7. Eric Snow vs. 10. Shannon Brown

One half of the fire and ice backcourt, Eric Snow was a defensive stalwart for Michigan State in the mid-90s. Everyone loves a guy who can go get a bucket, but Michigan State basketball fans have an extra appreciation for somebody who can absolutely lock guys down. And that’s what Eric Snow did. He was Michigan State’s second ever Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, winning for the 1994-95 season. And together with Shawn Respect (Fire) from one of if not the best backcourt duos in the country. At a time when the Jud Heathcote era was ending and there wasn’t success after success to beam at on the court, Snow gave MSU fans someone to love.

Shannon Brown. Bunnies. As I’m writing this, Shannon Brown should be higher on the list. I don’t know if that’s my fault for seeding him here, or your fault for not mentioning him enough during nominations. But he should be higher. He was a lockdown defender and a good all around player. He was a key part of a Final Four team. And he has some of the most ridiculous highlight plays in MSU basketball history. His 2005 dunk against Penn State is routinely mentioned as one of the best Spartan dunks ever. Maybe he just kind of got lost in the shuffle? He was a bit more of a role player on that 2005 team I guess. (The memory of members of that team is kind of collectively weighed down because they were so balanced). I don’t know what the cause is. But I love Shannon Brown and his straight back cornrows and he should be a better seed.

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