ATLANTA - He was the wrong guy in the right situation to combine for the perfect result - a third straight trip to the NCAA Final Four.
And on paper it looked as if senior guard David Thomas, averaging five points per game, would have followed suit to what he’s been accustomed to doing all year - providing his forte of solid defense and athletic rebounding.
But against Temple’s infamous matchup zone in Sunday’s 69-62 win came the opportunity for Thomas to shine and force the Owls to respect his accuracy from the perimeter. The 24-year-old did just that, scoring 19 points and shooting 8-of-10 from the field.
“You definitely dream about playing big, especially on national TV,” Thomas said of his pre-game aspirations to have a breakout performance. “I’m just glad I got the opportunities to take good shots. This was definitely a dream game for me and probably something any player who doesn’t average many points dreams about.”
Temple guard Quincy Wadley said the Owls didn’t consider Thomas an offensive threat when scouting the Spartans.
“He definitely surprised us and did a good job knocking down shots,” Wadley said. “I thought we did a pretty good job defending their outside players and we knew that Thomas hasn’t been shooting the ball that well, but he really stepped up when he needed to.”
With only one day of preparation, MSU installed a new 2-1-2 offense - focused on delivering the ball to senior forward Andre Hutson to create more scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.
The move worked, with the Spartans showing the ability to execute effectively by pushing the ball up court after missed shots, forcing the Owls to set up their defense quickly.
“A lot of our guys got open today and they were hitting the key shots when we needed them,” said Hutson, who dished out four assists to go with his 11 points and 10 rebounds. “Our shooters stepped up when we needed them today. Now it’s on to Minneapolis.”
MSU assistant coach Stan Heath said the Spartans were able to pick up the new offense well, which led to better decision-making and shot attempts.
“We knew that if we had the ball in Andre’s hands that we would have a lot of options,” Heath said. “All the guys were able to make the adjustment (to a different offense) and led to better opportunities. We’re not as good as last year’s team as far as penetrating the gaps in the defensive, so we knew that he we had to make changes to find ways to score.”
Temple center Kevin Lyde, who muscled in the paint for 21 points, said after the Owls’ practice Saturday, MSU wouldn’t have been able to figure out the Owls’ complex defense in such a short period of time.
But after the loss that saw MSU rack up 19 assists to Temple’s six, Lyde changed his mind.
“They had a scheme and it worked today,” Lyde said of the Spartans, who rarely play zone defense. “They were able to move the ball out of trouble and find guys like David Thomas, who surprisingly hit a lot of shots.”
Despite running an effective offense to attack Temple’s zone, sophomore guard Jason Richardson, who chipped in with 11 points, said the game was won on the defensive end.
“We really locked up on guys and that was the key to winning today,” Richardson said of the Spartans, who held Temple to 38 percent shooting from the field. “We’ve had a business-like approach to this tournament and that showed today. It’s great to accomplish one of our goals in getting back to the Final Four, but it’s definitely not going to be a vacation when we get there.”
