This isn’t exactly the script written by the so called experts prior to the season but the Spartans are pulling away in the Big Ten while Ohio State and Wisconsin are in free fall.
In case you missed it…the Spartan put on a ‘once in a decade’ show last night and ‘hammered’ Iowa 95-61 for an eye popping 34 point victory. The Spartans got off to an early lead and surged to a commanding 22 point lead at the half. But the second half was a different show. The Spartans put the accelerator all the way to the floor in the second half and lead by 31 points with 10 minutes to play…and stretched their lead to an incredible 43 points with 6 minutes remaining. In fact, at the 6 minute mark, the Spartans doubled the score 86-43.
As the game grew out of control, the Spartans made copious substitutions that enabled Iowa to chip the margin to a mere 34 points but make no mistake…Iowa was befuddled and confused from start to finish.
The Spartans were on fire and played a deep bench. In all, 15 players saw action while 10 players played double digit minutes and 10 players put points on the boards. The Spartans distributed the ball efficiently and got 25 assists that enabled 5 players to score in double figures. In fact everyone who shot the ball took advantage of the opportunity inasmuch as the Spartans shot a blistering 62% from the field and an eye popping 56% from the arc.
Defensively, the Spartans got 37 rebounds, 16 steals and 3 blocks to embarrass Iowa. In fact…I felt badly for Fran McCaffrey the Iowa coach. He virtually melted down in the second half and got an obligatory Technical but the refs could have easily tossed him from the game. At any measure, McCaffrey had a meltdown while his team was pronounced dead on arrival in East Lansing.
The Spartans extended their winning streak to 15 games…and with 14 games to play…the Spartans are getting better with each game and appear to be unstoppable not to mention Tom Izzo seems to be pulling all the right strings.
And how about Illinois? They knocked off #6 Ohio State 79-74 last night and now Illinois is 4-1 and owns second place in the Big Ten all by themselves. Meanwhile Michigan, Indiana & Purdue are in a three way tie for third at 3-1 while Ohio State has played themselves down to fourth place with a record of 3-2. Ohio State isn’t down for the count but they have been knocked against the ropes and it will hard for them to recover
Does that sound like the season predicted by the so called analysts? And by the way, has anyone seen Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is racing in reverse. This morning they are in 7th place with a meager 1-3 record and, in my mind, it is highly unlikely the Badgers will be anything other than a spoiler when it’s all said and done. The Badgers also have the dubious achievement of marking off 3 consecutive Big Ten losses…to Iowa 72-65, Michigan State 63-60 and Michigan 59-41. Also notable is the fact, Wisconsin suffered ‘back to back’…home…losses to Iowa and Michigan State which is a big statement because Wisconsin has been all but unbeatable in Madison in the past. So, unless Wisconsin has an extraordinary turnaround, they are unlikely to be anything more than a Big Ten ‘spoiler’.
A few teams are poised to make some noise before the race is over. Indiana is young, well coached and ‘scarey’…and the Wolverines are measurably improved on Defense…Rebounding…and protecting the paint and I think that’s due to the coaching influence of Beilein assistant, Bacari Alexander. But it’s hard to measure the Wolverines inasmuch as they have looked impressive at times but they have yet to beat a Big Ten team with a winning record and they haven’t won a Big Ten game on the road…but to be fair, the season is young and they have had limited opportunities. Up to this point Michigan has beaten 1-3 Penn State 71-53; 0-4 Minnesota 61-56 & 1-3 Wisconsin 59-41 (all at home) but lost to 3-1 Indiana in their only road game 73-71.
Michigan will host the Spartans (4-0) on Jan 17…and visit Purdue (3-1) on Jan 24 so, without a doubt, those games will provide a relevant measurement of Michigan’s capacity to compete for the Big Ten title. At any measure, every once in awhile a team captures a unique blend of athleticism, chemistry and commitment and the Spartans appear to be that team.
Unless there is a cataclysm, the Spartans are poised for a SPECIAL season!
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