Tom Izzo Missing Out On Top Recruits Because He’s Not A Cheater, Says ESPN Analyst

National College Hoops experts are all going crazy these days. It's just a part of the madness that is March. Many of these pundits, like ESPN's Joe Lunardi, are referring to Michigan State as an average team. Sure, there may be a case for argument when you put the last two seasons in comparison to the legacy that Tom Izzo has established in his 20 years as MSU Head Coach. But, another ESPN expert, Fran Fraschilla, says there is a good reason for a "lull"...Izzo's integrity.

Fraschilla came to the defense of Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim who just had the NCAA hammer thrown down on him and the program last Friday. The former coach also said that Izzo has lost out on high profile recruits because of his unwillingness to break the rules. Though he stopped short of naming specific recruits and institutions, I think the message is pretty clear (ahem...Kansas, Duke, Kentucky...time to take notice.) The most interesting part of Fraschilla's comments were the words that sum up big-time college athletics as a whole. Basically, you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. "When a coach gets caught cheating, they ought to throw the book at him. "Because there are a whole lot of other coaches out there, and I'll give you one example. The reason Tom Izzo doesn't have a great team right now is because he has not, quite frankly he has lost some guys at times to schools that he wasn't willing to break the rules for. And coaches who don't cheat will get fired if they don't win, and that's part of the problem I have with the NCAA."

So, Spartan Fan, as you bitch and moan about the sky falling as March rolls on, think about at what cost you're willing to cut those nets down again.