The Final Four Is Not On The Schedule - A Podcast Discussing Michigan State Basketball.

February 26, 2023: Michigan State heads to Lincoln for a rematch against the now red hot Cornhuskers who, despite sustaining injuries to two starters, is now playing some of its best basketball of the season. The Spartans will look to bounce back from their historic collapse in Iowa City where they inexplicably lost to the Hawkeyes while up 10 with 40 seconds to go in the game.

Who knows how MSU will respond to that loss and whether they come out with a shattered confidence or razor sharp focus. According to coach Mike Garland, we will know the answer to that really soon after the tip of the game.

Finally, Eric and Rod each have rants about Izzo and the Izzo era at Michigan State and where those fans who insist the program is in a slide can go.

If you want to support the Spartan Strong fund head on over to our sponsor, Nudge Printing which is owned and operated by MSU alums Gabe and Brittany.

For all your gutter needs on the West side of the state, reach out to Kurt Stauffer and his team at Brothers that Just Do Gutters. Email him at [email protected]. 10% off for listeners of the show.

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February 25, 2023: In one of the most inexplicable losses in recent memory, MSU loses to Iowa in OT after giving up a 10 point lead with just 40 seconds left to play. Behind spectacular performances from Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins, Michigan State was unable to make just one more play (rebound, free throw, defensive stop) which would have been the difference between overtime and a win.

The Spartans were able to get any shot they wanted in the game but as coach Garland pointed out, it was on the defensive end of the court where MSU lost this game. He believes they fell in love too much with their offensive performance and lost focus on the little things like boxing out and effectively switching on screens that allowed Iowa the sliver of light to make their comeback. Now Michigan State will have to play again on the road and try and bounce back against a hot Nebraska team.

Need Spartan gear? Head on over to Nudge Printing to pick up your TFFINOTS gear or Spartan apparel.

Gutters in trouble? Email [email protected] at a to get them cleaned, repaired or replaced.

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February 23, 2023: The Spartans head to Iowa City for a rematch against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that means a lot for both teams in terms of NCAA and Big Ten Tournament seeding. Michigan State won the first meeting in East Lansing but had to rely on a wide open missed 3 by Peyton Sandefort as time expired to pull it out. Things will likely be different this time as Iowa will have its friendlier home rims where they are likely to shoot much better behind the arc than their 3-17 effort at the Breslin Center.

Once again, the keys to the game remain largely the same for the Spartans. Limiting Kris Murray, playing well on the defensive boards, and hitting a lot of 3s. Also, Filip Rebraca has been playing so much better than the last matchup so MSU will have to get a good contribution again from its bigs.

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How is the gutter situation at your home? If you need gutter repairs, replacements, or cleaning and you live in West Michigan, talk to our good friend Kurt Stauffer to get a good deal and get things fixed up. Email him at [email protected].

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February 21, 2023: In Michigan State's first return to the hard court after the tragedy that struck campus on February 13th, they handed Indiana a decisive loss 80-65 behind a blistering three point attack and a dominant effort on the glass. Indiana star player, Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 19 points but had only 13 FG attempts and 6 FT attempts to go with just 7 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

After scoring just 13 points in the first 12 minutes and change to open the game, MSU caught fire behind Tyson Walker and his four three pointers. Jaxon Kohler also contributed both on the defensive and offensive end to help spark the Spartan's attack that eventually turned a nine point deficit into a 6 point lead going into the half. Fortunately, the hot shooting from behind the arc continued in the second half as MSU got up 15 points and let Indiana never get closer than 5 points the rest of the way.

Are you gutters in disrepair? Email [email protected] to have a high quality professional assessment for your gutters if you live on the west side of the state.

Be sure to visit Nudge Printing for all your MSU apparel needs. They also carry a number of other schools in Michigan and nationwide.

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February 19, 2023: Michigan State has one game under its belt after the terrible tragedy on campus Monday the 13th as it returns to host the #14 Indiana Hoosiers. Trayce Jackson Davis has really picked up his game as his Hoosiers look to sweep the Spartans this year. In what will certainly be a game full of all sorts of emotions from players, coaches, and fans MSU will look to try manage the emotions to be effective as they get back to some level of routine.

In the last matchup, Indiana shot a blistering 60% from behind the 3 point line while also tearing up MSU on the boards and inside. The question will be what the Spartans try to do to limit Indiana's offensive production from TJD and the rest of their cast of characters. It will also be interesting to see if they can hit enough 3s as a team to keep pace with the Hoosiers.

Need MSU apparel? Check out Nudge Printing for all your gear.

If you're living on the west side of the state and have problems with your gutters, make sure you reach out to Kurt Stauffer at Brothers who just do Gutters. His team will treat you right. 10% off if you tell them Final Four in your request. You can reach him at [email protected].

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February 18, 2023: We knew after the tragedy on February 13 that this matchup against UM on the road would be a challenge for MSU. For about 36 minutes of the game, they managed to hang with the Wolverines and e

ven lead for a long portion of the game. But down the stretch, Michigan hit enough shots and the Spartans missed a few to come up just short.

It was an environment where Michigan managed to show their support for the victims of the shooting on MSU's campus with the band playing the MSU Colors. Pregame, green lights shone down over the crowd and court and Spartan Strong signs were visible throughout the stands including the student section. MSU will now return back home to campus with an arguably more emotional game to play than this one when they take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday night.

If you live in West Michigan and have gutter problems, reach out to Kurt Stauffer at [email protected] to get a quote for replacements, repairs, or just cleaning.

Also, head on over to Nudge Printing for their Spartan Strong t-shirts which they are making to support the efforts on campus.

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February 16, 2023: In what will certainly be an emotional game, MSU will restart its season after the heinous shooting on campus Monday evening. After postponing (and probably canceling) the Wednesday night Minnesota game, Michigan State is resuming nearly all their athletic activities beginning Friday. Schools across the Big Ten and country have paid tribute to the fallen students to the gunman and ceremonies are planned for the matchup in Ann Arbor as well.

The Spartans won the first matchup at the Breslin Center despite abysmal shooting from 3 point range because they played great defense and the Wolverines were even worse from deep. Michigan is almost certainly outside of the discussion for an NCAA tournament berth unless something remarkable happens so they might be playing desperate or despondent. Emotions will probably be a huge key to the game for both teams and it will be impossible to predict how they react.

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February 14, 2023: This is an Ask Me Anything that we recorded before the events that occurred on MSU's campus February 13, 2023. What transpired with a gunman who killed and injured a number of MSU students was senseless and a tragedy. As the campus begins the healing process we decided to release this episode with a brief word beforehand with the understanding that the listener will find the appropriate time and place to listen to the episode.

We answered questions about top all time Izzo teams, the most hated Wolverine on the hardcourt, and much more.

Please consider supporting our sponsors like Nudge Printing for Spartan apparel and contact Kurt Stauffer for all your gutter needs in West Michigan (or email at [email protected].

The full transcript of our statement can be found on our website episode page.

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February 12, 2023: It has been a while but MSU finally got a Big Ten road win and now has a winning streak going into its mid week matchup against the Minnesota Gophers. Behind stifling defense, the Spartans had a 13 point lead at halftime allowing OSU to score just 14 points. The Buckeyes were a little better in the second half where they cut a 16 point lead down to 5 midway through but Michigan State went on a 13-2 run to put the game away for good.

It's the first road win blowout for the Spartans and one that still strangely qualifies as a quad one win for tournament seeding. Whether that holds or not depends on the play of the Buckeyes down the stretch who are 1-13 over their last 14 games. MSU was buoyed by great shooting from Joey Hauser who finished 6-9 from three and 22 points and 8 rebounds. Jaden Akins struggled from outside the arc but still managed 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Are your gutters a mess? Contact Kurt Stauffer at Brothers that just do gutters if you live in the West side of Michigan. Email at [email protected] or contact him at the following website.

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February 10, 2023: Michigan State will head on the road again for the fourth straight weekend as it will take on the Buckeyes in Columbus on Super Bowl Sunday. Despite high expectations, Ohio State is in a free fall losing ten of its last 11 games including their last home game to the Northwestern Wildcats. Inexplicably, OSU still carries a better NET and KenPom ranking than the Spartans despite a losing record and 3-10 mark in the Big Ten.

However, this team can be dangerous and MSU has not shown an ability to punish teams even when they are not as good. AJ Hoggard and the Spartans will have to bring a solid game in order to start a winning streak to try and improve their seeding in the Big Ten Tourney and NCAA Tournament.

Listen to our (mostly wrong) Ohio St. Preseason show here.

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