Why Tom Izzo is Cooler Than John Beilein

Nothing against John Beilein (nice win over Ohio State yesterday, Coach), but here's an example of why Michigan State will dominate the state's hoops scene as long as Tom Izzo is their head coach:



I'm glad a journalist finally asked Coach Izzo what he thought of Jay-Z's "H to the Izzo." I've been wondering about that for years. How come Jay Bilas never tackled that subject?

Can you see Beilein being that kind of a sport? (No way Tommy Amaker would've been.)

Rich Rodriguez, on the other hand, would probably be game for a sit-down with Ron Burgundy (though an interview with Lloyd Carr would've been a hell of a lot funnier).

(via Awful Announcing)

Give them nothing! But take from them everything!

Elsewhere in the universe, where basketball that really counts (and is shown on television) is taking place, I misread that Michigan State-Marquette match-up badly. Really badly. I thought Marquette's Dominic James would make a significant difference in the game. I guess I wasn't entirely wrong on that. MSU only allowed James to score 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting, which certainly made a difference.

And of those six shots James made, four of them were three-pointers, and that was most definitely the story of the game. Marquette was missing their second-leading scorer, but would it really have mattered? That was one of the most suffocating half-court defenses I've ever seen. The Spartans only allowed five two-point baskets. For the entire game.

If you've seen 300, there were several scenes in which King Leonidas' soldiers formed an impenetrable wall (or phalanx) with their shields and spears during battle. That's pretty much what happened last night in Winston-Salem. It was The Hot Gates all over again.

There was barely a sliver of a lane for the Marquette players to drive through. I actually began to feel sorry for them as guards and forwards tried to dribble to the basket only to have to turn back to the three-point line in frustration. In Tom Izzo's world, friends don't let friends drive to the basket. If that's what he did to his buddy Tom Crean, imagine what Izzo must do to his enemies. Take a seat next to Lupe for the rest of the weekend, Coach.

▪▪ Meanwhile, I know the rest of yesterday's NCAA Tournament games weren't that exciting. But I still botched a couple of my upset picks. Neither Davidson or Gonzaga beat their higher-seeded opponents. Sure, I got VCU right, but didn't (almost) everybody pick that one? It was still fun to watch.

▪▪ It has to be a sure sign I'm getting old when every time the cameras showed VCU coach Anthony Grant, I kept thinking, "Wow, he looks young." However, he is actually older. While that might make me feel better, tomorrow I will get bombed with green beer in a semi-pathetic attempt to hold onto what remains of my youth. Maybe I'll watch Grant's Rams play Pitt while I'm doing that.

Arriving Late to the Michigan-Michigan State Blog Party

Various errands kept me from the computer all day, so I'm blogging long after people have said their piece on current events and I hate that. It's also possible that I was hung over from having Erin Andrews less than two miles from my house last night. I can tell when she's nearby; I get all light-headed. At Iowa, I had to miss classes the next day whenever she worked a game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Just... too... close.

Let's get to the reason Ms. Andrews was in Ann Arbor: Michigan-Michigan State. Unfortunately, my dear friend Mis Hooz decided to call during the game. Usually, I wouldn't take such a call, but since I kind of figured Michigan would lose and we hadn't talked in a couple of weeks, I was okay with blabbing on the phone. But I kept peeking at that corner score graphic. Hey, wait a minute - Michigan's winning. Then Brent Petway dunked that half-court lob pass from Jerret Smith, and I knew I had to get off the damn phone.

That was obviously unexpected and definitely impressive. Dion Harris was outstanding, and even Courtney Sims showed that he may actually have a pair. And suddenly, you have to wonder if those NCAA Tournament hopes are rising from the dead.

But maybe I'm just too far gone on Tommy Amaker, because my first thought after the game was, "Why the hell haven't they played that way all season?" Tom Izzo said Michigan played like a team that needed a win. The problem is that the Wolverines needed to play with that kind of desperation and urgency at least a month ago. Now it might be too late, in terms of NCAA tournament chances. And I still think that falls at Amaker's feet. I know - I shouldn't dump on the guy after his team's biggest victory of the season.

I also can't help but think a healthy Drew Neitzel would've made up that 11-point margin, even though Izzo would tell me not to. But as my sister pointed out to me via e-mail this morning, "He wasn't. Michigan won. Be happy." To which I responded, "Get back to me in a couple of weeks. Then I'll decide whether or not to be happy." Bah.

The Slick Nick Road Show continues

Is anyone really shocked at Nick Saban's smash-and-dash to Tuscaloosa yesterday? It already has to be the least surprising development in the oh-so-fresh-and-young 2007.

This is what the man does. Any Michigan State fan could tell you that. It seemed like he had one foot out the door with a phone to his ear during his entire four-year stay in East Lansing. Saban also showed how sneaky he could be when he insisted that he didn't meet with anyone in New York about the Giants' head-coaching job. See, he actually met with them in New Jersey.

To be fair, however, though it looked like Saban left MSU hanging when he bolted for LSU, it's been revealed in the seven years since his departure that the school's administration was playing games with him and his contract.

LSU catered to Saban's ego, made him feel wanted, and offered him an opportunity to be the top dog in an area with fertile talent - something he was likely never going to be in Michigan. (And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Saban's contract made him the highest-paid coach in college football.)

Obviously, it turned out to be the right decision. Saban proved just how good a coach he could be by winning the 2003 national title. Yet a year later (after trying for a championship repeat), he was loading up the moving trucks, bound for Miami.

I'm not nearly as familiar with the situation in Baton Rouge, but I'm sure the pattern was similar enough. Rumors of Saban leaving for the NFL began to persist, while he insisted he wasn't going anywhere. Maybe he talked about his love for LSU, and how Baton Rouge was the best place for his family. He'd won the national championship and recruits continued to stream in - why would he go anyplace else?

Of course, a big, fat contract ($5 million per year) from Wayne Huizenga and the promise of total control over football operations can do a lot to change a man's mind.

Maybe it was time for Saban to go, anyway. What more could he achieve? He put in five years. He got a national title. It could only go downhill from there, right? Coaches typically have nomadic resumes, but Saban's (especially with his time in the NFL) seemed to indicate that he wasn't too interested in hunkering down in one place for 10-15 years. He's a mercenary football coach. And if you've got the money, Slick Nick is interested.

Sure, he'll act offended at such a notion. How can he maintain credibility with his players while preaching the virtues of integrity and character?

Back in his office, however, he apparently just can't say no when someone begins flirting. Saban's like that man or woman you know who's happily married, with seemingly everything you could want (house, kids, great job, etc.), yet feels the need to go to the bar (wedding ring tucked away in pocket, of course) to see if he or she still "has it."

And that's what's so outrageous about his behavior over the past week. You've heard the sound bites on TV and sports talk radio constantly over the past 24 hours.

"I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. ... I don't control what people say. I don't control what people put on dot-com or anything else. So I'm just telling you there's no significance, in my opinion, about this..."

Hey, he's not going anywhere! So quit asking him about it! He's looking at you dead in the eye and telling you how it stands, man! Why are you even bringing this stuff up?!

Yet once again, back in his office, he's setting up interviews with the University of Alabama. Oh, just to hear what they have to say, right? Please. Anyone who's familiar with Saban's history knows that he was leaving the Dolphins as soon as that meeting was scheduled. Otherwise, why not just say no? Wait a minute - how much money was the Crimson Tide offering?

And there you go. It's that kind of phony indignation, saying one thing while clearly intending another, that has people so outraged. Even the Miami Herald's reporters, filing supposedly unbiased news stories, couldn't help but let some of their cynicism and venom sneak into their prose. (Even Dan Le Batard was apoplectic, and he lets everyone off the hook. Oh, if only Saban had been busted with guns or steroids. Or decided to take a marijuana-fueled sabbatical. Then he'd probably be "misunderstood" in Le Batard's eyes.)

Sure, it's not entirely about the money. (But c'mon, let's be real here.) It's about control, being able to mold a program to suit your beliefs. It's about having a true position of authority over 18-to-23-year-olds, and forging boys into men, as opposed to catering to adults raking in a ton of cash from professional contracts.

But it's also about being perceived as a savior, which is obviously intoxicating to Saban. Alabama is a historically elite college football program that has consistently shot itself in the foot looking for the next Bear Bryant. (While I'm at it, why did they fire Gene Stallings? Was one national title not enough?)

The possibility of being the guy to finally bring glory back to Alabama - along with $32 million, of course - was just too good to turn down. Especially when it appears that Saban was in over his head in the NFL. (Maybe that mess-up with instant replay in Week 1 this season told us all we needed to know.) College football clearly suits him better.

But kudos to Alabama. They got the best guy we didn't (but should've) realize was available, and it will be worth the trouble. Saban will very likely bring another national championship to Tuscaloosa. He's very good at what he does; just look at his record. However, it's worth noting this to Tide fans: If you think Slick Nick is sticking around for the duration of that eight-year contract, you haven't been paying attention. You'll learn. Oh, you'll learn.

While we were sleeping...

It appears that Michigan State University hired a new head football coach. By the time you read this, it may have already happened (and you surely go elsewhere on the internet and blogosphere to read anything MSU-related, as this might be the first Spartans-related item I've written here).

But if you've been keeping track of this thing, there have been quite a few bouncing balls to follow. LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. Miami Dolphins' receivers coach Charlie Baggett. (Surely, the rumor mill surged around him this weekend, with the Dolphins in Detroit.) Philadelphia Eagles' QB coach Pat Shurmur.

Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator Todd Grantham seemed like he was the guy a couple of weeks ago, and an announcement was just a formality. Then he was out (possibly because MSU was dragging its feet on a decision). Then he may have been in again. But now, he's out.

Some people wanted Central Michigan head coach Brian Kelly, who built a Division II powerhouse at Grand Valley State and is seen by many as a fast-rising coaching star. But it looks like he's going to take the job at Iowa State. (Having lived in Iowa, I'll say that Iowa State isn't a better job than MSU, but it could be a better stepping stone. And given the way the Big 12 is set up, the Cyclones probably have a better chance to contend faster in the conference's North division.)

Am I missing anyone else? Former Detroit Lions coach (now NFL Total Access co-host) Steve Mariucci? Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong? New York Jets' running back coach Jimmy Raye?

Oh yeah - the guy MSU is actually going to hire: Cincinnati head coach Mark Dantonio. The Enlightened Spartan says so. So does the Detroit News.

And given his pedigree - with names like Saban and Tressel on it, and the gold star of being Ohio State's defensive coordinator for its 2002 national championship team - he might just be exactly the right choice for the Spartans. He was at Michigan State during its most recent run of success. He has all kinds of recruiting ties in the Midwest, and understands this area. He's a defensive guy, not someone who's going to bring in some wacky gimmick offense.

But it's the Tressel and Ohio State points on his resume that might be most important (at least from a Michigan fan's point of view). And that bit of nervousness is what makes MSU alumni like my buddy (and former roommate) Rob pretty happy about the choice. Of course, that could depend on what Dantonio says in his introductory press conference, and whether or not he chooses to define his program in comparison to Michigan.

EDIT (10 a.m.): It's now official, according to the Lansing State Journal. No fireworks, no politics - the MSU Board of Trustees approved Dantonio smoothly (which was hardly a given, according to rumblings, with up to three different factions pushing their preferred head coaching candidate). The new coach has a five-year (rolling) deal, worth $1.1 million a year.