a tale of two programs

Michigan State will host a Final Four team at Ford Field for the next Big Ten/ACC challenge , making it the marquee game in the series this fall:

EAST LANSING — It could be a preview of the 2009 national championship game in Ford Field.

The Big Ten announced this afternoon that Michigan State will play North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Ford Field on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

"I was a little surprised, but I’m happy about it," Izzo said before Tuesday’s football practice. "I knew we were working on something (big), but I didn’t know it would be in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. I was thrilled when I found out that’s what it was.

"I was not involved (with the scheduling) one iota. I’m surprised that we know now. When do we usually find out? The end of June or July. So when they called me this morning is when I first heard.When I heard about, I said, `Wow!’ "

Meanwhile, the furry rodents from Ann Arbor might be losing a big man from their bottom feeder program:

Center Ekpe Udoh, who just completed his sophomore season, said at Monday’s season-ending banquet that he is considering transferring.

“We’re thinking about it,” Udoh said, adding he plans to go home to Edmond, Okla., after final exams in the next few weeks and discuss his options with his family. “Anything’s a possibility.”

He plans to make the decision “as soon as possible – I want to be fair to both parties.”

Hey, remember the Fab Five? Michigan’s AD sure hopes you do:

Michigan athletic director Bill Martin made an unusual comment at the Wolverines’ season-ending banquet Monday night. Martin pointed to former Fab Five player Jimmy King in the audience, and said: “One of these days I want to host a reunion of that entire team,” adding he wanted to do it as soon as possible.

Yeah, because it’s cool to honor cheaters like Chris Webber:

In U-M’s NCAA violations case involving the payments from booster Ed Martin to the players Webber “and his family received a total of approximately $280,000 in extra benefits from the representative between 1988 and 1993, a significant portion of which was received after the athletics representative became a representative of the university’s athletics interests in the spring of 1992.”

Part of the NCAA sanctions stated that U-M had to disassociate from Webber (and the other three involved athletes, Louis Bullock, Robert Traylor and Maurice Taylor) for at least 10 years from the date of the sanctions, May of 2003.

That means the disassociated individuals cannot: assist in the recruiting of athletes or helping an athlete while enrolled at U-M, they cannot donate money to the athletic department, they cannot get any benefit not available to the public at large, and their personal records were vacated.

Somebody needs a T-O, baby!