Coming off a surprise trip to the Final Four, the MSU men's basketball team returns four of its starting five this season. Sophomore point guard Drew Neitzel is another year older, another year wiser and almost 20 pounds heavier. Junior guard Shannon Brown and senior guard Maurice Ager will be a regular staple on all the TV highlight shows. And senior center Paul Davis might have shown in last year's NCAA Tournament that he's ready to assume the role of a dominant big man. All the pieces are in place for another deep postseason run. If, of course, they can all stay healthy.
Five things to keep an eye on this season
1. Paul Davis' stat line: The Spartans are hoping last year's NCAA Tournament was Davis' coming out party. In five tournament games, Davis averaged 14.8 points and 11.6 rebounds, both well above his season averages. If he carries that over into this season, it would give MSU a weapon that few teams have.
2a, 2b, 2c. Drew Naymick's shoulder, Marquise Gray's ankle, Delco Rowley's groin: All three players have been rehabbing injuries since last year. One of them will likely assume the starting power forward role alongside Davis.
3. Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown's sneakers: They're probably going to get worn pretty quickly if these two play the minutes that Izzo will need from them. But if the duo can keep it up for a whole season, they could both have monster years.
4. Drew Neitzel's shot chart: Izzo jokes that Neitzel's mentality last season was to pass first, pass second and shoot third. This year, he'll be relied on to put up more of those left-handed jump shots.
5. Tom Izzo's lineup card: Izzo has said that he'll have to pay more attention to substitutions this season than ever before, utilizing every stoppage and TV timeout to get the lineup he needs out there.
Four games to circle on your calendar right now
1. Nov. 30 vs. Georgia Tech - MSU is 3-2 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which the ACC has won in each of the six years it's been played.
2. Dec. 6 @ Boston College - The Eagles were the last remaining undefeated team last season, and return preseason All-American forward Craig Smith.
3. Jan. 5 @ Illinois - Big Ten opener. The Illini (37-2 last season) are supposed to be weaker with the graduation of Deron Williams, Luther Head and Roger Powell, but don't try telling them that.
4. Feb. 14 @ Iowa - The Hawkeyes, downed MSU in the Big Ten Tournament last season. This game could shape the top of the conference standings for the stretch run.
Three reasons why the Spartans could win it all
1. Tempo - MSU forces a pace of play much quicker than what most teams are used to. They swarm on defense, crash the glass and push the ball upcourt - all in a matter of seconds.
2. Familiar faces - Don't underestimate the importance of having played together. Knowing how your teammates play can be the difference between a pass that's right on the money or one that sails an inch past someone's fingertips.
3. Kickin' wings - Make no mistake about it: This is Ager and Brown's team now. The high-flying swingmen will be counted on to do a little bit of everything - score, rebound, score, play defense, bring the ball up, and oh yeah, did we mention score?
Two things standing in their way
1. Depth - Ager, Brown, Neitzel and Davis are proven stars. The rest of the roster? Not so much. As the Hawaii game demonstrated, this year's squad is going to be in trouble - especially early in the season - if it has to rely too heavily on its bench.
2. No nights off - Last year, the Big Ten often felt like the Big Two - Illinois and MSU. But this year, pretty much every team - OK, not Penn State - is a threat to make a run at the top. That could really grind on the Spartans, especially since they'll have the target on their backs.
One quote to remember at the end of the season
"One year after wearing down opponents with speed, a full-court press and superior depth, look for the Spartans to regain an air of rebounding brutality — though Izzo still plans to press and run…If the Spartans stay healthy, expect this team to be ranked in the top 10 during the season and make another run at the Final Four."
- Source: SI.com
