Pure Michigan Sports

Michigan State had an opportunity to make a statement last night, to prove their previous 2 losses were mere flukes, but instead Syracuse embarrassed them dropping them to 6-3 on the season.  The Spartans dialed up the perfect recipe for disaster last night as they allowed too many easy baskets, had little success at the free throw line, continued to turn the ball over at an alarming rate and most importantly lacked their usually toughness.  Coach Izzo disgustingly described his team’s effort to Joe Rexrode from the Lansing State Journal after the game:

CHRISTOPHER PASATIERI / NEWSDAY

“I’d say it’s gut-check time for us, because that was about as disappointing a performance as we’ve had in a long time at Michigan State,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “I give a lot of credit to Syracuse – or maybe one man, (senior forward Rick) Jackson, since he totally kicked our butt all night long.  We’ve turned into a pretty-boy, jump-shooting team instead of the blue-collar, fist-fighting team.”

Heading into the game the Spartans were most concerned with Syracuse’s zone defense, however the Orange quickly exposed the Spartan big men which allowed them to build an early lead heading into halftime.  It was odd to see Roe, Nix, Green, Sherman and Payne allow Syracuse forward Rick Jackson(17 points and 16 rebounds) look like the most dominating big man in the country.  The poor play down low allowed way too many easy baskets and virtually forced the Spartans out of this game.  Of all the big men, freshman Adreian Payne was by far the worst, he looked completely lost on defense and was benched for the entire second half.

Michigan State slowly crept back into this game in the second half despite their poor play, as they finally received a solid shooting night from Durrell Summers, but he was the only player who was playing on a high level.  Too frequently the Spartans settled for outside shots and looked completely lost against the zone.  As bad as the Spartans play ed it was most frustrating to see them struggle so heavily with basic fundamentals.  Historically coach Izzo has preached fundamentals and it is rarely a reason one of his teams loses a game, however the Spartans overall effort last night draws some major concerns for the future.

Although there is no denying the Spartans schedule is one of the toughest in the country and all 3 of their losses have come against top 10 teams they have not looked like a title contender so far.  This season is far from lost and one would have to imagine if any coach can right this ship it has to be Izzo, especially with the talent and experience this team possesses. However as Izzo mentioned after the game it’s gut check time.  The Spartans biggest issues  this season have been problems they can control, they must rediscover their potential and it all starts with their next game on Saturday.  They face off against Oakland University at the Palace of Auburn Hills and only have 2 other games over the course of the next 23 days.  This will allow them some much needed rest, but also give them time to do some sole searching as well.  Currently this team does not deserve to be ranked, and will have to scratch and claw it’s way back to the top by doing the dirty work and fundamentals they have been taking for granted so far this season.

Al Goldis / Lansing State Journal

The #8 Michigan State Spartans tip off tonight against the #7 ranked Orange of Syracuse at the Madison Square Garden.  Aside from the Spartans never ending turnover woes beating Syracuse’s zone defense should make life difficult for the Spartans.  One of the perks of the Spartans playing such a tough non-conference schedule is that it allows them to play some of the best teams in country who play very different styles.  Syracuse is a physical team, that has a very experienced team that plays an one of the most aggressive zone defenses in the country, a style of play the Spartans will unlikely see in another other team in country, much less the Big Ten.  However the Spartans will be relying on one of the most versatile players in the county, to give them the edge junior Draymond Green.

Coach Tom Izzo told Joe Rexrode from the Lansing State Journal about the value Green brings to the team:

“He is not a forward,” Izzo said of Green, who leads MSU in rebounds, blocks, steals and 3-point shooting. “He is not a center, he’s not a guard, he’s just a hybrid. And that’s what I’m gonna start calling him, he’s the best hybrid in America, I think. And I’m gonna play him as the sixth man because I think that’s what’s best for our team, and he’s man enough to handle it.”

The match up problems Green can create should allow the Spartans to have success against the Orange’s zone defense.  As Izzo noted he can spread the floor with his passing, shoot inside and outside, as well as pound the glass and do the dirty work down low.  The Spartans have leaned heavily on Kalin Lucas in big games, but he is fatigued heading into this match up and the team will be leaning on Green more than ever.  They could also use a better shooting night from Durrell Summers, who still remains without his stellar shooting touch, and help from the rest of the team as well.  If Green can have a special night the Spartans should be able to beat Syracuse and avoid their third loss of the season, however you can never discount the effort and focus of a Jim Boehiem coached team.  It will be another late start for the Spartans as tip off is scheduled for 9:30pm, tune in on ESPN and as allows listen live with the Spartan Sports Network.

The Spartans and Blue Devils played close the entire game, but the Blue Devils prevailed 84-79.  Duke received an amazing game from freshman Kyrie Irving, 30 points, but also took advantage of the Spartans biggest weakness, turnovers.  Heading into the game coach Izzo preached the importance of lowering the number of times the team turns the ball over as their main focus.  Despite staying within striking distance the entire game, and a lackluster performance from team captain Draymond Green the Spartans kept beating themselves.  As this turnover issue has spilled into December coach Izzo told the Lansing State Journal’s Joe Rexrode it has become as much his program as the players:

SARA D. DAVIS / Associated Press

“The turnover thing, I’ve got to get blamed for it now,” Izzo said. “It’s just getting ridiculous. … But I think we learned a lot. We’ll put it in the bank and see if maybe we can get another shot some time.”

The Spartans committed 20 turnovers, many unforced, and lost another opportunity to prove they are truly an elite program.  Despite his success in March, coach Izzo and the Spartans routinely come up short in December.  There is no question the Spartans play one of the toughest schedules in the country that shapes and prepares them for their success in March, but it sure would be nice to see the team finally beat the elite teams all the time.

As the season moves on the Spartans will get better and learn from their mistakes, the turnovers should decline and they will be right in the mix of contention for the title by the end of the year.  However this is supposed to be the most talented and experienced team coach Izzo has ever had, yet it still isn’t good enough to beat one of the many very good Duke teams under coach K?  The Spartans have a long season ahead of them, but this game not only called them out as a contender for this season, but as an elite program in the country.  This loss proved the Spartans are close to reaching their potential greatness, but why do they have to keep learning how to respond to mistakes they already know how to fix?

Tonight the Spartans travel to Durham, North Carolina to face off against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils.  Coach Izzo has, and will continue, spending his career attempting to match the success that Coach Krzyzewski has built at Duke.  During his 30 years at Duke Coach K has won 4 National Championships, advanced to 12 Final Fours and won 12 ACC Conference Titles.  In comparison Coach Izzo has won 1 National Championship, advanced to 6 Final Fours and won 6 Big Ten Conference Titles during his 15 years at Michigan State.

Coach K has turned Duke into the premiere college basketball program in the country.  Despite having snobby and annoying fans and alumni (sound familiar?), one can’t deny the success Coach K has instilled within his program.  Every team wants to have Duke’s success and every team wants to beat them.  The Detroit News’ John Niyo caught up with former Spartan great Mateen Cleaves to get his perspective on the Spartans desire to achieve the Blue Devils success:

Al Goldis / Lansing State Journal

“Duke is Duke, and that’s always where you want to be,” ex-Spartans guard Mateen Cleaves explained Monday after dropping by practice at Breslin Center. “And that’s Coach Izzo — that’s where he wants to be. He’s always going to find a challenge, and when you look around the country, Duke’s always going to be that program, from the coach on down.  I’ll say it, that I feel he’s right there, and other people may say it, too,” said Cleaves, who was — and still is — Izzo’s favorite player. “But he’ll never admit that. He’s always going to keep motivated.”

While the Spartans and Izzo still have their work cut out for them to reach the overall success that Duke has created, their immediate focus must remain on winning tonight’s game.  The Spartans will try to beat the defending national champions and end their streak of 80 straight home victories over non-conference opponents.  They will also try to help the Big Ten win its second straight Big Ten/ACC Challenge, as well as prove they belong in the conversation in discussion for  the contenders of this year’s title.

The Spartans understand that to be the best you have to beat the best, and if they are to win this game they are going to have to take care of the basketball.  Coach Izzo told David Mayo at Mlive about the keys to not only beating Duke, but any team on the Spartans schedule:

“If I really wanted to get something out of this week, it would be take care of the ball and play like you can offensively and compete a little more on the boards defensively,” Izzo said. “I think if we did those two things, our half-court defense has been very good. We haven’t finished it with a rebound sometimes, and the turnovers have led to touchdowns sometimes.”

If the Spartans can take care of the basketball then this game should go right down to the wire.  Hopefully Durrell Summers can get his shooting back on track and Spartans can receive outstanding games from Kalin Lucas and Draymond Green as well.  Tip off is at 9:30pm, you can watch the game on ESPN or listen live via the Spartans Sports Network.

Michigan State went to the Maui Invitational for the excellent competition and to learn about how this team responds to tournament style games this season.  The Spartans survived a scare from upset minded Silverswords of Chaminade, winning 82-74 last night, but they had a familiar hero leading the way.  Senior Kalin Lucas soundly quieted any concerns about his recovery from rupturing his achilles last March by pouring in 28 points last night.  If the overall number of points wasn’t impressive enough, majority of his baskets jump started scoring runs, and he hit numerous crucial shots down the stretch that kept the Spartans in the lead.

Many have questioned Lucas’ overall health, and stated his durability as a main concern for the team’s ability to make another run in March.  While it was a little discouraging to see the Spartans need such a fine performance from their star to pull out the win, it is definitely encouraging to see back to his old tricks again.  Lucas evaluated his performance with the Detroit Free Press’ Shannon Shelton after the game:

EUGENE TANNER / Associated Press

“One thing I was trying to do was be more aggressive,” Lucas said. “I was trying to just attack, make plays for my teammates and make shots for myself. That was something I was able to do.”

Coach Izzo preached his displeasure with the team’s defense and the number of turnovers after the game, but hopefully they can play up to the competition tonight, they will play Connecticut tonight at 7pm.  The Huskies will be relying on their star in Kemba Walker, hopefully the Spartans won’t need such a valiant effort from Lucas and bring more of a balanced attack to the court tonight.

After finishing their exhibition season 2-0 the Spartans kick off their regular season against Eastern Michigan on Friday.  In typical Izzo fashion the Spartans have a loaded non-conference schedule that is highlighted by a trip to the Maui Invitational where they could play Connecticut, #11 Kentucky, #18 Washington, Oklahoma, and then scheduled games against #1 Duke (Big 10/ACC Challenge), #13 Syracuse and #25 Texas.  Then the Spartans will have to work their way through a tougher than usual Big Ten schedule highlighted by #5 Ohio State(1 game), #8 Purdue(2 games), #16 Illinois(2 games), and #24 Wisconsin(2 games).  Since the Spartans have sky high expectations and one of the toughest schedules in the country here are the 5 keys for them to have a successful season.

Al Goldis/ Lansing State Journal

1.) Upperclassmen Pride-

Although this team has been infused with young stars they will need outstanding efforts from their upperclassmen; juniors: Delvon Roe, Draymond Green, Korie Lucious Austin Thorton, and seniors: Kalin Lucas, Mike Keibler and Durrell Summers.  Entering the season ranked #2 and coming off of back to back Final Fours this group has established themselves as one of the best in Spartan history.  However this group is eager to bring the university’s third basketball National Title back to East Lansing.  The feeling of unfinished business should keep these players determined and focused all season long.

2.) Take Advantage of Flexible Rotations-

Unlike last season the Spartans have such a flexible roster this season that they can play big or small against teams.  Coach Izzo has the opportunity to put forwards Nix and Roe along with Payne or guards Lucas, Lucious and Summers, then having the luxury to play Green at point forward or down low.  These lineup options can allow the Spartans to dictate the pace by slowing fast teams down or run a fast break heavy offense.

3.) Develop Freshman-

The Spartans enter this season with two start studded players in Appling and Payne that will play major roles in the Spartans success.  It is unseen how much playing time either will receive, but both players have enough talent to force their way onto the court.  However Izzo must find ways to utilize their talents and have them playing at their best in March, if the team can’t trust or rely on these players their talents will be useless.

4.) Stay Healthy-

The Spartans enter the season with four key players(Lucas-recovering from ruptured achilles, Roe-knee surgery, Lucious-knee surgery and Payne-shoulder surgery) returning from injury and cannot afford any set backs or new injuries.  While this team has plenty of depth, losing any player for long stretches of time could derail a special season.

5.) PP-TPW-

Izzo’s mantra of Players Play-Tough Players Win cannot and will not be lost on this team, but embracing it nightly is a must. This team cannot forget that success will not come to the, having a target on their backs will have them stay focused, but keeping a level head will be crucial.  Many have deemed this the most talented team Izzo has ever coached, but finding new ways to inspire an experienced group and not losing his messages to deaf ears will be no easy task, luckily it’s a challenge Izzo will embrace full heartedly.

As anticipated the Michigan State Spartans soundly defeated the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 88-44,  in the Spartans first exhibition game of the season.  The Spartans came out hot from the start and kept their foot on the pedal throughout the game offering the Cardinals zero opportunities to get back into the game.  Overall a very solid performance from the Spartans, it was especially great to see Kalin Lucas back on the floor.

Although he only played 19 minutes he still contributed a team high 13 points and appeared to be playing at 90%(still lacking below his top speed) as he still recovers from rupturing his left achilles tendon.  Despite playing the fewest minutes of any starter he still spoke positively of his performance to the Detroit Free Press’ Shannon Shelton:

“It felt great to be back out there with my teammates, playing and pretty much just having fun out there,” Lucas said. “It felt good. The only thing that was kind of stopping me was that I got winded kind of fast. I had to ask for a sub, but as far as my Achilles, it felt good.”

Kevin W. Fowler / Lansing State Journal

Lucas should be close to a 100% when the regular season gets under way, but the team has enough weapons to allow him to ease his way back into the lineup.  Fellow senior Durrell Summers had a sub par night offensively, shot 2-7 from the field, but was excellent defensively and appears ready to build off his tremendous March Madness.  The Spartans leader Draymond Green displayed impressive long range by nailing 2 three pointers, and also contributed 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 12 points.  Green played some time at small forward, but he it was evident he is still getting comfortable with the position.  Delvon Roe enters the season feeling close to 100% and appeared to play with more energy and explosion, contributing 8 points and 8 rebounds.  The Spartans will have to make more of an effort to run offense through Roe, utilizing his size and strength more often than they have in the past.  The younger players also made the most of their time on the court, offering glimpses of what the Spartans future holds.

Freshman Keith Appling put his speed and shooting on display as he made his way to the basket with ease finishing with 12 points on the night.  He also showed excellent defensive skills and contributed a few nice assists as well.  It’s unclear how many minutes he will play behind Lucas and Lucious, but the offense won’t stall with him in the lineup.  The most exciting player of the night was center Adreian Payne.  He displayed jaw dropping athletic ability on both ends of the floor and showed off a nice shooting stroke.  He is still a work in progress, but he has the potential to dominate inside and create match up problems all season long.  Sophmore Derrick Nix struggled to make an impact in the first half of the game, but contributed aggressive work in the paint in the second half.  Nix has all the tools to be a difference maker on this team, just a matter of him putting in the time to hone his skills.  The Spartans also got nice contributions from Austin Thorton, Alex Gauna, and Mike Keibler.  All three players had solid fundamental skills, and a hustled every second they were on the floor.

Overall a solid performance from the Spartans, every player on the floor contributed, with each player finally having game experience to build on as they start two-a-day practices this week.  The Spartans next game is Monday when they face the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.

Tonight coach Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans play host to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals for the seasons first exhibition game.  Although the uniforms will be different the team returns largely intact and has their goals set at National Title or bust.    As the Spartans enter the season ranked preseason #2 and fresh off back to back Final Four appearances the expectations and excitement for this season could not be any higher.  In tonight’s game the Spartans will face off against a Cardinals team that is experiencing roster turnover that will weaken their chances of pulling off another upset of the Spartans (leading scorer graduated, top inside threat academically ineligible).  However coach Frankie Smith’s team will come prepared  to make the Spartans work for their victory, despite lacking size and overall talent.

The Spartans will start the season starting Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, Austin Thorton, Draymond Green and Delvon Roe.  However expect coach Izzo to make every attempt to make sure all of his players see plenty of game time.  It will be most interesting to see the development of freshman guard Keith Appling and center Adreian Payne.  Both players have been highly touted, and despite injuries and suspensions it appears Izzo will force these two young stars to earn every second they get on the floor.  Another break out player on the bench is the trim Derrick Nix, he committed himself to shedding excess weight( lost 50 pounds over the course of the past two years) and is eager to show off his new speed, agility and endurance.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

As the schedule gets tougher coach Izzo feels very comfortable with his team and the team’s leader Draymond Green.  Izzo expressed his appreciation and excitement for Green’s leadership as a player coach to the Flint Journals Adam Biggers:

“The other thing I preach a lot about is a player-coached team is much, much better than a coach-coached team,” Izzo said with a grin. “That hurts my ego a little, but that’s the truth. I don’t get to do the things on the floor in the last minute — I’m not in the huddle — Mark Dantonio’s (MSU football coach) not in the huddle.  I think you really need players that are coaches. And when you got a player-coached team, you know you got something special.  He’s a special guy,” Izzo said of the junior Green. “And he might be that guy who can get us over the hump. Because when he talks, I listen.”

Many have said that this is the most talented team coach Izzo has ever had, adding the leadership from Green and the overall experience this stands to be another special season in East Lansing.  After one of the most bizarre off-seasons for this basketball program this game against Saginaw Valley State could not come soon enough.  Tip off is at 7pm at the Breslin Center and you can tune into the game on the Big Ten Network or listen live with the Spartan Radio network.