Senior center Derrick Nix attempts to shoot the ball as Ohio State forward Sam Thompson goes to block during the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 16, 2013, at United Center in Chicago, Ill. Nix was the leading scorer for the Spartans with 17 points, but the Buckeyes beat the Spartans, 61-58. Natalie Kolb/The State News
—Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the MSU men’s basketball team now knows it will travel less than 90 miles to begin its quest for a third national title.
The Spartans (25-8) earned a No. 3 seed and will travel to the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, to open the NCAA Tournament against No. 14 seed Valparaiso as a member of the Midwest Region.
As fans from around the country begin filling out their brackets, here are five keys to the Spartans making a long run in March.
1. Consistency from Keith Appling
MSU’s junior captain runs the show offensively and heads the Spartan defense, frequently guarding the opposition’s top player. After a strong start to the season, Appling battled through a slump toward the tail end of the regular season before beginning to right the ship the past four games. MSU head coach Tom Izzo said the Spartans go as Appling goes, so MSU will need steady play from their floor general to advance.
2. Limiting turnovers
The Spartans began the year as one of the most turnover prone teams in the country, had a brief stretch during the middle of the season where they ranked among the best in that category, before finally settling into the middle of the pack. In most of MSU’s losses, turnovers for easy fast break buckets have been prominent, so ball control will be critical to success for the Green and White.
3. Avoiding offensive droughts
MSU has struggled through scoring droughts throughout this season, allowing team’s to go on extended runs that have put the Spartans in deep holes they’ve struggled to work their way out of. This nearly proved fatal in the first half of MSU’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against Iowa and ultimately did the Spartans in against Ohio State the following day. It will be incumbent on Izzo and Appling to make sure MSU can get out of ruts by running proficient offensive sets.
4. Taking advantage of size inside
Few teams have a more skilled tandem inside than centers Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix, which should cause problems for opposing teams. Payne’s diverse skillset — capable of scoring from the post, perimeter and off the dribble — is difficult to matchup with, and MSU’s offense is most efficient when run through Nix, allowing him to read the defense out of the post. The Spartans have to make sure they exploit this matchup and don’t forget to throw the ball inside.
5. Health
The Spartans have battled injuries all season, but will need to be as close to full strength as possible to make an extended tournament run. Freshman guard Gary Harris reaggravated a shoulder injury Saturday and sophomore guard/forward Branden Dawson said his knees are beginning to feel the wear and tear of all the work spent rehabilitating from reconstructive knee surgery.
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