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Michigan St.'s Tom Izzo is col Michigan St.'s Tom Izzo is college basketball's best coach, bar none

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Michigan St. is in the Final Four despite injuries and a myriad of other issues

Izzo has taken six teams to the Final Four, as top seeds and underdogs

Overall, Izzo's now 35-11 in the NCAA tournament, a .761 winning percentage

Andy Glockner INSIDE COLLEGE BASKETBALL SI.com

ST. LOUIS -- In the aftermath of Michigan State's pulsating 70-69 win over Tennessee that sent the Spartans to the Final Four, Mr. March held court in the center of a rapidly emptying locker room. Predictably, Tom Izzo tried to find as many other people as possible to credit for the Spartans' latest trip to basketball's holy land. In no particular order, he mentioned his current players, a currently injured player, a former player who is now on his staff, a former player who is a Hall of Fame point guard and the program's 13 (yes, 13) managers.

Here's a newsflash, Tom: The guys who pick up the towels are not the reason your team, with three starters carrying various degrees of debilitating leg injuries, is improbably headed to Indianapolis. You are.

This is not the time to spread the credit around or mince words. After the fifth-seeded Spartans' latest remarkable March march, which included four wins by a total of 13 points to nab the program's sixth Final Four appearance in 12 seasons, it is time to state the truth.

Tom Izzo is the best college basketball coach in America.

Relax, North Carolina and Duke fans. No one's slighting your leading men or their career accomplishments. We're talking about right now, this very moment, two days after Izzo pulled off the near-impossible and made Michigan State's three-year turn-of-last-decade run now look more like the rule rather than the exception.

Think last season's dramatic push to the national title game in Detroit with a youthful roster was stirring? This year's Spartans have overcome a leadership void, player-coach discontent and a back-stiffening gym-floor sleepover in addition to the late rash of injuries. Their quartet of NCAA tournament wins are highlighted by a crucial lane violation, a buzzer-beating three and the country's largest temporary (and most loquacious) point guard dropping a delicious dime that helped beat Tennessee.

And let's be honest: On the list of legendary college basketball settings, how long after Westwood, Lawrence, Chapel Hill and Durham would it take to finally get to East Lansing? Izzo doesn't get enough credit for the level of talent he brings in, considering he's selling kids on winters in central Michigan. Meanwhile, RoyWilliams' office phone has a golden arches insignia on it.

It's almost enough to provide the framework for a hokey movie plot, except Izzo's coaching style and success are so boringly predictable, what would the poster even look like?

One man ... rallies a team of rag-tag youths to glory ... by extolling the virtues of rebounding ... and defense.

"... [One] of the hungriest, humblest people who achieved as much in their business as anyone I can imagine ... " -- Bruce Pearl, Tennessee coach.

"... He's the best in the nation when it comes to the NCAA tournament. He has his team always prepared, they always are ready ..." -- Magic Johnson, former Michigan State star, 1979 national champion.

"... Seriously, I've gotten way too much credit for [these Final Fours]. It's the players that do it ..." -- Tom Izzo, praise-deflecting metronome.

Wait, how did that last one get in there? That's not going to make people want to beware the Izz of March, but that's part of what makes the man The Man.

OK, if he's not going to brag about his work when the lights are brightest, these bullets will do it for him:

• He's now the second coach in the 64-team era to make getting to the Final Four a coin flip over a 12-year span, after Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

• He now has more Final Fours than any active coach other than Coach K (11) and Roy Williams (7), and has done it in 15 seasons, for a 40 percent success rate. That matched Krzyzewski's Final Four yield before Sunday's win over Baylor ... if you ignored his first 10 seasons as a head coach before making his initial trip in 1986. Roy's seven appearances are in 21 eligible seasons, or 33 percent of the time.

• Overall, Izzo is now 35-11 in the NCAA tournament, a .761 winning percentage that places him snugly between Coach K and Williams in second place for all active coaches.

• He's now 16-3 on the second day of an NCAA tournament weekend and 6-1 in Elite Eight games, making him a better closer than Mariano Rivera.

• He can do it as the chalk or as the dog. All three times Izzo's team was a No. 1 seed, it made the Final Four. This is the second time he's done it as a 5-seed.

For his next trick, Mr. March meets Hoosiers 2, and we get one of the most absurd coaching tales-of-the-tape in Final Four history.

In one corner, there's Izzo with his six-in-12. In the other, there's Butler's Brad Stevens, who looks like he's 12. Izzo's national title team in 2000 was built around the Flintstones. Stevens' TV watching schedule in 2000 was built around the Flintstones. Heck, when Izzo took over at Michigan State in 1995 from fellow legend Jud Heathcote, he could have recruited Stevens, who graduated from D-III DePauw in 1999 and was Butler's team manager a decade ago.

And here's the hoot: Michigan State is a 1.5-point underdog. To a mid-major. It's hard to believe anyone at this point bets against Izzo, let alone should get points to take him. If form holds, the streets will once again flow with the blood of the nonbelievers.

If he does win that one, Izzo may get a chance to definitively settle the current pound-for-pound title fair and square with a title-game triumph over Duke. With all due respect to Williams, whose Tar Heels blasted past the Spartans on the way to national titles in both 2005 and 2009, Izzo's never gone 5-11 in the Big Ten. So keep your eyes peeled on the sidelines this weekend, because the best college basketball coach in the land will be in action at the Final Four. And, yes, Mike Krzyzewski will be there, too.
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6 months ago
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Big Ten BCS Tiebreaker Primer Big Ten BCS Tiebreaker Primer

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October 19, 2009 3:00 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Several of you have e-mailed in asking about the Big Ten's tiebreaker procedures for BCS bowl selection, which have changed for this season. The race for the league title is certainly taking shape, so these questions are becoming more and more relevant.

If you want the entire tiebreaker explanation, click here, but let me tell you what you need to know.

1. If two teams finish atop the standings with identical records and have played each other, the winner of the head-to-head matchup earns the league's BCS bowl berth (usually the Rose Bowl).

2. If two teams tie with identical records and don't play each other, the following tiebreakers go into effect.

Overall win percentage
BCS standings (the team ranked higher in the final standings gets the BCS berth)

3. If more than two teams tie atop the standings, the same selection procedures apply with the following exceptions:

If one team beat the other two teams, it earns the BCS berth
If three teams are tied and two of the teams beat the third team, the third team is eliminated. The two-team tiebreaker procedures then go into effect.
If two or all of the tied teams don't play each other, the team with the highest win percentage gets the berth. If the overall win percentage is the same, the team ranked highest in the final BCS standings gets the berth.

There are other tiebreakers, but the chances of them actually going into effect are slim to none.

Now let's examine the Big Ten's title contenders. Though the league has only one unbeaten team, I don't think a squad with two conference losses will win the title. It could happen, but it's unlikely.

Iowa -- The Hawkeyes clearly are in the best position as the league's only unbeaten team and boasting a No. 6 ranking in the initial BCS standings. Ohio State's loss to Purdue on Saturday benefited Iowa in more than one way. If Iowa finishes the season at 11-1 with only one loss to Ohio State on Nov. 14, it would earn the league's BCS berth unless the Buckeyes run the table the rest of the way. Looking at the remaining schedule, Iowa will be in excellent shape for at least a share of the league title if it wins Saturday at Michigan State.

Penn State -- The Lions can't afford to lose the rest of the way, and they still need some help to return to Pasadena. Penn State won't win a head-to-head tiebreaker against Iowa because of its Sept. 26 loss to the Hawkeyes. The Lions need Iowa to lose twice, ideally to both Michigan State and Ohio State, two teams Penn State still faces (and can beat).

Ohio State -- Jim Tressel has bigger worries than the Big Ten title race right now, but he knows the Buckeyes can't afford any more losses. Ohio State must win out, which would eliminate Penn State, and hope that Michigan State loses at least once more. Since Ohio State and Michigan State don't play, the BCS tiebreaker could go into effect if they're the only two teams to finish at 7-1. The Buckeyes are 19th in the initial BCS standings, while Michigan State is unranked, and both teams still play Iowa and Penn State. Ohio State would have the better overall record as long as it beats New Mexico State.

Michigan State -- The Spartans are very much alive in the Big Ten title race despite their slow start. Michigan State faces both Iowa and Penn State at home, and its road trips (Minnesota and Purdue) look manageable. The Spartans obviously need to win out and hope Ohio State stumbles once along the way. Michigan State also can't afford to lose to Western Michigan because it hurts the overall win percentage.

There are obviously a lot of possibilities, and things could get tricky with the new BCS standings tiebreaker and because Michigan State and Ohio State don't play. So stay tuned.

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11 months ago
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MSU Football 2009 vs Michigan MSU Football 2009 vs Michigan

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11 months ago
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MSU Football 2009 vs Illinois MSU Football 2009 vs Illinois

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11 months ago
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NY Jets taking notice of Jehuu NY Jets taking notice of Jehuu Caulcrick as he transitions to fullback

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Posted by bwentwor August 12, 2009 22:00PM

At 37, Jets fullback Tony Richardson is one of the most accomplished players at his position. A three-time Pro Bowler, he has been the lead blocker for seven 1,000-yard rushers.

As Richardson's career winds down, he has taken first-year pro Jehuu Caulcrick under his wing, giving him a crash course on his 15 NFL seasons. Both are converted halfbacks.

"It's been a tremendous privilege and honor to play with a guy like T-Rich," Caulcrick said. "The big thing about him is he comes forward with information to help me. I don't have to keep going to him and nagging and nagging him.

"It's been a great help to me."

Richardson says he sees a little bit of himself in Caulcrick, who was undrafted a year ago after a standout career at Michigan State but signed with the Jets as a free agent.

Like Caulcrick, Richardson was once a halfback and he said his NFL tenure is largely a result of his flexibility.

"I told Jehuu (pronounced Jay-you) that he can learn both positions for longevity purposes," said Richardson. "He's doing a great job of grasping everything they're throwing at him."

The Jets will see just how good a job Caulcrick is doing Friday night against the Rams at Giants Stadium when he may start for the injured Richardson, who has been sidelined nearly a week with a hip pointer.

Caulcrick, who spent last season on the Jets' practice squad, has been taking all of the first-team reps in training camp and the organization is high on him. As with Richardson, he brings versatility to the position. At Michigan State, he rushed for 2,395 yards and his 39 touchdowns were the second-most in school history behind Lorenzo White (43).

The challenge for Caulcrick has been to adopt a block-first mentality. He has a rare blend of athleticism and power for a player his size (6-foot, 250 pounds) plus excellent hands and nimble feet. He's not just your prototypical fullback and the Jets feel if they can teach him to block, they'll have a threat in the backfield, not just another blocker.

Initially, Caulcrick said it was strange playing without the football and throwing his body into a pile but he's getting more comfortable in that role.

"He's extremely powerful," said offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

"He's a really good athlete for a guy that's big and physical like that. He has really good hands. ... He's doing a good job. He's another guy that'll benefit from the game-type situations just to really see him continue to grow."

Richardson said Caulcrick already has the makeup of a top-notch NFL fullback.

"The biggest thing is Jehuu shows a level of physicality," Richardson said. "That's the biggest thing you want to see in a young guy. You can teach them where to go and what to do, but if they're not physical when they get there, you're wasting your time. Jehuu isn't afraid to stick it up in there.''

Coach Rex Ryan agrees.

"He's improving," said Ryan. "The first thing about being a fullback is you better go in there and hit somebody, and he's not afraid to do that. So that's been real positive."

That Caulcrick, 26, is even alive is a victory for the native of Liberia. After living through the atrocities of a civil war in the impoverished west African nation, taking on NFL defenses isn't such a daunting task him.

As a youth, Caulcrick saw his adopted brother killed and his grandfather shot in the leg trying to protect his grandchildren. He moved from refugee camp to refugee camp. He saw pregnant women murdered. He learned of his father's assassination in the newspapers.

From 1989 to 1996, the civil war killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions.

"After going through all of that, you come here and if you miss a block, you realize it's not the end of the world," said Caulcrick. "You live to play another down."

Caulcrick was 9 when he came to the United States in 1992. He hasn't returned to Liberia since being brought to the states along with his sister by his mother, who fled the country at the outbreak of the war.

"Definitely, I still think about what I saw and it's something I do want to think about because it makes me a stronger person," said Caulcrick, who is involved in the Refugee Development Center in Lansing, Mich., which helps refugees from all countries. "Every day I go to bed and I pray and thank God for everything he has given me. I have a tremendous opportunity in front of me. Not many people from my country have the opportunity that I have. I'm trying to make the most of it."
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Future Spartans dominate list Future Spartans dominate list of best in-state football players

From: sparty
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From MLIVE.com

Posted by mtrogan August 27, 2009 20:19PM

Today Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press revealed the top five players in his ongoing list of the top 25 in-state high school football players.

Three of the top five are Michigan State commitments and a fourth lists the Spartans among his favorites.

At the top of McCabe's list is William Gholston, who is becoming everyone's top pick. Here is what Mick has to say about Gholston:

Free Press, August 27: The top-ranked player in the state, he combines speed and strength for a high-energy player who is a terror as a pass rusher. His ranking skyrocketed in the off-season, mostly because of his size and athletic ability. Now he must do it on the field. Committed to Michigan State.

You can look at the rest of McCabe's Top 25 here.

Second is higher than I have seen Max Bullough ranked by anyone else so far but I think a legit argument can be made for the lofty status. Aside from Gholston, there isn't a player in this class with more prototypical/size for his position than Max. His early commitment may have set him back in the eyes of many scouting services.

Running back Nick Hill at four also seems a little high but it is hard to argue with 2,260 yards and 29 touchdowns in eleven games last season.

Now there will be a lot of debate contesting McCabe's choices, angry Wolverines over Devin Gardner's number six ranking (apparently Mick isn't a big fan of qbs as Joe Boisture was all the way down at #11) but what can't be denied is that Dantonio has made a huge impact on the home state recruiting trail and that seeing "committed to Michigan State" under the name of top players on lists like Mccabe's will continue for the foreseeable future.
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