During the past few years, MSU's March Madness performances have been up and down. And after this weekend's games, the tournament is looking up.
On Sunday, the Spartans once again demonstrated they should be more feared than The Crocodile Hunter by downing Florida 68-46 and reminding the Gators why it was MSU who was the NCAA National Champion in 2000.
It is indeed sweet to be among the top 16 men's basketball teams in the country, especially when so many had been counting it out.
The success of the men's basketball team speaks volumes about the leadership abilities of head coach Tom Izzo, who for the first time in his MSU career began to find himself under serious scrutiny from his fans and supporters.
But his team's performance and success in the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney plainly illustrate why he is a head coach and his critics are not.
There is a reason that Izzo's name tops the winning-percentage list of active coaches in the 2003 NCAA tourney right above Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The Spartans had their share of ups and downs this season as strong players fell off the radar screen and late-comers began to develop.
Still, no one seemed to know the men's basketball team's potential as well as Izzo and they showed they can live up to those expectations during the weekend.
Any season with 20 or more wins can be considered successful and the Spartans have reached that mark by claiming a place among the nation's top 16 squads.
But the men's accomplishments should not be left to overshadow the accomplishments of MSU's women's basketball team, which claimed a spot in its NCAA Tournament this season.
Despite losing 50-47 in a heartbreaker against Texas Christian University in the first round Sunday, the Spartans experienced what can be considered their most successful and exciting season to date.
In just three seasons as the women's basketball team's head coach, Joanne P. McCallie has led her team deep into the ranks of the National Invitation Tournament and landed it a birth in the more notable NCAA tourney.
It's safe to say MSU boasts two of the most respectable basketball head coaches in the country. And for this reason, annual Spartan success on the nation's courts is just beginning.
Star players come and go in college basketball but coaches establish dynasties. The dynasties of Izzo and McCallie are promising to be golden.
We extend our thanks and praise to head coaches Izzo and McCallie and their recruits for working so hard to help East Lansing become Basketball, USA.
In this time of war, it is pleasant to have an escape from terror. March Madness proves that escape.
We urge all Spartans to take a break from the war in Iraq to cheer on the men's basketball team to the Final Four this weekend.
