Now 18 years old, MSU’s NCAA Tournament streak is older than some of the incoming freshman class.
In an up-and-down year, there were pundits who questioned if this would be the year head coach Tom Izzo’s tournament streak ended. Even Izzo himself had doubts.
“I think there was a time this year when even I questioned it a little bit, but we’ll feel good about it, and then end of the season, we’ll maybe celebrate it,” Izzo said.
The No. 23 Spartans enter the 2015 NCAA Tournament playing their best basketball of the season, having won eight of their last 11 games. They’re still having trouble finishing games, and free throws continue to be an issue.
Still, after a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament, MSU feels confident entering the weekend.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, No. 7 seed MSU will face No. 10 seed Georgia in the first round Friday. March is regarded as the best month for the Spartans each year, and junior forward Matt Costello credits Izzo for MSU’s yearly postseason success.
“Part of it is the history that coach (Izzo) has had,” Costello said “And Coach kinda sets you up all year long for this type of environment. He always keeps you guessing, he always keeps you on edge. When this time comes we feel comfortable because we’ve been doing this year round.”
Breaking down Georgia
When asked about the Georgia Bulldogs, several Spartans immediately brought up their competitive game against No. 1 Kentucky early in the month.
The Bulldogs led Kentucky 56-47 with nine minutes left in the game, posting the biggest deficit Kentucky has faced this season in the final 20 minutes.
The undefeated Wildcats ended the game on a 16-2 run, going on to win the game, 72-64, for their 30th win of the season.
Though Kentucky prospered in the end, the Spartans realize it takes a talented team to compete with the best team in the country.
“They’re a really good team, and I watched a game between them and Kentucky and they gave Kentucky a run at home,” senior forward Branden Dawson said. “We can never underestimate our opponent. They’re a good team, they have good players.”
The Bulldogs are led by senior forward Marcus Thornton, who leads the Bulldogs in points per game (12.3) and rebounds (7.2). Thornton is also the lone Bulldog with NCAA Tournament experience.
“He can score,” Izzo said of Thornton. “What I’ve seen of him, he’s a little bigger (than Dawson) and he can put it on the floor and he goes right to the rack.”
Izzo said Thornton is also impressive because he can shoot as well with his right hand as his left.
“He has a right and a left hand,” Izzo said. “I watched three films before I realized he was right?handed and he shoots well with his left.”
Izzo didn’t say if Dawson will draw the defensive assignment on Thornton, but with his size, Dawson will likely be a candidate for the job.
“He’s definitely skilled, he can do a lot,” Dawson said. “We’re definitely going to have our hands full.”
The Spartans will also have to plan for junior guard Kenny Gaines, a perimeter shooter and defender hitting at a 36.5 percent clip from downtown, and senior forward Nemanja Djurisic, a European player Izzo compared to former Spartan Goran Suton.
“Djurisic, I’ve never seen a guy with more pump fakes, a typical European player,” Izzo said. “He kind of reminds me of a strong Goran Suton, maybe shoots it a little better from the perimeter. He’s got all the moves, left hand, right hand. He’s got these step moves and covers a lot of ground.”
Georgia head coach Mark Fox held Gaines out of last Saturday’s loss to No. 21 Arkansas after he re-aggravated a foot injury the day before. After the loss, Fox said if it had been an NCAA Tournament game, Gaines would have saw time on the court.
“If this would have been the NCAA Tournament, Kenny would have played,” Fox said. “I think that if we get in that situation, we’ll have to drag him off the court quite frankly. He’s a great competitor.”
Izzo also will have to prepare to see a familiar face on the opposite sideline — his nephew, Georgia operations director Matt Bucklin.
“As far as Georgia, probably the hardest thing for me, is I have a nephew on that staff who played there as a walk?on and earned a scholarship, who has been on the staff for three years,” Izzo said. “Thanksgiving will never be the same, my poor parents.”
Heading into battle
Izzo’s desire to get his teams to the Final Four round of the tournament is an established part of his lore, but he’s not dangling that goal over the head of his players.
“I think the battle try is to win the weekend,” Izzo said. “Battle cry is to win the weekend and then we’ll assess where we are.”
The Spartans have proven themselves capable of competing with some of the best teams in the country, as their overtime loss against Wisconsin on Sunday will illustrate. Yet, MSU has suffered losses to Texas Southern, Illinois and Minnesota.
Looking too far ahead would be unwise, especially with Georgia being the first opponent.
“The first game is the most important game, because after you get that first good, you get your rhythm and you start to feel good about yourself,” junior guard Denzel Valentine said. “It’s kinda a relief and then you get prepared for the second game.
“That first game is very important. Georgia is not just going to lay down. If everybody has us beating them, they’re going to come out with a chip on their shoulder. So we have to match that intensity or have more,” he added.
Costello used motivational speaker Eric Thomas’ “win the day” quote when discussing MSU’s approach to the tournament.
“You always have the goal of going to a Final Four, you always have the goal of going to a Big Ten championship,” Costello said. “But you wanna be successful, you have to take care of your day to day stuff. Eric Thomas ... he’s a motivational speaker. You gotta win the day.
“So today you had to come in and win, win our practice today. Just to have that mindset of every time you step on the court, you have to play your best, that’s how you win championships. It’s not, ‘Oh, we’re going to a Final Four.’ You got six games before then you have to win.”
