Birds flock back north for spring but Spartan fans have come south on the first day of the new season.
MSU fans, young and old migrated from all over the country to Charlotte, North Carolina, to cheer on the Spartan basketball team in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“This is awesome, this is my first time seeing them (live) in the tournament,” Scott Hintz said he grew up ten minutes from campus. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
“We couldn’t miss the chance to get this close,” Lansing native, Christy Goevel said she drove three hours with her family to see the game.
Chrsity, who was accompanied by her husband, Jeff and their six-year-old son, Tom said she remembers seeing games at Jenison Field house with her father, who lives in northern Michigan and still has season tickets.
The Goevel’s said they saw “lots” of Michigan license plates commuting to Time Warner Cable arena.
It was harder for some fans to get excited for a first round matchup, seeing as how MSU has made 18 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
“I’m used to it,” Grand Rapids native, Chris Zylstrn said.
Nevertheless, Chris and his father Rob made the two and a half hour drive to root on MSU against Georgia.
Tournament Predictions
Despite, an up and down season fans were optimistic that MSU could make an extended run in Tom Izzo’s 18th consecutive tournament appearance.
“In the three brackets I filled out, I have them winning the championship in each,” Hintz said.
“All the way,” Christy Goevel said.
“If we can get pass Virginia, I think elite eight is a definite possibility,” Chris Zylstrn
said.
“Final Four!” Roy Hall, a 1994 MSU graduate said.
Favorite Player
When asked who their favorite player on the current team was, Denzel Valentine led the fan vote by a large margin.
“He’s pretty personable, he’s out there,” Zylstrn said of the junior guard from Lansing.
“Valentine! His threes are sweet!” Christy Goevel said.
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“Valentine, came to my mind but Trice is better,” Beth Szostek, a class of 2000 MSU finance alum said.
Beth’s mother, Meredith quickly disagreed her daughter and added another vote to Valentine’s tally.
Admiration for Izzo
However, the big man on campus or should I say the big man in Charlotte is still head coach Tom Izzo, who is in his twentieth season at the hem.
“He’s fantastic, he’s the best coach in the NCAA,” Christy Goevel said.
“I think (Izzo’s sustain success) is incredible,” Hall said. “Let’s face it you don’t want to play Tom Izzo’s team in the tournament.”
No one knows for certain how far MSU will go in the tournament but one thing is for sure, the Spartan basketball team should feel right at home with all the support in Charlotte.
