Spartans Men's basketball team played their last road game of the regular season at Purdue on Sunday, winning in convincing fashion. It is clear Purdue is missing their star Robbie Hummel, who tore his ACL a few days earlier and is done for the rest of the season. Either way, there were some very, very bright spots out on the hardwood:
1. Derrick Nix - Nix has been overweight all year, coupled with being a freshman, which has reduced his minutes. However, he started and banged down low all night. Jajuan Johnson is a tough defensive assignment, but he held his own, scoring a handful of key points and keeping Johnson relatively quiet all night.
2. Raymar Morgan - Morgan stepped up big time. Many people don't see his inconsistency issue go away, but you can definitely tell his attitude has changed. He gets a foul and keeps on going. If he makes a mistake, he hustles back on defense without pouting. Yes, his offensive stats drop a lot, but you have to remember that we have 2 new scoring threats this year - Chris Allen and Draymond Green. Both have had a bigger role on offense - most of the time, if one of these guys has a big game, Morgan doesn't score much, and vice versa.
3. DEFENSE - Wow, where have you been, Spartans? The team finally played some Izzo ball and were suffocating at times on defense. The Boilers never got a rhythm going, as there was great defensive play all over the court. Of course, there is the Hummel footnote there, but its looking up.
The remaining games are Penn State and Michigan on senior day. On paper, this is cake. But remember Penn State's Talor Battle scorched the Spartans last year at home and the Wolverines just demolished Minnesota. If the Spartans win both, they share the Big Ten title with OSU for sure, Purdue also if the Boilers win their last game.
It is March, so I'll give everyone a few tips to watch in the bracket on Selection Sunday:
Big Ten has 4 teams in for sure: OSU, MSU, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Illinois is fighting for its tourney life, with a game against Wisconsin left.
Currently, seeding is important for the Spartans. A basic rule is there is a BIG difference between a 3 seed and a 4 seed: A 4 seed has to play the 1 seed in the sweet sixteen, while a 3 seed has to play no higher than the 2 seed in the SS. Basically, it holds off playing the 1 seed for an extra game. Why is this THAT important you ask...
The 1 seeds projected for the tournament is almost a lock to include Kentucky, Kansas, and Syracuse. The fourth is TBD. There appears to be quite a gap in performance level between these teams and the potential 2 seeds: Kansas State, Villanova, Ohio State, West Virginia, New Mexico. Another plus is that even against these 1 seeds in the elite eight, assuming it gets to that point, is that both teams will be tired from playing 2 days before. Tom Izzo has built a reputation on being EXTREMELY good at scouting teams in the tournament, especially on 48 hours notice.
MSU will be much better off as a 3 than as a 4. Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse will be tough, no matter what, but facing one of them in the Elite 8 will undoubtedly be better than in the sweet sixteen. Personally, I think this team gets to the Elite 8 and falls to the 1 seed in their region, in a close heartbreaker. Watch the Spartans this Thursday against PSU and Sunday against Michigan.
Go Green!
