Assuming MSU head coach Tom Izzo went home and dreamed about his team's NCAA Tournament chances after the Spartans found out they were a No. 7 seed playing Nevada in Seattle?
Think again.
Izzo spent all of Sunday night and Monday morning at Breslin Center, watching countless game tapes of the Wolf Pack to prepare MSU (18-11) for its seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
MSU faces Nevada at 7:35 p.m. Thursday.
"Yeah, I didn't go home last night," Izzo said, grinning. "I have my Lions blanket up there, so I just curled up."
Spartans' assistants, managers and Izzo broke down film until around 12:30 a.m., before discussing their observations. And then, they watched more film.
Paul Rivers, a video coordinator for the basketball team, worked this season to tape nearly every game that was on television, which allowed the Spartans to have film on Nevada immediately after they were named as MSU's opponent.
"Right away, our video guys start breaking down the personnel, we have our managers up there doing stuff as far as trying to get great plays by some of their players," Izzo said.
Homeless Jud?
Former Spartans head coach Jud Heathcote is a Washington resident and has been a Gonzaga season-ticket holder and Bulldogs fan for years. If the Spartans beat Nevada and Gonzaga defeats Valparaiso, Heathcote's heart will be torn.
Izzo, who was an assistant under Heathcote, said he understands, but he expects the former MSU head man not only to help him with a scouting report, but to wear green and white.
"Sooner or later, we'll see if he can help me do something," Izzo said. "I know where his loyalties are, and if not, he won't have a hotel room. I figure he can either be homeless or cheering for the Spartans."
Semi-clean slate
In October, the Spartans broke down the 2003-04 season into three parts: The Big Ten regular season, the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. The slates for the first two have been chalked up with many positives, but just as many, if not more, negatives.
But Izzo refuses to forget the schedule that continually knocked his team to the ground. Instead, he plans to use the underachieving season as motivation.
"I don't want to not learn from the negatives that we've gone through. In fact, I want to say the opposite," Izzo said. "'Wipe the slate clean' means we do have a new opportunity, but it doesn't mean we just put all the negatives behind. The negatives can be used at this time and that's why you play the games."
