Now that is what the Spartan Nation has been Looking for!
This is the Spartan team that we have been waiting to see all season. In your face defense, easy transition buckets, and balance.
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The Spartans played the best game that they’ve played all season against an extremely talented Indiana team. Much of the talk will be about the way the Spartans shot the ball Sunday afternoon, but the key to the game was the defense. Coach Izzo has decided to pressure the ball a little bit. He hasn’t implemented a press like Memphis or a “40 minutes of hell†type Arkansas press. The Spartans have just played a full court man-to-man press. Coach Izzo did the same thing in 2005 on their run to the Final Four. The press doesn’t always create a load of turnovers, but it takes a team out of their rhythm. It takes a team a little longer to get up the court and that gives them less time to operate in the half court. On Sunday, Indiana played right into MSU’s hands by continually trying to go one-on-one time after time. The Spartans’ active hands did create numerous turnovers that led to transition buckets all game. MSU can apply pressure the whole game, because they have the luxury of a deep bench.
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It was good to see Raymar Morgan get involved in the game early. He has struggled during the Big Ten season, and his jump shot looked pretty good on Sunday. If Raymar develops a consistent jump shot and slows his play down, that will make him extremely dangerous. The two freshmen off the bench gave the team some really solid minutes. Chris Allen looks like he is finally becoming fully healthy. We knew that he could shoot, but he ran the floor really well. Durrell Summers has seen his minutes rise in recent games. He didn’t look indecisive, as he has in previous outings. The inspired play was contagious on Sunday.
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Eric Gordon is a load, and probably won’t be playing college basketball next season, but Travis Walton did an admirable job. Gordon scored 22 points, but it had to be the toughest 22 points that he has ever scored. There were several times when Gordon tried to penetrate and the help defense converged on him and forced a turnover. The Spartan bigs did a great job on D.J. White as well. They held their ground and made it tough for White to get a good look at the basket. Naymick is taller that White, and used that to his advantage. If Goran Suton can play at the level he has in the last two games, the Spartans should be one of the most difficult teams to beat in the NCAA tournament.
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Senior Drew Neitzel played a huge role in building momentum for the team. Neitzel hit four of his five attempted three pointers. Neitzel even penetrated some on Sunday. That is something that he has to do more. He can’t just shoot three-pointers in every game. He should use his mid-range game more, because they are higher percentage shots.
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We saw again on Sunday why Kalin Lucas is the primary piece to the future of this program. He made several great plays with the ball, as he usually does, but we saw more of his passing skills. I was waiting to see him set up his teammates a little more than he has. He ran the pick-and-roll to perfection, he threw great lobs to Gray and Summers and he still used his speed, but he played under control. He didn’t rush, as he has the tendency to do. Â
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The Spartans played well once again at the Breslin Center, but there are still two more regular season games left to play, and they are both on the road. Ohio State is a desperate team right now that is fighting for their tournament lives and Assembly Hall is always a tough place to win. Has this team turned the corner? I think that we’ll have an answer to that question by this time next week.
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