A rare home shot at big-time team

Today, a nationally ranked team from one of college basketball's power conferences will deign to play a game at The Citadel's McAlister Field House. How rare an occurrence is this visit from No. 9 Michigan State, the defending Big Ten champion and runner-up to eventual national champ North Carolina in last year's NCAA Tournament? Consider: --In the last 40 years of Citadel basketball, only two games really compare - a visit from No. 12 Duke's Bobby Hurley-Christian Laettner-Grant Hill team on Jan. 16, 1991, and a game against Tim Duncan and No. 3 Wake Forest on Nov. 25, 1996. When No. 11 Virginia came to town in 1971, it was for a tournament, the Palmetto Classic. --On the 2009-2010 schedules of 10 other SoCon teams, there is only one other instance of a ranked power team visiting an on-campus gym - No. 10 North Carolina's upcoming trip to College of Charleston on Jan. 4. Georgia Tech is playing at Chattanooga on Dec. 14, but the Yellow Jackets aren't ranked. And UNC Greensboro has home games with Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina State and Maryland, largely because UNCG is playing home games in the off-campus Greensboro Coliseum, site of this season's ACC Tournament. Citadel players, who have games this season at West Virginia, Texas A&M and Houston, and have traveled in recent years to Michigan State (twice), South Carolina, Washington State, Iowa and Notre Dame, recognize what a rare chance they have tonight. "It's a special opportunity," said junior guard Cameron Wells. "We have to be ready to embrace it and be ready to play. These chances don't come often." Said junior guard Zach Urbanus, "This is why we play college basketball, to go against the best teams. We will give them our best shot. It's every college player's dream to play the best, and to beat the best would be a dream come true." When he was hired four years ago, Citadel coach Ed Conroy said it was his goal to bring big-time teams into McAlister, and he's arranged visits from South Carolina, Southern Cal and Iowa. This game with Michigan State came about through the personal connection between former Citadel athletic director Les Robinson and Spartans coach Tom Izzo, and Conroy's willingness to play twice in East Lansing, Mich., in return for one visit from the Spartans. "Coach Robinson definitely helped with his connection with Coach Izzo through the years in the NCAA Tournament," Conroy said. "And I think Coach Izzo respects the type of institution we have. He's one of the coaches who has been overseas with us in Operation Hardwood, so there we a lot of factors involved. We are very thankful that they are coming here, and I hope that McAlister is packed." Conroy said a lot of big-time programs would not be willing to play a game like this. "There are still a lot of them that won't leave home," he said. "But I think some others are seeing the benefit of not playing every game at home and giving their team some different things - some bonding on the road, a chance to travel themselves, and not just play 10 non-conference games at home." Michigan State (6-2) has been ranked as high as No. 2 this season, and has lost to Florida and North Carolina. Last year, the Spartans beat The Citadel, 79-65, in East Lansing, and they are coming off a 72-60 home win over another SoCon team, Wofford. Izzo, who led the Spartans to the national title in 2000, sounds like he wants his team to realize the same thing. "My team right now doesn't understand that great players don't make a great team," he said after the Wofford game. "It is players that care a little bit more about one another, and right now we haven't done that." Notes As of Saturday, about 1,000 tickets remained at $22 each for tonight's game. Call 953-DOGS for information ... Ex-Citadel player and noted author Pat Conroy will conduct a book signing from 6-7 p.m. at McAlister.