Michigan State getting shelled by 35

This really does not bode well for the reputation of the Big 10, if the team picked #2 in our conference is getting blown out of the gym by UNC.

Don't get me wrong, UNC is on a different level than nearly every team in America, but I wasn't expecting this bad of a whipping.

Why the heck was this game not at Breslin???

(just a guess, $$)

Keep in mind, UNC dominated Notre Dame too, a top 5 ranked team out in Maui. The final margin was 15, but from what I recall reading that was due to Kyle McAlarney getting hot in the second half and keeping the final score respectable.

I do believe that UNC's on such a different level this year than everyone else that if they don't win the national championship it will be a shock on the level of UNLV being defeated by Duke when Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, etc. were seniors. We could be seeing one of the best college basketball teams in history with this UNC squad.

MinnMarchDTF said:

Why the heck was this game not at Breslin???

(just a guess, $$)

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One Big Ten/ACC game is always at a neutral site to keep the challenge fair.

Why is MSU still being considered the #2 team in the Big Ten? They've looked inept in two losses to ACC foes. Just because they're Michigan State does not mean that they're unstoppable.

As much as I like Izzo, his teams have consistently underperformed over the last few years.

I didn't expect a 35 point clownstomping, but I did think it'd be somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 points. UNC is on an entirely different level than everyone else this year; the only way (barring injuries) they lose is a complete lack of focus against a good team.

North Carolina

I agree completely with what everyone here is saying about North Carolina, and I love it. They clearly are head and shoulders above everyone else at this point, and I expect them to be at an even higher level entering March Madness. I think most of us would agree about that with the sick talent level UNC has.

Why do I love it? Because ESPN now has their 24-hours-a-day "theme" for the rest of the college basketball season. ... "the unbeatable Tar Heels." We're going to hear about the Tar Heels ad nauseum for the next 3-4 months (get used to it), much like we heard about the "unbeatable Patriots." Whether UNC is unbeaten or not heading into the tourney, media outlets everywhere are basically going to hand them the title, if they haven't already.

As the last Super Bowl and many, many March Madnesses (Villanova over Georgetown comes immediately to mind) before showed, all it takes is one game. One. Not a series of games like the NBA, one. And one serious injury to one of UNC's most important players (i.e. Lawson, Hansbrough) at the wrong time (think Kenyon Martin/Cincinnati in 2000), one bad game by the Tar Heels and/or one "out-of-their-skull" performance by a supposedly inferior opponent is all it takes.

Roy Williams is an excellent coach, he'll have his squad prepared, but the NCAA Tournament is an entirely different animal than the regular season. Get the Tar Heels in a tight game in the tournament, maybe they start thinking about the last two seasons when they fell short of what a lot of folks thought was "their championship" to win? As one great philosopher once said, "Ya'neverknow."

If UNC ends up not winning the national championship, I do believe all those questions that arose about Roy's ability to win the big game while at Kansas will resurface again (as long as none of the starters suffers a season ending injury).

Thanks SS, you've actually made me feel a little better about missing out on college basketball season down here in Peru-no exposure to the hyperbole from ESPN and the likes of Dickie V (do you think Coach K's getting jealous? )

Speaking of Dickie V

The good thing about UNC's blowout last night was I was able to turn away from the game early. No more Vitale for the evening. Not to mention, Northwestern played some very good basketball vs. FSU in the second half. NW might be a headache at home again this season, looks to me like they've improved some. Have to admit, it was cool seeing the looks of the FSU players on the bench in the 2nd half. They had that look on their face most all of us here in the Big 10 have seen at one time or another at Welsh-Ryan. ... the "I can't believe we're getting beat by Northwestern look."

MSU had no inside presence at all without Suton(sp?)....he would have made it more competitive.

NateDawgUM said:

One Big Ten/ACC game is always at a neutral site to keep the challenge fair.

Why is MSU still being considered the #2 team in the Big Ten? They've looked inept in two losses to ACC foes. Just because they're Michigan State does not mean that they're unstoppable.

As much as I like Izzo, his teams have consistently underperformed over the last few years.

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Nate - that can't be the reason, it had to be $$$$$. The ACC had 6 home games this year. The Big Ten, about 4.5 b/c of Ford Field (as opposed to 5 if they had played at Breslin).

I think the NCAA makes the final four host have a game to work out any problems. It can be just about anyone, I seem to remember a couple of MIAC squads playing at the dome a few years ago.