Bucciferro Shines as Spartans Down Bearcats 4-3

Photo from Michigan State Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier
 
It may have taken a career game by Tony Bucciferro but the Spartans went into Cincinnati and beat the Bearcats 4-3 on Friday. Bucciferro, the Spartans right-handed ace, fanned a career-high 10 batters while pitching his way to his 23rd career victory.

With the win, Bucciferro (3-1) moves into a tie for fourth in all-time wins for Michigan State with Larry Ike and Brian Wolcott. His 10 strikeouts also pushes Bucciferro over 200 for his career, becoming only the third Spartan to accomplish such a feat.

The Spartans scored first off a Torsten Boss sacrifice fly in the first to score Andrew Cheky. Bucciferro then surrendered two runs in the bottom of the inning giving Cincinnati a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd inning.

The two runs would be the only the Bearcats would get off Bucciferro who had a highlight reel game, retiring 10 consecutive Cincinnati batters at one point.

Michigan State would knot the game at two in the fourth when a Ryan Krill single allowed Jimmy Pickens to reach the plate. The Spartans would then jump out the the lead in the sixth when Pickens again reached the plate, this time off the bat of John Martinez.

Boss then added one more to the Spartans tally in the seventh when he knocked home Jordan Keur on a double. Bucciferro would give up the ball in the eighth and was relieved by Trey Popp who then promptly gave up three hits to his first four batters, including a leadoff home run in the inning that cut into the Spartans lead, 4-3.

Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. called on Saturday's starter, David Garner, who came into the eighth with his team up one and runners on second and third with just one out. Garner then fanned his first batter before walking the bases loaded and getting the final out of the inning on a looking strikeout.

Coach Boss then gave the ball to his closer, Tony Wieber, in the ninth and he made short work of the Bearcats. Wieber fanned all three batters in the ninth and picked up his fourth save of the season and 13th of his career.

His 13 saves puts Wieber one save away from a tie with Brad Lamont for the Michigan State record. Including Wieber's three and Bucciferro's 10, Spartan pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts on Friday.
 

Mateen Cleaves like Michigan State's chances at Final Four, but doesn't think it will win national title

By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

Although he's in a position to cast his pro-Michigan State Spartans attitude to the masses, Mateen Cleaves, a Spartans legend, is far from a homer.

It would be easy, and possibly politically correct, for Cleaves to select the Spartans to win the 2012 NCAA National Championship Game in New Orleans. He helped them win it all in 2000 against Florida. Nine years later, the Spartans fell in the 2009 title game to North Carolina in Indianapolis (For the record, I have an MSU-UNC rematch in 2012).

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Sure, the fifth-ranked Spartans—who are the No. 1 seed in the West Region and have appeared in six national semis since 1999—are capable of making it to the Final Four. But Cleaves doesn't believe they have what it takes to take down the likes of Kentucky, a team he feels could cut the nets down in the Crescent City.

Part of Cleaves' reasoning is the fact that Michigan State is without freshman standout Branden Dawson, who tore his ACL in his team's 72-70 loss to Ohio State on the final day of the Big Ten's regular season.

"Bias-wise, I would say yeah, but basketball junkie-wise, I think Michigan State can get to the Final Four, and I think it's going to catch up to them by losing Branden Dawson against Kentucky just with the athletes that they have," Cleaves told 95.7 FM The Game in San Francisco on Wednesday.

"If they had him on the floor, I would have gave Michigan State a chance. And I'm still not ruling them out totally. But Kentucky is just so loaded, and I think it's going to hurt not to have a Branden Dawson match up with Kentucky."

Oftentimes, athletes turned analysts are blinded by their own school or former team's colors. They drink the Kool-Aid we've all grown accustomed to hearing about. Cleaves is probably one of the biggest Spartans fans out there. Some would argue that he'd have to pick Michigan State to win it all. After all, Spartans coach Tom Izzo did name one of his children (middle name) after Cleaves.

I like Cleaves' honesty. He has the utmost respect for Izzo and the Spartans, but he's calling a spade a spade. However, if Michigan State were to win it all in April, Cleaves would likely issue a statement, happily retracting his comment made during his interview with the San Fransisco radio station.

Former Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins' intangibles will suit him well in the NFL

Photo: Associated Press

By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

Kirk Cousins' polished attitude and way of interviewing was always something I admired. Oftentimes, the former Michigan State Spartans quarterback spoke like a coach or other authoritative figure, sounding less and less like a "college kid" at each turn.

Now, Cousins—who is Michigan State's career-leader in wins, touchdowns, and just about every other quarterback-related category at the school—is looking to take his maturity to the next level. Of course, he's more mentally mature by virtue of aging. His game has also matured, especially during the past two seasons, when he led the Spartans to back-to-back 10-win seasons and a 2012 Outback Bowl win over Georgia.

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ESPN's Mel Kiper has Cousins as the No. 6 rated quarterback on his famous "big board." Considering that many felt Cousins was overrated, or just plain lucky, in college, hovering outside the top five isn't all that bad for the Holland, Mich. native. He'll likely be taken in April's NFL Draft.

While he accomplished just about everything within his reach during his tenure at Michigan State, pro scouts look to find flaws, Cousins said Wednesday after participating in Michigan State's Pro Day at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

As he has in the past, Cousins shrugged the criticism. He chooses to look at the bright side, rather than focus on what he didn't do, or could have done better, in college.
Cousins has the task of proving why he should be drafted. But the scouts are looking for reasons to stay away.

"It's really a process of devaluation, rather than evaluation," Cousins told MLive.com Spartans writer Graham Couch. "They're trying to find what's wrong with you. They're try to see why they shouldn't draft you. So they're not going to focus on the positives.

"They're not going to focus on that I was the winningest quarterback in school history. They're not going to focus on that we won 11 games in back-to-back years. They're going to focus on the games we lost and why we lost them and whatever you accomplish, they're going to tell you what you didn't do."

Cousins was never one to make excuses. After an embarrassing 37-6 road loss to Iowa in 2010, Cousins didn't point the finger at others. He accepted his shortcomings and promised to bounce back. He never called out a teammate or deflected responsibility. He was the captain, and he took his job seriously.

So instead of hiding behind mistakes, Cousins says he brought them to the forefront. NFL scouts want to see that, he says.

"You can't be defensive, you have to take ownership (of mistakes)," Cousins said. "At the end of the day, these guys know football well enough to know that sometimes it wasn't always your fault. But they want to see you take ownership.

"That can wear on you. But it's part of the process and we understand that going into it. But certainly draft day will be a welcomed relief in the sense that, that work is all done and I'll be able to go to a team and show them what I can do and what I'm capable of."

Because of his uncanny leadership, genuine likability, along with his desire to compete and reach the highest level possible, Cousins will likely be drafted and make an NFL roster. Teams will probably end up looking past Cousins' flaws and focus on his attitude.

He's not the most athletic quarterback in the draft. He's not the prototype teams salivated over like former Stanford Cardinal star Andrew Luck. But Cousins has the will that can't be coached. His best attributes, possibly, aren't physical—they're mental. Cousins' character and desire to compete will suit him well at the next level.

Confidence evident with Michigan State Spartans' Tom Izzo and Keith Appling, but LIU-Brooklyn won't back down

Photo: MLive.com

By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

A confident coach, along with a confident star player, will likely bode well for the fifth-ranked, No. 1-seeded Michigan State Spartans during the NCAA Tournament.

The Spartans, who sit atop the West Region bracket, have LIU-Brooklyn as their first opponent at 9:20 p.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio—a team that likes to run the court, just like Michigan State.

Michigan State sophomore guard Keith Appling is comfortable with the task of keeping up with the Blackbirds, who are coming off back-to-back NEAC titles. Furthermore, he's comfortable with doing the same against teams like Missouri, which is the No. 2 team in the West.

"I like the fast-paced game, because it's a lot more fun to be a part of," Appling said during a recent interview. "Lot of up-and-down, very fast-paced. There's going to be a lot of easy opportunities to get baskets on the fast break."

Spartans coach Tom Izzo, who was recently named CBS Sports' Coach of the Year, is also confident with his team's speed and ability to run the floor. Having Appling in charge makes things a little easier.

"…For the most part, with Keith, I think we can push it now, he's getting to the point where he can push it and make decisions when he gets down there, something (freshman guard) Travis (Trice) has to keep working on," Izzo said.

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"Keith's learning how to pull it out, and that's going to be important, too, because there are teams that run better than we do that are in this group. If we face them, we're going to have to figure out how to do that under control.

"But I still say getting some easy baskets, getting some shots, we're really looking at getting the ball into the first post more, off our break, instead of just getting wide-open shots or layups. And if you keep your big guys running, and we think we have two or three that we can rotate in there, the advantage goes to us."

LIU-Brooklyn coach Jim Ferry knows his team will be backed against a wall Friday. And he's OK with that. The Blackbirds coach said during a recent interview that he is willing to fight fire with fire—or in this case, speed with speed, when it comes to matching up with the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament champion Spartans.

"We have to be able to compete with them on the glass so we can get our transition game going," Ferry said. "There's no question about it.

"If we can get the game going in transition a little bit, then I think we're going to put some pressure on them. We play at one of the highest tempos in college basketball period. We average 85 points a game in league and 82 overall. We're one of the fastest teams up and down the court. We got to get them to play that way. We do."

One has to like Ferry's statement. Sure, a 16th-seeded team isn't regularly viewed as a threat—and that couldn't be more true when it's set to collide with Michigan State, a team which many feel could land in the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans.

But, and there is a "but," the Spartans are far above any competition LIU-Brooklyn faced this season. And with Izzo ready for March—and one of his star players eager to take the court—the Blackbirds are ripe for an ousting.

Appling has elite-level speed. Not to say LIU-Brooklyn has no shot of containing him, but once the former Detroit Pershing High star gets going, he's hard to stop—that goes for any team, Missouri included.

Expect the first half Friday to be back-and-forth. That much is inevitable. Michigan State averaged about 72 points per game in the Big Ten—a conference not known for overly fast-paced action. LIU-Brooklyn has the tools to keep the game close in the first 20 minutes.

However, the Spartans have tournament experience. And that's not just a reference to past NCAA Tournaments. Look back to their win at Gonzaga, a victory that was considered to be of tournament-caliber. Although some pieces are young, Michigan State has an experienced senior in Draymond Green and Austin Thornton, both of whom have been to the Final Four.

Looking past any opening-round opponent is never a good idea. But in this case, doing so wouldn't be out of the question. Michigan State's firepower, accompanied by its leadership and experience, should make light work of the Blackbirds on Friday night.

It's OK to project Michigan State Spartans to 2012 Final Four in New Orleans because they're capable of getting there

Photo: Associated Press -- Michigan State senior Draymond Green (left) congratulates teammate Brandon Wood after Sunday's 68-64 Big Ten Championship Game win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.


By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

If you forecast the Michigan State Spartans in the 2011 Final Four, you may have been a bit on the optimistic side. Well, you were probably closer to delusional if you thought the Spartans were among the four best teams in the country a year ago. They were uncharacteristically bounced from the opening round by UCLA after struggling to secure a bid to March Madness—it wasn't Michigan State's finest season.
But this year is different.

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Whether you're a die-hard Spartans fan, or a college basketball expert, the 2012 Spartans appear as a championship-caliber team to an array of different fans and groups. And it's OK to project the Spartans to land in the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans because they are indeed one of the top four to five teams in the nation. ESPN's Hubert Davis sees the Spartans losing to North Carolina in the title game while his colleague, Digger Phelps, believes Michigan State will beat Kentucky for the championship.

The Spartans' past track record certainly suggests that they'll be a team to contend with during March Madness. They're fresh off a 68-64 conference title win over Ohio State. which they shared the Big Ten regular-season title with (and Michigan). The Spartans then earned a No. 1 seed in the West Region, played in Phoenix, because of their resume.

If Michigan State isn't primed for the tournament, I don't know what team is.

Michigan State boasts senior star Draymond Green, who won the Big Ten Player of the Year Award and is considered one of the best players in all of college basketball. Not since former Wake Forest star Tim Duncan in 1997 has a player from a major conference averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game. But Green did it this year.

In fact, other than Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Kentucky's Anthony Davis, there aren't many players with the ability or resume that Green possesses. That's a definite plus for a title-hungry team like the Spartans.

Review the Spartans' individual and team accomplishments thus far—it's perfectly logical to think that a team that played the toughest schedule, won arguably the most competitive conference's regular-season and tournament titles and boasts one of the nation's elite players could go all the way.

In 2010-11, just getting in the tournament and extending its 14 straight postseason appearances seemed to be good enough for Michigan State. However, this year's team isn't last year's Michigan State. It's a more cohesive unit capable of competing alongside the NCAA's best teams.

Take a quick glance at the West Region bracket. Though it is challenging, it's not too much to expect Michigan State to emerge from it. Yes, Missouri is a great team, and so are Marquette and Florida. St. Louis and Long Beach State are formidable adversaries, too.

Each of the aforementioned has its own particular strength. But Michigan State, although lacking a bit of depth, seems to be the most complete unit—one could argue that Missouri is—in the West. The Spartans have showed they can dictate the tempo of a game, go big or small, crash the boards and be successful under nearly any condition.

The Spartans have a strong corps of guards, led by Keith Appling and Brandon Wood. With both at their peaks, Michigan State could be a difficult team to defend off the dribble and from the perimeter.
Centers Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix each had respectable Big Ten Tournaments and possess the ability to control the offensive and defensive glass. Rebounding, as it has been in the past, is one of the Spartans' strength this season. They posted a Big Ten-best 38 boards per game, good for 26th nationally.

Of course, the past is the past. But if you're into coincidence, remember this: The last time the Spartans won the Big Ten Tournament, they won the national title (2000). Each of the previous three times the Spartans earned a No. 1 seed in The Big Dance, they went on to reach the Final Four (99-01). And they have this Izzo guy on the sideline—just food for thought.

Video: Big Ten Player of the Year Draymond Green highlight reel. 

Spartans Score Four In the 15th To Beat Seton Hall

The Spartans took on the Seton Hall Pirates on Saturday in the second game of the Snowbird Classic. In a game that went 15 innings and lasted six hours the only action in the game came in the 15th - when all seven runs of the game were scored.

Andrew Waszak started the game for the Spartans and threw 105 pitches in nine innings of work while refusing the Pirates any runs on the seven hits they got off him. Waszak dueled Pirates pitcher, Rick Mangione, who threw 6.1 innings and struck out eight while not allowing a run.

It was the Spartans relief pitching that lead to the necessity of a four-run 15th, when Seton Hall was able to plate three runs to take the lead going into the bottom of the inning.

Jeff Kinley pitched 2.2 innings for the Spartans and gave up three runs on five hits while failing to strike out a batter. Seton Hall got to Kinley in the 15th when they manufactured three runs utilizing sacrifice bunts and capitalized on a pair of Kinley wild pitches.

In the bottom of the 15th the Spartans knew they had to score at least three to keep the game going, but they did better than that. On the back of several walks by Pirates pitching and a few clutch hits the Spartans were able to tie the game at three before an Anthony Cheky single to right drove in the winning run.

Ryan Jones lead off the 15th with a single before a Jimmy Pickens walk pushed him to second base. Justin Scanlon then drew a walk off Josh Prevost who Seton Hall brought in to stymy to rally. With the bases loaded and no outs John Martinez drew another walk from the Pirates pitching which forced home Jones. After an Andy Johnson strike out, Andrew Carpenter singled to right field which scored Pickens and Scanlon. On the Carpenter single Martinez advanced to third where he was driven home on a Cheky single to right. 

Joel Fisher, the Spartans catcher, tweeted after the game, "If we are going to be there for a 6 hour game might as well win."

The win is the third straight for Michigan State who will play Pittsburgh to close out the Snowbird Classic at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The Spartans have gone 3-3 in their Spring Break road trip as of Sunday.

Spartans Rally Pushes Them Past Xavier

Photo from MSU Baseball Facebook Page

By Sean Gagnier
@SeanGagnier

The Spartans headed to Port Charlotte, Fla. to compete in the Snowbird Classic and their first opponent was Xavier. Michigan State rallied for the lead in the bottom of the seventh to claim a 6-5 lead after scoring three runs in the inning. They would go on to add two more runs in the eighth to bring the final to 8-5.

In the seventh the Spartans did their damage with two outs, striking for three straight hits to rally for three runs. Anthony Cheky made his second collegiate start in center field and started the seventh inning rally with a single before stealing second, his second swipe of the game. Torsten Boss then drove home Cheky on an RBI double before Ryan Jones singled in Boss, tying the game at five.

A Jimmy Pickens double down the right field line scored Jones before he was caught in a run-down to end the inning. Ryan Krill started the Spartans off in the eighth when he drove a double to the right center field wall that scored Justin Scanlon before he himself came to the plate on a balk and an error in the field.

Spartans starter Tony Bucciferro had an uncharacteristically poor outing, being charged with all five Xavier runs while surrendering seven hits, walking two and fanning four during his 6.2 innings on the mound. Bryce Jenney came on in relief of Bucciferro and although he allowed one of the runners he inherited from Bucciferro to score he threw a scoreless eighth and picked up his first win as a Spartan. 

Tony Wieber came on to throw his usual ninth inning and sat Xavier down in order to record his third save of the season. His 12 career saves now places his second all time for the Spartans with Mike Ericson and Domanick Squires.

The key to the Spartans recent wins and their ability to hang with the top teams in the country is that Coach Jake Boss Jr. has them running the base paths - the Spartans have stolen eight bases in the last two games, three from Cheky who is making a name for himself in his first two collegiate starts.