With Northwestern, Iowa, and Purdue all covered, we are moving toward the halfway point of our extensive look at each school of the Big Ten in 2008. Today's post-Fourth of July weekend edition of the
Big Ten Picture focuses on the
Michigan State Spartans, another one of the more storied programs in the Big Ten.
Chris Mackinder, a sports reporter and author of the
Gang Green Blog, was generous enough to offer his own insight on the Spartans this year. Chris is a Michigan State alum, knowledgeable basketball fan, and award-winning writer.
Here's what he had to say about the 2008-09 Spartan squad:
Despite another summer of NBA general managers throwing big bucks his way,
Tom Izzo rejected overtures from The Association and will return for his 14th season at Michigan State.
A few of the biggest reasons: Look at the Spartans roster, tournament experience and, possibly most important, the site of the 2009 Final Four (at Detroit’s Ford Field). The trio was obviously too much to leave behind.
By Michigan State standards – or, some might say the lofty expectations stamped on the program every preseason – the Spartans had a down year. It was the seventh-straight season void of a Big Ten championship despite a solid 27-9 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the Big Ten; the Spartans didn’t play well enough down the stretch to get a Top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament; and, worst of all, the up-and-down season, highlighted by losses to putrid Penn State and Iowa, gave the NCAA Selection Committee all the backing NOT to put the Spartans in the Midwest Regional, where the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds would have taken place at Ford Field.
Who's Gone
• Second leading scorer,
Drew Neitzel (13.9 PPG), who will forever be known as “Mr. Second Half” in East Lansing. While his 6-foot frame made it extremely difficult to shoot over taller guards, Neitzel always had a way of hitting a big shot – typically a long triple – when it was needed.
•
Drew Naymick, the team’s all-time block leader (1.7 BPG last season). Naymick came a long way during his five-year career with the Spartans, evolving from the tall and thin white guy to the beast down low who anchored the Spartans’ interior defense.
Back for Another Season
•
Raymar Morgan – Despite marred in what appeared to be a second half slump last season, Morgan finished as the team’s leading scorer with 14 PPG while also grabbing 6.1 boards per contest. The junior will be counted on to get to the rim – both on offense and defense – and make teams respect his mid-range game.
•
Kalin Lucas – Not since Jason Richardson (currently a member of the Charlotte Bobcats) has any Spartan had the talent and charisma mix that Lucas has. Spartan fans love his competitive nature (as well as his 10.3 PPG and 3.8 APG) but they also love the fact he can single handedly will MSU to a victory. The guy he’ll replace at the point – Drew Neitzel – could take over a game, but he had to use a screen or two to get open. Lucas, who Izzo has called the quickest player he’s ever coached, can score from anywhere on the floor and get to the rim in the blink of an eye.
•
Goran Suton – The homegrown Lansing product had a solid junior season (9.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG) but, believe it or not, those numbers should have been higher. Suton had the rare ability to score 10 straight points in a manner that looked so easy. Unfortunately for Spartans fans, he also scored 0 combined points in 36 combined minutes against UCLA and Indiana – two losses.
•
Chris Allen – The second part of last year’s exhilarating three-man recruiting class came on late last season. His scoring average (6.3 PPG) didn’t wow anybody but his long-range shot was dead on in the final third of the season. If that touch continues into his sophomore campaign, Allen will be a key cog in MSU stretching defenses.
•
Durrell Summers – Another freshman who gave Izzo’s club solid minutes last season. Summers didn’t have great stats (4.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG) for a swingman, but he only played 11 minutes a game. His lanky 6-foot-4 frame gives the Spartans an ideal-sized swingman to run up and down the floor on the wing for alley-oops.
•
Marquise Gray – If there was ever an enigma, Gray is it. For his first three seasons (one of which he was granted a medical redshirt), Gray was so often hobbled that he spent more time on the bench and in the trainer’s room than on the court. Last season, fully healthy, Gray still didn’t look like the monster he was recruited to be (4.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG). Knowing this is his last go-around, Gray might learn how to play defense without fouling and review game film of Drew Naymick’s senior season.
•
Travis Walton – While he lacks the offensive skill of a true MSU guard, he reminds most Spartan fans of the Detroit Pistons’ Lindsay Hunter – a defensive pest. Walton did dish 4.3 APG last season and can score if needed, but he’s a defensive specialist if there ever was one. Walton also is a great floor leader and has been called a coach on the floor by the MSU staff.
•
Tom Herzog – A Top 60 recruit out of Flint, Herzog redshirted before playing limited minutes last season. Now, with Naymick out of the picture, Herzog is eying that gaping hole in the middle of the floor and looking to make a name for himself. His 7-foot, 250-pound body alone will get him significant minutes this season.
•
Idong Ibok – The Nigerian Nightmare, Part II. Ibok, despite being a 6-11 senior, is still learning the game of basketball. But, one thing you cannot teach is height. Another thing unteachable is a 7-foot-5 wingspan. When the Spartans need a shot-blocking phenom in the post, Ibok is usually called upon and he typically delivers.
•
Isaiah Dahlman – Unfortunately, Dahlman looks like he’ll be an odd man out this season. Many Spartans fans believe Dahlman should take a mid-career redshirt this season to refine his game (former Spartans have done it in the past). With the current roster and loaded incoming class, Dahlman won’t get much more playing time than a walk-on.
New Faces
•
Delvon Roe – Here is one gripe Spartans fan can shout loudly: Before Roe committed to Michigan State over North Carolina, he was ranked as the nation’s No. 5 recruit by Rivals.com. Since the commitment, he has fallen all the way to No. 24. (Do you think that would have happened if he were going to play for Roy Williams in Chapel Hill?) Conspiracy theories aside, Roe is a stud and will see immediate playing time at power forward, shifting Raymar Morgan to small forward, his more natural position. He did have micro fracture surgery last season, but Izzo and his staff have said everything is on track for Roe to be ready in plenty of time for preseason training.
•
Draymond Green – One word has been used over and over to describe Green” Versatility. His frame reminds fans of the Detroit Pistons’ Jason Maxiell, except that Green can knock down 3-pointers as if he was a shooting guard.
•
Korie Lucious – Izzo is loading up on true point guards and he couldn’t be happier. His pass-first mentality makes him the ideal point guard for Michigan State. He’s been described as a winner who knows how to win.
Positional Breakdown
Izzo has kept to a pretty basic starting lineup for years, using two guards, two forwards and a center. The one thing viewers have always noticed about Izzo is his ability to consistently tinker with in-game lineups and still get results. Because the Spartans will go 9- or 10-deep this season, it doesn’t matter who starts because everyone will get on the floor. That said, here's the breakdown of the positions.
PG – Lucas, Lucious, Walton
SG – Allen, Summers
SF – Morgan, Dahlman
PF – Roe, Green, Gray
C – Suton, Herzog, Ibok
Starting Lineup
Four of the five positions are pretty much locked in stone even though it’s only July. Lucas will run the point; Morgan will be at small forward; Roe, despite being a rookie, will be the team’s best power forward; And Suton will man the middle as the center. It is likely that Allen will start at shooting guard, but that is only because Izzo doesn’t want to throw true freshman Lucious right into the fire. At times, however, you might see Herzog at the 5 with Suton bumped down to the 4. That means Roe would play small forward and Morgan would be the 2. That only happens, of course, if Herzog proves to be solid on both ends of the floor – especially on the defensive end.
PG – Kalin Lucas
SG – Chris Allen
SF – Raymar Morgan
PF – Delvon Roe
C – Goran Suton
Outlook
Last season’s 27 wins and Sweet Sixteen appearance will be used as something to build on this season. The Spartans lost their small savior in Neitzel, and big redheaded shot-blocking machine in Naymick. However, the youth movement is filled with ceiling-less potential. If all the pieces fit together and the Spartans stay healthy, this is a very, very dangerous team.
It all starts with the non-conference schedule, which, like many years, will be extremely challenging and telling. Here are some of the biggest games: The Spartans play in the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving weekend with a field that includes Tennessee and Georgetown; As part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the Spartans take on likely No. 1 North Carolina at Ford Field in early December; MSU will play Texas at Houston’s Toyota Center in late December; And, though it hasn’t been scheduled yet, the Spartans will host Kansas some time in January as the second part of a home-and-home series dating back to the 2003-04 season.
Many people are hesitant to say it, but I’ll do it right here: This Spartan team will be better than last year’s squad. Does that mean the Final Four is a lock? Absolutely not, but other than North Carolina, which should just pencil it’s name on a Final Four line right now, the three other spots are up for grabs and Michigan State is as good as any team (see Memphis, Louisville, Duke, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Texas) to fill one of them.
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IUplanet:
Michigan State is going to be near the top of the Big Ten this year, as usual. Usually IU would be right there as well, but this season is nothing but 'usual' for the Hoosiers. Like the Boilermakers, the Spartans will be fighting for the Big Ten crown and a deep run into the NCAA tournament, while IU will be clawing for position in the bottom half of the Big Ten.
Last season's 29 point throttling at the hands of the Spartans is probably a good indicator of what to expect this year (although hopefully it won't be
that harsh). IU's small and athletic lineup might perform slightly better running the floor with MSU, but the Spartans are too well-rounded, too experienced, and too well-coached by Tom Izzo for the Hoosiers to have much of a shot this year.
Discuss it in the forums
More teams:
The Big Ten Picture in college basketball: Purdue Boilermakers
http://iuplanet.com/forum/indiana-ba...-hawkeyes.html
http://iuplanet.com/forum/indiana-ba...-wildcats.html
Many thanks to Chris MacKinder and the Gang Green Blog for the great report!
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