Michigan State is back to the Sweet 16, and the Big Ten Conference co-champion is listed as a 1 1/2-point favorite over Northern Iowa. The other two Big Ten co-champs: Purdue is an 8-point underdog at Duke, and Ohio State is favored by 5 over Tennessee. It would be sweet indeed to get a rematch with Ohio State for rights to go to Indianapolis in the Final Four

INJURY UPDATE: A ruptured Achilles' tendon in Kalin Lucas' left foot has been confirmed; he will need surgery and he will be out 4-6 months. Hopefully the additional rest will help Chris Allen's ankle heal enough to have a greater role vs Northern Iowa; Delvon Roe's knees are killing him and he may need surgery after the season. Hang in there, guys... leave it on the court. Damn you're a fun team to watch.

BIG TEN vs BIG LEAST: What about the Big Least and the Big Ten? All year long, everyone is talking down the Big Ten as a weak conference and the Big Least as the best conference in basketball. This discussion has been going on for years, matter of fact. And last year, well Michigan State defeated two #1-seeds back-to-back, both from the Big Least, in Louisville and UConn. And this year, West Virginia and Syracuse are all that are left... while the Big Ten has three teams in, all its regular season co-champs. When will people wake up that the Big Ten is superior to the Big Least? The numbers just prove it. We're among the last ones standing, again.

GREAT COMMENT BY REXRODE: "And how about this game, where does it rank? I claim most dramatic shot and win in MSU NCAA history. Steve Smith had a buzzer beater to beat Tony Bennett and UW-GM in 1991. But it was a tie game. This was a win-or-lose shot. And although the MSU-Kentucky game of 2005 is hard to top (and is still a "bigger" game because it was for the Final Four), I think this one buries it. No question. The last two minutes, the speed of it all, the emotional swings on both benches, were like nothing I've seen in person on a basketball court."

AWESOME ARTICLES by MIKE ROSENBURG/Freep: here (Mar 22) and here (Mar 23).