Seniors and Juniors Shouldn’t be Out-Toughed and Out-Hustled by a Bunch of Freshmen and Sophomores

Before I get started, I just want to say that Kalin Lucas is ridiculous, and I love the way Drew Naymick has played this year. ÂNow to the point that I wanted

Before I get started, I just want to say that Kalin Lucas is ridiculous, and I love the way Drew Naymick has played this year.

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Now to the point that I wanted to make. The Spartans lost another road game. I know that it is tough to win on the road, but this is supposed to be a veteran ball club right? That means that seniors and juniors shouldn’t be out-toughed and out-hustled by a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. Not only that. The youngest players on the floor had more poise than anybody. For Purdue, freshmen Robbie Hummel and E’Twaun Moore had good games, and hit big shots. Sophomore Chris Kramer, only had four points, but he played like a monster defensively. For the Spartans, I shouldn’t even have to say who played with the most poise because most of you should already know.

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Jamal wrote an article last week suggesting that Tom Izzo start Kalin Lucas and bring Drew Neitzel off the bench, and I have to say that I agree. If not bring him off the bench, reduce his role. I really don’t think that will happen because Coach Izzo is extremely loyal to his upperclassmen. He reminds me of Larry Brown in a way, because it takes a lot for him to trust a freshman. Michigan State has brought in numerous highly touted recruits, and how many of them have had a big impact as freshmen? In some situations, it is better for the player to learn certain aspects of the college game, but in others it can affect the team negatively.Â

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In 2003 the Spartans made a run to the Elite Eight in San Antonio before losing to the Texas Longhorns. That team was able to make that run because of the play of three freshmen…Paul Davis, Erazem Lorbek, and Maurice Ager. Looking back at that team, there is no way that Adam Ballinger should’ve started over Davis or Lorbek at any point in the season.  Lorbek was a starter during the tournament though.Â

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This season, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers have seen their minutes reduced greatly. Allen has been injured, and Summers has been inconsistent on defense, but I think that they should be able to learn from their mistakes and play through them. Allen and Summers weren’t turning the ball over against Purdue, and they weren’t the primary reasons why Penn State scored nearly 90 points last Saturday.

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During the Big Ten season, this team has not been impressive. Even in the games that we won, we didn’t look good doing it. Many people like to say that we shouldn’t panic because they are 20-4. We shouldn’t panic, but there is cause for concern. We are 20-4, but at worst, we should be 22-2. UCLA and Purdue were loses that you might expect to happen. I can’t say, with any confidence that this team is going to go into Assembly Hall on Saturday and win.

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There is still a lot of basketball to play, and the Spartans can still make a run in the tournament. That is the beauty of college basketball. I really don’t think that this team will live up to its expectations if Allen and Summers don’t contribute. It’s the same logic that I use with the Pistons. If you play the young guys now and let them take their lumps, it will pay off later in the season.