In the thick of the Big Ten season, the MSU men's basketball team finds itself living an anomaly - downtime during conference play.
The Spartans (12-8 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) knocked off two ranked opponents (now-unranked Indiana and No. 16 Illinois) in pulse-pounding finishes in six days. The wins earned MSU 13 votes in The Associated Press top 25 poll. But the Spartans were well short of receiving a national ranking.
Head coach Tom Izzo said the week off from conference games is ample opportunity to "add a few wrinkles" to his squad - in the form of some new inbound plays and offensive sets - in addition to fine-tuning MSU's season-long issues with turnovers and free-throw shooting.
The Lineup Shuffle
For the fourth game in a row Sunday, Izzo inserted freshman forward Erazem Lorbek and sophomore guard Tim Bograkos into the starting lineup in place of freshman center Paul Davis and sophomore guard Chris Hill.
Along with sophomore guards Alan Anderson and Kelvin Torbert and senior forward Aloysius Anagonye, the most recent combination of Spartan starters has gone 3-1 since premiering against Penn State on Jan. 22.
But Izzo said he's still seeking more continuity out of the arrangement.
"I'd like to have the same five guys starting," Izzo said. "And the sixth man knowing when he comes in, and the seventh and eighth. It's been the most unenjoyable part of my job this year."
Despite Izzo's frustrations with configuring a consistent starting five and beyond, he praised the play of Bograkos, singling out the Flint-native's defensive energy for factoring into Sunday's win over the Illini.
"Tim Bograkos' two or three second half plays might have won us the game," Izzo said.
Bograkos, on three different possessions, dove and batted loose balls to teammates for second chances on offense - his defensive efforts were cheered heartier than subsequent baskets. He finished with two steals.
Faces in the Crowd
The Spartans might have been the recipients of some unexpected motivation for Sunday's win over Illinois. World champion boxer and Detroit native Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns - with trainer Emanuel Steward - spoke to the team before the game, and had seats behind the MSU bench.
Hearns, who is planning a comeback to the world of boxing at the ripe age of 44, spoke with Izzo about athletes choosing sports like basketball over boxing - and vice versa.
"If he can play point guard," Izzo said jokingly, "He might be the first 44-year-old point guard at MSU."
Around the Big Ten
There was a changing of the guard this week in the Big Ten, as Michigan lost back-to-back road contests to No. 16 Illinois and Minnesota, snapping its 13-game win streak.
With the defeats, U-M dropped to 6-2 in conference play and Purdue assumed the top spot with a 6-1 conference record.
U-M coach Tommy Amaker lauded his team's effort, despite their fruitless road trip.
"We're coming off of two really tough losses for us on the road," Amaker said Monday morning. "I thought we played very hard and very much with a purpose in difficult circumstances and came up short in both games."
Purdue's good fortune continued Monday, when guard Willie Deane snagged Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. Deane averaged 24 points per contest this week in wins over Ohio State and Iowa. He also set the Big Ten's season-high for free-throws with 17 against the Buckeyes.
