"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…"
—Rudyard Kipling, "If—"
B1G Tournament Final
(№ 22) Michigan State 69-55 Michigan (№ 8)
25-8, Big Ten 17-4
Drat! The dastardly Spartans played a solid game, but the blame for the loss falls squarely on ourselves. We shot in the 20% range not because of Michigan State's defense, but because we picked a lousy time to have a bad shooting night. Had we had an ordinary shooting night, had we hit an average number of the open shots that we so badly missed, we might well have prevailed. As it was, once we fell behind we were never able to get back into the game. I should complain about the wildly lopsided officiating, but to do so after a loss might appear to be sour grapes. To blazes with that, my grapes are quite sour indeed. Michigan States gets away with traveling on one end of the court, Michigan's coach John Beilein is assessed a technical foul for pointing out the rancid officiating, & then Michigan is whistled for traveling at the other end of the court. I have to hand it to Michigan State's coach Tom Izzo, he does a superlative job of bribing/bullying the Zebras into aiding his club. My hope is that the valiant Wolverines got their stone cold shooting night out of their system before the N.C.A.A. tournament. I don't mind being beaten by a better club, but I cannot countenance beating ourselves. Today, against the dastardly Spartans, we beat ourselves.
Next: Wofford, in the N.C.A.A. tourney. The valiant Wolverines are a № 2 seed, & face the № 15 epithetless Terriers on Thursday.
Go Blue!
The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
David Bowie & Queen, "Under Pressure" via iTunes (T.L.A.M.)
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