Izzo Angry About Roy Williams' Shot at Roe

Roy Williams took an indirect shot at MSU power forward Delvon Roe in his book "Hard Work: My Life On and Off the Court," and then a more direct one on Tuesday after the UNC/MSU game. In the book, Williams mentions a recruit that was going to be headed to Chapel Hill to play for his Tar Heels, but then "lied" to him by going to MSU instead. On Tuesday, Williams, speaking about Delvon Roe, stated that Roe "said he was coming, let's be honest."

Suffice it to say, Tom Izzo is not happy about Williams' comments relating to Roe, and about how it makes Izzo and the program look.  Roe didn't say anything in response to what Williams has claimed, which has made Izzo "very proud of how he handled it." Izzo was angry enough about the ordeal that he stated that "[t]he other thing I thought was wrong was the insinuation like, almost, that Michigan State did something wrong to get him. So he picked the wrong kid, he picked the wrong family and he picked the wrong program."

USA Draws England's Group C for World Cup

The draw just came out, and the U.S. will start things off in Group C with a match against England on June 12th. I'll write a column about it later, but I think this is a decent draw. England always seems to be a tad overrated, and hasn't had a ton of recent World Cup success.

Notre Dame Not Going Bowling

To quote Allen Iverson, "[h]ow silly is that?" If the multiple reports are true, like those from AOL Fanhouse and the Chicago Tribune, are true, and the players voted on whether to go to the bowl game, I CANNOT believe that they wouldn't go. You're telling me that the seniors on that Notre Dame team wouldn't want to go out one last time, put on the blue and gold, and end a career-ending four game losing streak? If Charlie Weis really recruited that many student-athletes that didn't have enough pride to play one last game as a member of the Fighting Irish, then he really never should've been hired.

I know that there are reasons program-wise for Notre Dame not to go, many pointed out by Brian Bennett on ESPN.com, but it's still crazy to me to turn this down. I'm sure many Irish fans pulled the "if we have to go to a crap bowl game, we're not gonna go at all" nonsense, but that doesn't fly with me. Play one last game, likely against a decent Central Michigan team, and try to get above .500 on the year. One positive, even if it would be a small one, out of a dismal season should be enough of a reason to head to Detroit or Mobile.

#21 MSU - 72, #4 UNC - 66

The men couldn't get it done against the Tar Heels, but the women sure could. Suzy Merchant's team beat UNC 72-66 at the Breslin Center last night in the MSU women's Big Ten/ACC challenge game. Lauren Aitch led the way with 15 points, and Alyssa DeHaan put in 14, all in the second half, to overcome 29 by UNC's leading scorer Italee Lucas. DeHaan was limited in the first half, playing only two minutes, due to foul troubles. The Spartans also won the battle on the boards, out rebounding the Tar Heels 42-39. This was the first time the North Carolina women ever visited the Breslin Center.

This is a nice win for MSU, as it helps you forget the opening loss to Dayton on the road, and the one-point heartbreaker to Notre Dame. These are the games top-10 preseason teams are supposed to win. Maybe Tom should've had the boys come in to watch this one so they could see what winning a marquee out-of-conference game looked like. In a weird scheduling quirk, MSU plays their first Big Ten game, their next being weeks away, on Sunday against Indiana at home.

Lying Led to Suspensions by Dantonio

It was revealed earlier this week that eight more Spartan football players, including starters Mark Dell, B.J. Cunningham, and Chris L. Rucker, were at least present during the Rather Hall fight from November 22. All those involved have been suspended indefinitely, but may not have participated in any violent acts.

MSU Board of Trustees Chairman Joel Ferguson states that the players recently suspended, those that aren't Roderick Jenerette or Glenn Winston, were suspended for lying to Head Coach Mark Dantonio about their whereabouts when the beating occurred. Dantonio has simply stated that there was a "violation of team rules," but has not specifically stated what that violation was. Ferguson has also stated that the claim players were wearing ski was not true.

Either way, I do laud Dantonio for suspending those players for lying, but shouldn't they also be suspended for just standing by while Jenrette and Winston wailed on the victims? Ferguson is going a little too far by stating that "[t]hey told the coach they weren’t there. That’s what they’re suspended for. It’s nothing." It is something, Joel, when players watch their friends beat up someone, don't do anything, and then lie about it. I'm just not sure if keeping them from playing in a bowl game is enough of a punishment.

Any thoughts on this incident? Please comment!

Quick Hits - 12/2

MSU/UNC Debacle - That's how I'll describe this thing. Shot 43% from the field compared to the Tar Heels' 58%, that's not gonna get it done. It was certainly kinda nuts that they appeared to hit every shot, whether there was a hand in the face or not. What's really troubling was the ability for Ed Davis to take over in the post. He was dominating in there, and I'm really afraid that Big Ten 4's and 5's, like JaJuan Johnson of Purdue and Michigan's DeShawn Sims, will do the same during conference play. At least the play of Raymar Morgan has been encouraging so far, as he's got his scoring average back up to double digits, and led scorers on Tuesday with 18.

Notre Dame's Coaching Situation - Hard to figure this thing out. A report from IrishCentral.com this morning stated that Brian Kelly is set to become the Irish's next coach. However, a conflicting, albeit far fetched, report came out this afternoon that said Bob Stoops was the main man for the job. Whoever it is, they'll likely lose Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, and just won't have the talent to make a quick rebound. The new coach better recruit, and quickly, if they want to avoid the short-term temper wrath of the ND fans.

Eight players suspended for football from the dorm incident, including Mark Dell and B.J. Cunningham. More later.