Freshman guard Kalin Lucas defends Chicago State guard David Holston in the first half of a Nov. 13 game at Breslin Center. Lucas scored six points against the Cougars.
The last time the MSU men’s basketball team played N.C. State, the game ended with the Spartans sent home packing after the first round of the NCAA tournament.
This time, the ramifications of the matchup aren’t quite as high, but they’re significant nonetheless.
“This is a big game,” freshman guard Kalin Lucas said. “In the big games, you’ve got to come ready to play.”
The two teams will meet for the seventh time in history at 7 p.m. tonight at Breslin Center in the third day of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The Spartans are 4-3 in the challenge, while the ACC has emerged as an overall victor each year.
“I think the problem with this, over the years, is it really comes down to matchups,” men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo said.
“There’s been a couple of years where (the Big Ten gets) beat pretty good, but a lot of years it’s been 5-4. Unfortunately, that carries through the year. I guess if we win, then I’d be feeling a little better about it. I hope it’s something we can continue to improve on as a league.”
No. 10 MSU (4-1) is coming off a 75-71 win against Oakland, while the No. 24 Wolfpack (4-1) upset then-No. 20 Villanova, 69-68, Sunday.
Izzo said one of the keys to the game will be containing N.C. State’s “efficient” offense.
“They’re not really a fast-break team,” he said.
“But they are a very efficient team. They run a lot of sets. It’s a different kind of basketball.”
MSU junior center Goran Suton also said N.C. State’s lack of depth and inability to keep up with MSU’s fast break could be key.
“We’re going to try to run it,” Suton said. “They don’t have a lot of bodies, so we’re just going to focus on running up and down the floor the entire time.”
While MSU’s preseason All-American, senior guard Drew Neitzel, has been battling stomach illness for the last few games, freshman center J.J. Hickson leads the Wolfpack this season with 18 points and eight rebounds per game.
Sophomore forward Raymar Morgan has been able to pick up some of Neitzel’s slack in the last few games, averaging just fewer than 18 points per game.
Lucas also has allowed Neitzel to rest thus far, with 26 minutes per contest – only two fewer than the senior captain.
“Drew has been sick,” Izzo said.
“It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact. He’s been able to fight through it and suck it up, and I’m appreciative of that. He did not have the same hops. Hopefully that changes. He said (on Sunday) that he felt the best yet. When Neitzel’s making shots, it changes the way the entire team plays.”
Izzo also said the Wolfpack aren’t a great offensive rebounding team, while the Spartans have 72 offensive rebounds this season compared to 71 defensive rebounds surrendered.
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