There are plenty of reasons to lose sleep in this world during these terrifying modern times.
Terrorists. Death. Sickness. War...
But in the world of college basketball, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo isn't counting sheep at night for feelings of dread, but rather, because he can hardly contain his excitement over the possibilities that are about for his team after a 15-game winning streak and an unbeaten 4-0 record in the Big Ten Conference.
"It's more about not sleeping now because of excitement and thinking where we can go," Izzo told reporters, "and not worrying about what is going on."
The 15-2 record does come as a surprising one for such a young and inexperienced group of players. While hopes were high that this talented group of athletes would be able to gel and shape into a future contender under Izzo, Michigan State enters week 10 ranked as the No. 6 team in the nation and having only lost to UNC and Duke, two of the bet teams in the nation.
Alone at 4-0 at the top of the Big Ten, the Spartans have shocked and excited more than just coach Izzo, but also analysts around the country as this squad of young players continues to demonstrate that they have found something special; something that was missing from last season's dismal 19-win team that was knocked out after only one game in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Question now for Izzo is: Will he admit that he thinks this team has something special forming?
"I keep saying I'm not sure yet," Izzo said. "It depends on what you mean by special. I don't know how many games we're going to win, but it's been a special team already because they've done what we asked them to do.
"I keep feel like I'm downgrading us and I'm really not. I just think that we have so much more to learn and we're trying to coach them right to the end. We don't want them to get casual. We still have some work to do and if we can get (Branden Dawson) playing like I think he can, I think we have a chance to be a lot better than we are."
So what's the secret? What's the special "ingredient" if you will, that has allowed this year's Spartans to find that bit of magic that has eluded them?
Simple: Star senior Draymond Green.
Green has stepped up his game physically, as well as emotionally, and has filled a leadership role that was vacant during last year's run.
"Last year he spoke it and didn't always act it," Izzo said. "Now he's growing up and speaking it and acting it and holding guys accountable, demanding more. If we have a bad practice, I just call him up and we talk about what I saw and didn't see. He is my voice. That's what great leaders are, they're coaches on the floor, they're the coach's voice and it has been heaven."
It seems like the less sleep Tom Izzo gets, the better his team seems to be doing. In that case, I hate to say it, Mr. Izzo, but there's always the off-season to catch up on lost slumber.
You can follow MSU Examiner, Michael Ferro, at twitter.com/MichaelFerro.
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