so what good was it to play in this "overrated" conference?

[SilliSooner]

MSU is a few rungs up the ladder but they are not a much bigger team than us. Heavier at some positions, yes, but they don't have the huge depths and the plethora of massive thugs they've had in the past. It's a game where Tayshawn Thomas should be the best big on the floor. And, in our " overrated" conference they have been many games where he wasn't.

I don't think our conference was overrated. It just wasn't top heavy like the ACC or SEC proved to be. If you think the SEC was better, how'd that SEC vs Big 12 challenge turn out?

The overrated charge will come because of Kansas which, to most observers, limped into the tourney with a gimpy Ellis and a disqualified Alexander. I didn't expect them to go far. Iowa State, while a good team, wasn't the best of road teams, relying way too much on their home court edge. But, overall, one through eight this conference was as tough as any in the country.

 

[BoulderSooner]

buddy is due for a good shooting game

 

[sybarite]

Unless a fish kicked him in the head. I don't know how it can be called "fishy." If WV had elbowed him in the head to get him out of the game, maybe. But, when you are benched after your own teammate kicks you in the head, you might just sit there and design a "clutz" award for him.

 

[Zimwillett]

I've watched Michigan State play this year. They are eerily similar in how they can give up runs of points. It's going to be a matter of who gives up the long run in the last 8 minutes, kind of like the Dayton game.

Great point. To back that up, here are some excerpts from the ESPN.com article on MSU's win over Georgia:

Spartans were making mental mistakes and struggling to protect their late lead in a shaky finish that had coach Tom Izzo punching the scorer's table in fury.

And yet, Michigan State did enough to beat Georgia 70-63 on Friday in the NCAA tournament's round of 64 behind veterans Denzel Valentine, Travis Triceand Branden Dawson.

Valentine scored 16 points, Trice had 15 and Dawson had a strong second half for the seventh-seeded Spartans (24-11), who proved Izzo right when he said Thursday that this team has a "very small" margin for error compared to some of its predecessors.

Michigan State led by 12 points with about 90 seconds left before Georgia (21-12) rallied to make it a one-possession game. Valentine went 6 for 6 at the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to help Michigan State advance to face the Belmont-Virginia winner in Sunday's round of 32 in the East Region.
"You saw a lot of good minutes and then you saw some bizarre plays," Izzo said. "I think Georgia deserves some credit for that and we deserve some blame for that but we're doing what you're supposed to do in this tournament. We survived and we're advancing."

Michigan State has shown the capacity for these kinds of lapses all season. Of course, so has OU.

 

[stormspencer]

Good wakeup call for those like myself who panicked during the season. We will hear a lot this week that OU has to worry about Michigan State. MSU has to worry about OU too. Aside from the anomaly @WVU (and MSU had two, one against Texas Southern and at Maryland), no one has felt comfortable playing this OU team. We make it tough on everyone, win or lose.

I get the feeling this is going to go down to the wire between these two teams.

100% agree. I was worried if this team was ever going to figure out how to close at the end of games. They improved significantly as the season progressed. Michigan State may beat us, but they will have to earn it if they do.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I think they are implying they hurt Trimble.

They did lay him out with a hard screen:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab...-s-pressure-overwhelm-maryland-034928412.html

It was as obvious a moving screen as has ever been seen in basketball. Why wasn't it called?

In tonight's OU women's game, KK was called for 2 moving screens that were nothing like this one.

Officials are the most inconsistent part of the game today.

That is unfortunate and could be improved by requiring them to sit down with the press after the game. They would be extremely motivated to work harder at their craft - just like all of us are when held accountable.