When you think of Michigan State basketball, thoughts of Magic Johnson, the Flintstones, Tom Izzo, Final Fours and tough basketball dance in your head.
But, what about when you think of Michigan State basketball this season? Tom Izzo is still there, but where’s the toughness? A Final Four seems like a miracle run. The question has to be asked, is this team even good?
Now, normally there’s nothing to worry about with the Spartans come January, due to their annual tough out of conference schedule. There tends to be a couple of losses to top-15 teams, but this season it’s a little different. There’s a loss at home to Texas Southern and one of the worst halves in basketball history when Michigan State scored 14 points at home against Maryland.
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So, why is the time to worry this season? This isn’t a typical Michigan State team.
The Spartans are getting to the free throw line at their lowest rate while also making the least amount of free throws in the last decade. On the flip side, their opponents are consistently getting to the line and getting there late in games.
This was evident during the Maryland game, when there was only one bucket scored in double overtime for the Terrapins, but they still won due to free throw shooting.
As the trend has been all season, more than 74 percent of opponents free throw shooting comes after halftime. For Maryland all 32 free throw attempts were after the break. This means either Michigan State is fouling to keep the game close late in games or the Spartans are getting tired and playing lazy defense, not a typical staple of a Tom Izzo-coached team.
The other component missing from this year’s Michigan State team is the lack of leadership. Last season the Spartans had Keith Appling, Adreian Payne and Gary Harris to count on when the game was on the ropes. With Denzel Valentine and Branden Dawson as role players, the Spartans were a true team.
This season Valentine and Dawson were expected to step into a leadership role and both have failed. Dawson continues to battle through injuries, a trend that has literally hurt his career, while Valentine hasn’t been as good as expected.
Through 14 games averaging 13 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, but he seems checked out from time to time. Against Maryland, the home opener for Big 10 play, he managed just four points and three turnovers while fouling out playing just 29 minutes. This simply can’t happen for the leader of the Spartans as the season goes forward.
So, what can Michigan State do to turn around its season before it’s too late? First, the Spartans need to find an identity. They need to be the Spartans that Tom Izzo likes to coach. This means diving after loose balls and not getting outrebounded.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Spartans can’t run their offense through Matt Costello like they did against Maryland. They need to run their traditional motion offense using Travis Trice, Valentine and Dawson as the three main components in the offense.
If not, it’s time for Michigan State to start boasting about its football program, because the basketball season is quickly falling away.