Morgan Must Assert Himself If MSU is to Move On.
If MSU is to make to another Final Four run, Raymar Morgan will need to be center stage. He is the one member of MSU’s basketball team that is a true mismatch for opposing defenses. The small forward position can be the biggest difference among elite teams at this level as they are some of the most difficult guys to defend.
Often teams rely on a third guard to fill the “3." MSU has a true small forward for the first time since Morris Peterson. At 6’7†+, Morgan possesses interior post moves to go with a consistent 15-17 foot jumper. He is athletic, he can create his own shot and he will dunk on you if you give him any daylight. He has the ability to catch and finish in traffic and he is the one guy that possesses the quickness to handle some of Memphis’s size on the perimeter.
The biggest key for Morgan will be playing aggressive Tom Izzo defense while remaining out of foul trouble. Teams know that if they can get Morgan into early foul trouble, he’ll likely remain a role player that struggles to find his rhythm. If he scores and defends well early in the game, he will likely fill the stat sheet with 15-18 points and 6-10 rebounds. MSU has to get these numbers from Morgan to move on Friday night. He not only can score buckets of points around the rim, he can keep a defense honest around the perimeter. He will need to be a defensive stopper for MSU against Memphis and he will have to draw contact to keep the Memphis stars from aligning.
I like Raymar Morgan and I really like his game. He looks at home cleaning up the garbage around the rim and he looks equally sweet when he knocks down that outside “J.†The Morgan that MSU needs on Friday will need to be both the garbage man and the outside assassin. MSU is so much more of a complete team when Morgan is playing well. His interior presence will open up his teammates on the arc. His outside jumper makes Lucas that much more dangerous on the dribble drive. It also makes teams start worrying less about Neitzel and more about the third vial of poison we know as Raymar.
If Lucas, Neitzel, Suton and Morgan all come Friday with their “A†games, Memphis will be going home early Saturday morning. There are few teams in this tournament that can play with MSU when this happens. All you need to do is ask the Longhorns. They ran into the MSU buzz saw back in December when all four of those guys were playing at the top of their game.
Morgan needs to bring his lunch pail and get ready to receive some ally-oops around the basket. He needs to be the intimidator and the one dishing out the punishment. MSU will go as Raymar Morgan’s confidence goes. Nothing spells sure victory for MSU more than a huge game from Morgan to go with five Neitzel three pointers. Morgan is due for a big game and one can only wonder if he is ready to step back into the spotlight and claim his rightful place among the MSU stars where he firmly belongs.
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