I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this, but I was mighty impressed with Michigan State's performance in the semifinals of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. The Spartans got solid all-around performances from Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan, and big contributions from Drew Naymick, Maurice Joseph and Marquise Gray to beat No. 19 Texas yesterday at Madison Square Garden.

The Longhorns aren't a great team, but this was a great win for Michigan State. Texas has one of the best players in the country in freshman Kevin Durant, whose ball skills are amazing for someone 6-9, and fine complimentary pieces in guards A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin and forward Damion Jones.

For Michigan State, the victory signaled a return to the Izzo roots of team basketball with dog-nasty defense and rebounding force. MSU held Texas without a field goal for four minutes early in the second half and without a point for the final 2:48, and outboarded the more athletic Longhorns, 41-37.

Tonight, they've got another test tonight against Maryland, a super deep team that ran all over St. John's yesterday. If they win, they'll no doubt be ranked in the top 20 next week. I fingered MSU as a six seed before the season, but I never thought they'd look this good early. We'll see just how real they are tonight.