Friday, March 29, 2024

Ballinger's big shot could ignite team - or not

They were the shots heard 'round East Lansing.

Two game-clinching three-pointers from two different guys with two completely different agendas. One gave us hope, but the other? That remains to be seen.

The first came from unsung sophomore guard Tim Bograkos - the scrappy, defense-minded gym-rat with the cult following among Spartan faithful. Imagine Rudy, only better. And not whiny. And respected by his teammates.

His shot came on Dec. 14. There were 49 ticks left on the clock when Bograkos - head coach Tom Izzo's admitted "sixth option out of five" players on the court - saw his shot near the baseline swish through the net. It put the then-No. 21 Spartans (Remember being ranked? You don't? Yeah, me neither.) ahead 69-67 en route to upsetting then-No. 12 Kentucky in the rowdy Rupp Arena.

It was the first game-clinching shot from a Spartan all season. Coffee tables were inadvertently flipped in student apartments as fans rose from their couches in instantaneous celebration. Empty beer cans went everywhere. Euphoria.

What did it get us? A load of false optimism.

"If MSU can beat Kentucky, this could be it," Spartan fans exclaimed last December, their heads held high. "I don't want to jinx anything, but this could be our year."

We all know how that went. December saw an 8-2 record and a six-game winning streak derailed by injuries, lax fundamentals and the demise of senior forward Adam Ballinger's ability to shoot.

On a quick side note, the shooting slump that Ballinger was in was what Izzo called the worst he's seen as a coach. All 6-foot-9 of Ballinger's frame seemed crippled from putting the ball in the hoop.

But where there is demise, there is redemption.

The return of Ballinger on Tuesday was game-clincher No. 2. A few minutes before, nearly 15,000 at Breslin Center watched as sophomore guard Alan Anderson passed up Ballinger as the shot clock wound down against No. 19 Indiana. At the time, who could blame him? If those in attendance and those watching at home didn't have faith in Ballinger's shot, why would his teammate?

Izzo must've known something no one else did when he called Ballinger's number.

With just 39 seconds left, and MSU leading by a slim two-point margin, the senior took the outlet pass, saw his look, and stroked a three.

Bedlam.

Izzo gave out bear hugs, the Izzone erupted in a tremor of riotous white T-shirts and Ballinger smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. It gave the Spartans the edge over the Hoosiers 61-54, helping the Spartans to a 3-4 Big Ten record.

Where will it get us? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

While Bograkos' shot was the unlikely elevator over a formidable foe, it came at a time when MSU had a seemingly stronger team.

And while Ballinger's shot made one night end on a happy note, a shot is just a shot. The losing record in the Big Ten still looms. One shot does not erase a trend.

There is the possibility Ballinger's mental block - or whatever it was that kept him from scoring - was lifted with his shot over Indiana, and there is the possibility that MSU could sweep through the remaining Big Ten season just like last season.

But realistically, do you think so?

The big-time shot in the big-time game from the unlikely player or the player who might deserve it the most is a great story. It makes basketball games easy to report, but in some cases - such as MSU's - they can make basketball seasons tougher to predict.

So don't get ahead of yourself or anything. MSU hasn't won anything yet.

Patrick Walters is a State News basketball reporter. He can be reached at walter88@msu.edu.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Ballinger's big shot could ignite team - or not” on social media.