Sports

Yashinsky: The Izzo Magic; An Annual Show That's Not To Be Missed

April 01, 2015, 2:54 PM by  Joey Yashinsky

A good magician never reveals his secrets.

Such is the life of Tom Izzo in the month of March, the time of year where he pulls the rabbit from his hat and sends seemingly ordinary rosters to the college game’s grandest stage.

Throughout this season, Michigan State was just sort of eh.  They’d be world-beaters on certain nights, but for the most part, it looked like a middling team very much missing the services of departed NBA’ers Adreian Payne and Gary Harris.

No sane basketball mind would have watched this team during Big Ten play and thought, “Yep, this club is definitely headed to the Final Four.” 

The team’s best scorer, Travis Trice, was volleyed back and forth from the starting lineup.

There were nights when Denzel Valentine would get too 3-happy, when he’d try and do too much with the ball. 

Branden Dawson continued to be a question mark, Izzo unsure whether he was going to get the fully engaged, super-energetic version or the “barely notice he’s on the court” model.  It was as if Raymar Morgan had returned for one more ultra-frustrating Spartan campaign.

The team’s bigs, Matt Costello and Gavin Schilling, were hard workers, but what would happen when the opposition’s talent level started to rise come tournament time?  Would they be able to hold their own?   

Izzo was also trying to blend in the services of TumTum Nairn, Jr., a freshman point guard that posed as much of a threat on offense as the coach himself did standing on the sidelines. 

Like all Michigan State teams, they were a lock for big dance qualification, but that was about it.  Most expected a first round win, then an understandable defeat at the hands of Virginia, the nation’s most feared defensive team.

But Izzo’s crew has never rolled like that.  They don’t care about seeds or favorites or outside opinions.  They take the court determined to battle for 40 minutes, and more if necessary.

In every game of this tournament, at some point during the first half, my dad, a very knowledgable basketball observer, will inevitably comment about the MSU opponent, “(Insert team name) is not that good.  I’m not impressed.” 

He said it about Virginia, then about Oklahoma, then about Louisville.  But it isn’t that simple.  These teams might have looked ordinary, even downright ugly at times.  There’s a reason for it -- they are playing against Michigan State.

Izzo’s teams have a way of making you uncomfortable -- of taking what you like to do best and making you do something else.

Look no further than the play of Louisville’s top-flight guard Terry Rozier.  In the Cardinals’ dominant victory over favored Northern Iowa earlier in the tournament, he could do no wrong. 

He sliced to the basket, hit the mid-range shot, connected on 8-of-9 at the line.  Against Michigan State and their cadre of ball-hawking defenders?  He looked like an altogether different person: 6-of-23 from the field, one measly free throw attempt, and about a dozen ill-advised forays into the paint during the second half and overtime.

It’s not a coincidence.  He didn’t just have an “off night.”  The Spartans knew the damage Rozier could cause and simply decided not to let it occur.  In the aftermath, the sophomore guard announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft.  A worse collegiate finale to jumpstart that leap to the pro ranks I cannot imagine.  

Despite this iron-willed underdog trek through the land mines of March, most talking heads and prognosticators believe Izzo and company will bow out this Saturday night.  Duke is the top seed, Duke has the sport’s most celebrated coach, Duke has the future number one overall pick. 

And that’s just fine with the folks from East Lansing.  When the field was unveiled, nobody spent more than 12 seconds discussing Michigan State.  After all, they were down in the bunker of the bracket, a homely 7-seed with a bit of a graying reputation as a real tournament threat.  (When MSU goes four years without a Final Four, that qualifies as a drought.)

Yet, here they are again.  Back where they belong.  It’s three one seeds and a seven.

If we’ve learned anything at all over Tom Izzo’s long and storied history as the conductor of this basketball orchestra, it’s to ignore those numbers and expect something close to greatness when the stakes are highest.

This ride has been much longer and far more thrilling than anyone could have expected.

Now the trick is to try and extend the Spartan magic for one more night.  There’s no need for the curtains to be pulled back, for the method behind the Izzo madness to be revealed. 

The show that’s right in front of us is plenty good enough.



Leave a Comment:

Photo Of The Day