late January update on the Spartans

Bob Wojnowski, a sports writer from the Detroit News who usually has nothing nice to say about MSU sports, wrote this article in today's News. Since I'm trying to speak positively of others more in this new year, I thought I'd reprint part of his article on the MSU men's basketball team:

"Open your eyes now and should anyone really be surprised by what we see? We won't get too goofy because the Spartans aren't a shoo-in for the tournament. But at 17-4 (4-2 Big Ten), they're in fine position, if they can survive a nasty 10-game march to March that now looms.

As bubble season unofficially opens, I'll say this: If the Spartans win their five remaining home games, they're in. If they drop one to Wisconsin or Ohio State but steal a road game, they're in.

Before we start sifting through RPIs and getting decimal points all over our nice clothes, we should take a moment to consider what MSU already has pulled off. It has beaten Texas. It has beaten Illinois. It has won all its home games against a weak schedule.

And along the way, the Spartans have served notice to the rest of the sloppy Big Ten that they plan to contend for something. Wisconsin and Ohio State will fight for the conference championship, but the Spartans are in the middle of everything else, thus far confirming two significant points.

If you give Izzo a little something, he'll put together something more. If you give Neitzel a little, he'll take a lot."

Thank you, Bob Wojnowski. There, I said something nice!