Hello and welcome to the official start of the SpartansWire Favorite Spartans of all Time Tournament. Sure, that’s a terrible name, but at this point, who cares? It’s a pandemic outside. Fictional bracket names don’t matter right now.
Today I’m going to lay out the Kirk Cousins region, which is highlighted by overall number one seed–you guessed it–Kirk Cousins. Players will be pitted against each other and the winner will be decided exclusively by fan vote.
You can vote on the Magic Johnson region here.
Here’s the full region for a quick refresher.
As with every region, there are a number of big names in the bracket without much separating the top seeds from the lower seeds.
Let’s get to the matchups!
1. Kirk Cousins vs. 16. Keshawn Martin
The namesake of the region, nobody represented Michigan State football better than Kirk Cousins. A three-year captain, Cousins was the epitome of a leader. He said the right things. He worked his tail off. He competed. And he won a lot. Cousins led Michigan State from a “meh” program to one on the precipice of greatness. The Connor Cook era simply does not happen without Kirk Cousins. Cousins left MSU with a bunch of record under his belt, a Big Ten title and an additional appearance in the Big Ten Title game. He was beloved and someone Spartans fans never had to worry about (unless Rob Parker was reporting on him). Go to an MSU football game and you’ll see a boatload of No. 8 jerseys and for good reason. Add in what he has done at the NFL and you’ve got yourself a No. 1 seed.
Next is one of Cousins’ favorite targets–Keshawn Martin. Martin was an explosive playmaker during a time when MSU didn’t have many players like him. To this day his ability in the return game has yet to be replicated. Every year there is hope that somebody can be the next Keshawn Martin. He was a really good player and played a huge role on some really great teams.
2. Connor Cook vs. 15. Jason Richardson
It’s hard to imagine this region not coming down to the top two seeds. Connor Cook has all of the MSU passing records and all of the MSU winning records. He led the best three-year stretch of football MSU has had since the 1960s and set the standard for QB play at MSU. His teams won the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, two Big Ten titles and made the College Football Playoff in 2015. He did this despite not even being the starting quarterback until four weeks into his sophomore season when he eventually replaced Andrew Maxwell. We forget now, but Cook was probably the third or fourth pick among fans to start the 2013 season behind Maxwell and Damion Terry. Boy were we all wrong, Mark Dantonio included.
Cook takes on Jason Richardson. It seems absurd that Richardson would be a 15 seed, but this tournament is loaded. J-Rich was a freshman reserve on the 2000 national title team, but was an All-American as a sophomore helping guide that team back to the Final Four. Richardson was too talented to stay at MSU beyond that and the NBA came calling. Richardson had a nice NBA career highlighted by two Slam Dunk Contest titles. Had he stayed longer at MSU he would have shot up this list. Had he played more as a freshman he would have shot up this list. Still, 15 is probably too low.
3. TJ Duckett vs. 14. Delvon Roe
The MSU record book is littered with the name TJ Duckett. He was a stud for three years at MSU and as I’ve said before in this tournament, running backs hold a special place in the hearts of MSU fans. Given all of his stats and accomplishments, Duckett is perhaps most beloved for his game-winning touchdown catch against No. 6 Michigan in the 2001 “clock gate” game. That game is one that absolutely sticks in the craw of UofM fans and Duckett’s heroics in that moment will live on forever.
He takes on Delvone Roe. Roe was a starter on the 2009 national runner-up team and the 2010 Final Four team. Even though his offensive numbers weren’t gaudy, he was beloved for his relentless defense and Spartan Dawg mentality. Everybody loved Delvon. Add in that he was always fighting through injuries, degenerative knee pain ended his college career a year short, and he was a fan favorite. There’s always a bit of “what if?” with Roe because he was so talented and his knees just didn’t let him become the best basketball version of himself. Also, he has a Twitter account named after him ducking out of the way of the pass to Korie Lucious in the 2010 NCAA Tournament against Maryland.
4. Charles Rogers vs. 13. Jack Conklin
Chuck was as good as it gets. His post-MSU career was very sad as injuries and opioid addiction cost him his NFL career and ultimately shortened his life. He’ll be remembered outside of MSU as one of the NFL’s biggest busts, but for the Green and White faithful, Rogers was truly special. He has the most career receiving TDs in MSU history despite only playing two years. He ranks first and second in single season receiving yards and TDs in MSU history. Had he played a third year all of his receiving records would be forever untouchable. He was as special as talent can get.
Rogers takes on Jack Conklin. Conklin went from walk-on to top-ten NFL Draft pick in just four years at MSU. His rise is one of the best MSU football stories of the last decade. Despite all the success under Mark Dantonio, it didn’t translate to a ton of massive, can’t miss NFL prospects. Conklin was one of the few that defy that. He secured Connor Cook’s blind side during his epic run and was a great player and leader. It’s hard to stand out and become a fan favorite on the offensive line, but Conklin did just that and he’s carried that into a successful NFL career.
5. Kalin Lucas vs. 12. Matt McQuaid
Kalin Lucas’ Achilles tendon is perhaps the biggest “what if?” in the Tom Izzo era. Lucas tore his Achilles in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans made the Final Four without him, but had he been around, that team EASILY could have won it all. Lucas was great in the run to the national championship game in 2009 and had 21 points and five assists in the Final Four against UCONN. And he was just so damn good before the injury. He was good after, but with that type of injury, things are just never the same. Lucas won Big Ten Player of the Year in 2009 and is looked back upon as one of the best point guards Tom Izzo has ever had.
He takes on Matt McQuaid. Had I told you at the beginning of the 2018-19 season that McQuaid would be in this type of bracket, you would have called me crazy. It’s amazing what a few moments can do. McQuaid was a quality starter on the team that made a run to the Final Four in 2019, but he saved his best moments for the biggest stage. First, he scored 27 points against Michigan in one of the biggest Big Ten Tournament Championship games ever. A few weeks later he threw down one of the nastiest posterizing dunks on Duke’s Javin Delaurier in the Elite Eight and followed that up with a mesmerizing spin-o-rama layup later that game. In one of the biggest wins in MSU history, in a game that featured three lottery picks–one being Zion Williamson–it was Matt McQuaid that had two of the most memorable moments. He’s a Spartan legend for life for that.
6. Blair White vs. 11. Kenny Goins
Blair White is an MSU cult hero. He started his career as a walk-on receiver and ended it as an All-Big Ten pass catcher and team leader. Walk-ons that end up as stars always hold special places in the hearts of fans and–as evidence by this region and specific matchup–MSU has a lot of them. In a time when MSU was rebuilding its football program, White helped lead the way to success and excitement on the field.
Everything I just wrote about Matt McQuaid can be said for Kenny Goins. A long frustrating player, Goins blossomed as a senior and became an integral starter to one of the best MSU basketball teams ever. That’s all well and good–and Kenny’s story is a great one–but the reason he is on this list is the shot. The shot. The shot. The shot. Goins hit one of (if not the) biggest shots in Michigan State Basketball history, a late three to give MSU the lead against Duke in the 2019 Elite Eight. In that game, with that much pressure, against THAT Duke team . . . it’s a shot that will never, ever be forgotten in East Lansing.
7. Miles Bridges vs. 10. Raymar Morgan
Miles Bridges is one of the most exciting Michigan State athletes ever. It’s not often MSU gets one of “those guys”; the type of player that walks into the game, plays for 30 seconds and makes you mutter expletives to yourself. Miles was that kind of guy. Miles was an All-American, All Big-Ten, and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He was one of the best players in college basketball both of his years at MSU and is so beloved because we got two years instead of one. Miles could easily have left MSU after his freshman season and been a lottery pick, but he came back. Very few kids do that and it endeared him to MSU fans forever. The 2018 team was absolutely phenomenal and cruised to a Big Ten Title. Had the NCAA Tournament gone better, Miles would be far higher up the seed list.
Raymar Morgan was the heart and soul of some of the best MSU basketball teams ever. He was always a solid contributor on offense, but his rebounding and toughness endeared him to MSU fans. If you ask me, Morgan’s graduation is one of the top reasons MSU took such a big step back on the court in 2011. Never the best player, or the most athletic or gifted, Morgan just got his job done by working his tail off. Those are the types of guys MSU fans absolutely love and remember fondly beyond their time in East Lansing. It also helps that Morgan played a key role on the 2009 runner-up team and the 2010 Final Four team.
8. Kenny Willekes vs. 9. Justin Abdelkader
Oh, look, another walk-on! Kenny Willekes was the most beloved Spartan during the last few years of the Mark Dantonio era. He went from walk-on to All-American and holds the school’s career record for tackles for a loss. Willekes was the very brightest spot during a time in which MSU football struggled to have many. He was (and is) a total grinder and his motor on the field made Spartan fans fall in love.
Our last player comes from the hockey world and it’s a shame he’s seeded this low. Unfortunately for many fans hockey is a distant third to basketball and football, even when the hockey team is winning national titles. Speaking of that, Justin Abdelkader scored the game-winning goal in the 2007 National Championship game against Boston College and won Most Outstanding Player at the Frozen Four. He went on to join the Detroit Red Wings after the season and was helping lift the Stanley Cup just a few months after that. Only one person nominated him and that’s why he’s the No. 9 seed.
