Optimism and excitement have surrounded the Spartans’ late-season success. But a few months back, the MSU faithful could only look to what lay well ahead for excitement.
The future seemed to be at least one year away for the Spartans (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) not too long ago.
Opening the Big Ten season with three straight back-breaking losses, MSU’s youth and inexperience quickly became a stumbling block and postseason hopes seemed to spell NIT.
The first was a 70-67 loss at Minnesota on Jan. 5. But the Spartans were without the services of junior forward Adam Ballinger and sophomore guard Marcus Taylor, as they sat out with an ankle sprain and back spasms, respectively.
Then came the 83-65 drubbing at the hands of Indiana on Jan. 8. The Hoosiers dropped 14 long-range bombs on the Spartans.
Perhaps the most devastating of the three was a 64-63 heartbreaker at home to Wisconsin. The loss snapped MSU’s 53-game winning streak at Breslin Center - it was the nation’s longest active streak.
But then the Spartans found out it’s tough to enjoy success without failure, and things began to turnaround for the better.
And, according to MSU head coach Tom Izzo, they got healthy.
Ballinger returned after missing four games. He saw limited action in the loss to the Badgers and in the 65-56 win against Purdue before returning to the starting five.
Taylor was forced to sit in a Feb. 6 loss at Northwestern because of lingering effects from a concussion suffered in the Spartans’ previous game - a 67-61 road win over then-No. 12 Illinois.
But with two key pieces back in place, the Spartan machine is beginning to roll.
“Now, we’re getting some guys back and everyone’s meshing together,” Izzo said.
And the NIT nightmares have given way to NCAA Tournament dreams as the Spartans are now winners of four straight and nine of their last 12 - including back-to-back wins against Big Ten-leaders No. 25 Indiana and No. 18 Ohio State.
And even with the 0-3 start, MSU is one game out of first place in the conference.
“We’ve got our rotation down,” Ballinger said. “Guys are starting to get in a groove, and guys know what’s needed from them every game.”
And with the postseason on the horizon, what the Spartans need is chemistry, something Ballinger said MSU is beginning to have.
“We’re playing more as a team,” he said. “We’re starting to count on each other and we’re realizing no one is going to go out there and do it by themselves.
“If we all do our roles, we’re going to win.”
Things are starting to fall into place with the cast of Spartans, especially with Taylor’s embracement of the starring role.
Not only is the Lansing native carrying a chunk of the scoring load, he’s helping the Spartans look like the Big Ten champion teams of the past four seasons.
But unlike the last four MSU squads, this year’s installment of Spartans struggled getting out on the fast break for easy baskets. The transition game wasn’t a factor until Taylor began to kick-start the Spartans’ up-tempo attack by pushing the ball up the floor.
“We’ve not been the team we’ve been the last four years,” Izzo said. “Our fast break is getting better the past three or four games, and that’s what makes us a better team.”
But transition offense wasn’t the only thing differentiating the Spartans from their past form. The team has added one key ingredient to the championship mix.
“We’re getting a little tougher in the end of the game,” junior forward Al Anagonye said. “That’s one thing that had been missing.
“We’re making the plays we have to.”
And where fatigue seemed to play a factor in MSU’s earlier shortcomings, Izzo said his team is finding ways to overcome heavy legs down the stretch.
Case in point:The last three MSU contests have come in a six-day span with some Spartans playing big minutes. Taylor is averaging more than 36 and Ballinger is averaging 33 minutes in the three-game stretch.
And with little recovery time available, Izzo credits one thing for the lack of drop-off in his team’s performance.
“I’ve always said that toughness is a big factor in winning,” he said. “And when you have quick turnarounds like we’ve had, it’s demonstrated.”
