Indianapolis — The party line in the MSU locker room after Saturday's 53-48 loss to Iowa was more rigid than Matt Trannon's smile behind that goalie mask.
Despite playing their third game in 47 hours and second in less than 14, the Spartans said — insisted — that it wasn't fatigue that rendered them helpless as the Hawkeyes rode their early second-half lead all the way into the tournament finals.
Head coach Tom Izzo: "I'd be the first to tell you if I thought it had even a little to do with it. I thought the energy in the huddles and before the game and at the walk-throughs at the hotel last night and this morning were awesome, so I don't see that being a factor at all."
Really? Not even a little? It wasn't that adrenaline helped you out to a 15-4 start, but couldn't take you any farther?
Sophomore guard Drew Neitzel: "We came out with a lot of energy — we just didn't sustain it."
So we shouldn't read into the fact that when your shots didn't go in — and 20-of-26 in the second half didn't — it was usually because they were short? That your offensive sets were working efficiently as FEMA?
Senior center Paul Davis: "We were ready to go. Fatigue was not a factor at all."
All right, guys. Whatever you say. It sure looked different to the rest of us. I mean, I've been using that no-fatigue excuse ever since I was a kid, whenever I'd fall asleep on the couch moments after convincing my parents to let me stay up a little longer.
"No, I swear…I'm not
The only reason the fatigue/no fatigue debate is still relevant is because we're all trying to figure out which Spartans team is going to show up for the NCAA Tournament.
Let's not kid ourselves: It would be really surprising if the Spartans make it as far in the tourney as they did last year. They have the depth of a kiddie pool. They've been as consistent as Courtney Love's rehab progress. They've been more frustrating than a sportswriter using a string of lame metaphors.
But let's also not be ridiculous: It would be even more surprising if these Spartans don't at least make it to the Sweet 16. They have the firepower of a small army. They have as many big wins this year as 99 percent of the teams in the country. They have one of the best tournament coaches of all time in Izzo.
And don't underestimate how much Friday's win against Illinois will do for them. It could very well end up functioning like last year's win against Wisconsin — a perfectly timed reminder that the team is capable of doing the things everyone says it's incapable of.
Last year, it was beating a ranked team. This year, it was playing defense.
If the Spartans repeat the defensive effort they showed against Illinois, they can beat any team in the country.
Then again, if they repeat the offensive effort they showed against Iowa, they can lose to any team in the country.
It's that inconsistency that has knocked MSU from preseason No. 1 team to definite Final Four team to probably-playing-at-the-Palace team to underachieved-themselves-under-the-radar team.
"People wrote us off last year," Davis said. "People have been doing that our whole careers. We're not worried about what anybody else is saying. We've just got to go out and play our game. If we play our game, we're going on another run."
The Spartans have had a lot of perfectly valid explanations for their struggles this season — a punishing schedule, poorly timed injuries, unsolvable matchups. But eventually, the great teams find a way to overcome those things.
That's what MSU needs to remember right now.
Excuses get you forgiven in the short-term. Banners get you remembered forever.
Tom Keller is a State News men's basketball reporter. He can be reached at kellert1@msu.edu.
