots! In fact, the previous 3 games suggest the Spartan Defense is really hitting stride!
In the past 3 games, the Spartans have yielded 60 points or less and held 3 prolific Big Ten offenses well below their season scoring average:
Scoring Avg Vs Spartans Difference
· Purdue 71.9 58 -14
· Minnesota 70.2 52 -18
· Michigan 68.6 60 -8
The preceding stats are especially meaningful given the extraordinary balance of the Big Ten: 11 teams have winning records (excluding Penn State)…and 6 teams are .500 or better in Big Ten. Moreover, no team has proven to be exempt from upsets: Illinois lost to Penn State; Indiana lost to Nebraska; Wisconsin lost 3 consecutive games including ‘back to back’ losses at home; Michigan lost to Iowa; Michigan State lost to Northwestern and Ohio State lost two road games at Indiana and Illinois respectively.
So it would be ill advised to take any team in the Big Ten for granted but as the season grinds thru the second half of the season, three elements should serve the Spartans well. Team Depth…Defensive FG%...and Rebound Margin. And don’t forget team chemistry. At any measure, the Spartans have compiled some impressive stats as it relates to Defensive FG% and Rebound Margin:
Big Ten Rank National Rank
Spartans Defensive FG%=38% #2 #13
Spartans Rebound Margin = +9.7 #1 #5
At the moment, 3 teams are tied atop of the Big Ten. Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State are tied with 6-2 Big Ten records…but by the end of the weekend there will only be two inasmuch as Michigan visits Ohio State on Sunday while the Spartans are idle until Jan 31.
Regardless, there is a lot of Basketball to play...road games will continue to be daunting…and upsets will fuel the competitive landscape which means there will be a major fight for the Big Ten title most likely amongst Ohio State, Michigan and the Spartans…and Wisconsin is good enough to spoil dreams…but when it’s all said and done…I’m betting on Coach Izzo add Big Ten title #7!
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