Final score from The Palace: MSU 65, Valparaiso 54

If only it was that close.

The score was not indicative to how badly Michigan State dominated Valpo.

To put it simply, Derrick Nix was too big, Adreian Payne was too long, Brandon Dawson was too athletic, Keith Appling was too fast and Gary Harris was too Gary Harris.

The Spartans’ biggest lead of the game was 27 in the second half, but careless turnovers and Russell Byrd sightings towards the end allowed the Crusaders to score a few extra buckets and make it a respectable 11-point loss.

Nix basically did whatever he wanted to Valpo’s two big men – “The Dutch Lug” and “The Guy Who Looks Like a Movie Villian,” scoring 23 points and grabbing a career high 15 rebounds. Apparently, The Dutch Lug nonchalantly said he faced similar players to Nix in the Horizon League. He later clarified after the game and said he meant “Stevie.”

There’s really not much more to pontificate on. The Spartans just outclassed the Crusaders. Give them credit for fighting until the end, but it was clearly evident they didn’t have the talent to keep up with a March Tom Izzo team.

One thing to keep an eye out for –the aforementioned turnovers. The Spartans had 17 of them this afternoon.  It’s no real secret that all of Michigan State’s losses have involved two things: poor play by Appling and sloppy mistakes.

 The Spartans undoubtedly have the talent to make a Final Four run. But for the first time, it’s their mental toughness that they need to worry about.

MSU Team Stats: FG 26-58 (.448), 3FG 6-15 (.400), FT 7-11 (.636), REB 49 (Nix 15), AST 16 (Harris 4), TO 17, BLK 3, STL 6

Valpo Team Stats: FG 19-54 (.352), 3FG 7-25 (.280), FT 9-14 (.643), REB 23 (Van Wijk 7), AST 10, TO 7, BLK 5, STL 12

NEXT GAME : 3/23, 12:00pm – winner of 6 Memphis/11 St. Mary’s

After last year’s improbable victory by Bubba Watson, many wonder what the results for the Masters 2013 will hold. Taking place during the first week of April, this is the first major PGA tournament of the year, so the winner will set the bar for the golf year to come.

It’s hard to predict who will win in the game of golf, but the build-up before the Masters holds many insights as to what we can expect from this national favorite.

And it may seem as if America’s rock star of golf, Tiger Woods, is in the lead, already having won two of this year’s PGA tournaments. He took the big check in the Farmers Insurance Open in January and also recently in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The latter meant Woods’ 17^th World Golf Championship title. 

Since this is the first time in five years that Woods has packed in two PGA wins prior to the Masters, it can only improve his chances of walking away with the Masters 2013 title. He said in an interview that winning these titles is making him much more confident for his performance at the Masters. Many also feel that he is strong on his way to regain his World Number One title. 

But there are many strong competitors against whom Woods will be competing. Steve Stickler, for example, came second in both the tournaments that Woods won so far. And after the friendly putting lessons he gave Woods at the Cadillac tournament, it may seem as if his skill and technique is in top shape.

Let’s not forget about the current World Number One player – Rory McIlroy. Although he managed only an eight spot in the Cadillac tournament, it seems that he is finally hitting his stride and achieving top form for the year ahead. The Northern Irishman has focused strongly on his fitness levels recently, so we can only expect a stellar performance when competing for that iconic green blazer. He’ll be back for only one tournament before the Masters when he plays the Houston Open at the end of March. 

So how is the current owner of the green blazer fairing? Bubba Watson achieved 18^th position in the World Golf Championships and fourth in the less-acclaimed Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January, making it hard to believe that he’ll win a second year in a row at the Masters.

Two other faces to keep an eye on are Michael Thompson and Russell Henley. Both these gentlemen won their first PGA championships this year and will definitely play their clubs out in Augusta. Thompson won the Honda Classic earlier this month while Henley walked away with the title for the Sony Open in Hawaii that took place in January. This is the golf season’s first full-field event, putting Henley, a PGA rookie, in the spotlight as a professional for the first time. 

But with all that said, the game of golf remains a crapshoot, so you’ll have to wait for April to see who will get to put on that sharp green blazer.

Wait a second – on the eve of the greatest three weeks in all of sports, you’re going to talk about the grossly-out-of-contention Detroit Pistons??  

Come on, they deserve their one shining moment, too.

With 13 games left in the regular season and 12.5 games out of 8^th place in the Eastern Conference, it’s safe to say you can write the Pistons off for making a big push at a playoff run.  And with Opening Day for the Tigers only 12 days away, and the aforementioned March Madness tournament about get underway, it’s possible that Pistons viewing might get put on the back burner.

But we can’t let that happen! You don’t want to miss out on lottery tanking, super-duper athletic opponents or the potential and much anticipated return of Andre Drummond!

So with that in mind, below are the power rankings of Pistons games still worth watching and their dramatic story lines:

5) @Toronto, 4/1 – “Jose’s Jomecoming”

How will the Air Canada Centre’s crowd react to Jose Calderon’s first return to Toronto? Will he get booed or cheered – and how will he respond when the game’s on the line? How much French fries and gravy will Jason Maxiell eat? So many questions!

4) vs. Chicago, 4/7 – “Rose Returns?”

Purely speculative, but if Derrick Rose was going return this season to help the Bulls with a playoff run, wouldn’t you want to ease into things against Pistons with five games remaining? He says he won’t return until he has complete confidence in his surgically repair knee, even though he’s been medically cleared. What better way to gain that confidence than playing in front of a lackluster team and 900 person crowd in Detroit? We’ll just have to talk to Reggie Rose to confirm.

3) @Boston, 4/3 – “For Old Timers Sake”

The Boston Celtics will be jockeying for playoff position on the backs of aging stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. At 36, this might be the last hoorah for Garnett, as he’s alluded to retiring in recent months. So wouldn’t it be nice if the Pistons could rally to give Garnett one last “Eff you, you son of a bitch?”

2) vs. Charlotte, 4/12 – “Tank-a-palooza”

Oh boy. This is the motherload. With just three games remaining, the Pistons will be in full-fledge tank mode. But will the bumbling Bobcats foil their plans of lottery domination? Nothing but hilarity can ensue from this game, and the unintentional comedy factor is going to be through the roof! Will BJ Mullens’ 13 points and 8 rebounds be enough to overcome Rodney Stuckey’s 12 points, 5 assists and 4 turnovers? Tune in to find out!

1)  @Miami 3/22 – “Thy Kingdom Come”

Because the Heat are chasing a historical win streak. And because they are virtuosos on offense and defense. And because LeBron James is the best player in the world. And because of this:

Hide yo kids, hide yo Brandon Knight.

I've found THIS to be the best, most-neutral printable bracket.

The schedule for the games this week are below.

Tuesday, Mar. 19 (First-round games from Dayton, OH)

Both games: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

North Carolina A&T vs. Liberty, 6:30 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Middle Tennessee State vs. St. Mary's, 9 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Wednesday, Mar. 20 (First-round games from Dayton, OH)

Both games: Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Clark Kellogg (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter)

LIU-Brooklyn vs. James Madison, 6:30 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Boise State vs. LaSalle, 9 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Thursday, Mar. 21(Second-round games from Lexington, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Auburn Hills)

Valparaiso vs. Michigan State, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Rachel Nichols)

Bucknell vs. Butler, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Allie LaForce)

Wichita State vs. Pittsburgh, 1:40 p.m. ET (TBS) (Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb/Jamie Maggio)

New Mexico State vs. Saint Louis, 2:10 p.m. ET (TNT) (Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/Marty Snider)

Winner of Middle Tennessee State/St. Mary's vs. Memphis, 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Davidson vs. Marquette, 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

Southern vs. Gonzaga, 4:10 p.m. ET (TBS) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

Oregon vs. Oklahoma State, 4:40 p.m. ET (TNT) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Winner of North Carolina A&T/Liberty vs. Louisville 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

South Dakota State vs. Michigan, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Belmont vs. Arizona , 7:20 p.m. ET (TNT) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

California vs. UNLV , 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Missouri vs. Colorado State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

Akron vs. VCU, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Harvard vs. New Mexico, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

Montana vs. Syracuse, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Friday, Mar. 22 (Second-round games from Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dayton and Austin)

Albany vs. Duke, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller/Lewis Johnson)

Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager)

Temple vs. North Carolina State, 1:40 p.m. ET (TBS) (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Tracy Wolfson)

Pacific vs. Miami, 2:10 p.m. ET (TNT) (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski/Otis Livingston)

Cincinnati vs. Creighton, 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Winner of Boise State/LaSalle vs. Kansas State 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV) Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Winner of LIU-Brooklyn/James Madison, 4:10 p.m. ET (TBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Colorado vs. Illinois, 4:40 p.m. ET (TNT) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown, 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Iona vs. Ohio State, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Villanova vs. North Carolina, 7:20 p.m. ET (TNT) (Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Northwestern State vs. Florida 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Oklahoma vs. San Diego State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Iowa State vs. Notre Dame, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Western Kentucky vs. Kansas, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT) (Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Minnesota vs. UCLA, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Keith Appling doing something not many people thought he was capable of doing. 

Stank face. Gus Johnson reaction. 

Two years, $9.5 million. Glover Quin and the Human Missile, if healthy, could be quite the dynamic duo.

Glover Quin is the cover safety they've been trying to pair with Delmas for years. All of the sudden that's a position of strength for Lions

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) March 15, 2013

"Position of strength"! AT SAFETY. What's up, Bennie Blades? 

If only it were worth more than two points right now: 

via Diehard Sports

Prince Fielder was scratched from the Tigers' lineup Thursday afternoon due to a flat tire [via Freep]:

“Prince had a big-time flat tire on the turnpike, and they could only put one of those little tires on that’s good for 50 miles. He wasn’t sure he could make it down and back on that tire, so I told him to stay home,” Leyland said. “He got up on the turnpike by Orlando, so he wasn’t very far away. He called once to say that he’d broken down and had called somebody to take care of it. When he called again, they came out, but they only put that little tire on. ... I didn’t want to take a chance."

Yeah, Fielder needs the big tires.

This is my second favorite 2013 Tigers Spring Training scratch, with my favorite being Jhonny Peralta's bout with clam chowder. I'm glad both are going to avoid the DL. 

Oh, by the way, Fielder's replacement Matt Tuiasosopo went yaya. 

With Opening Day just weeks away, the Tigers just added a major acquisition to their farm system today. 

According to the Detroit News, Single-A affiliate West Michigan Whitecaps have announced that the Baco will be the team’s everyday bacon-wrapped taco.

In an interview made up for this post, Tigers GM David Dombrowski said:

"Signing the Baco so late into spring training was huge. He’s got all the tools to make it in the Big Leagues: seasoned ground beef, cheese, veggies. But his biggest strength, of course, is his bacon. We’re definitely going to be watching Baco with a close eye this summer. If there’s any food that can live up to the hype – it’s Baco. I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw him crunching his way into Comerica Park at some point."

And a spokesperson for Baco had this to say:

"Baco is ecstatic to be a part of the Tigers organization. Growing up on a pig farm in the Midwest, he knows just how much damage he can do in that hearty Grand Rapids food lineup. We probably should have worked in a ‘Free Angioplasty’ clause in his contract [chuckles]."

(Photo courtesy of Emily Zoladz, MLIVE)

ALMOST. 

via USA Today