Denver — And now it’s off to the Sweet 16 — a place MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has been seven times in the past 11 years.
But what separates this year’s Spartans from the other six is their ability to hit the playbooks — not just their own, but their opponent’s as well.
“This group of guys is driven and I’m proud of the preparation they did before this game,” Izzo said after the Spartans beat Pittsburgh 65-54 Saturday. “And I can’t tell you how good of a job my staff did. We got a lot done in the 20-minute film sessions we had.”
No matter who was asked the question, every MSU player credited the same source for the victory.
“The coaches prepared us, (they packaged) the scouting report — we got the win and it helped us,” freshman guard Kalin Lucas said. “The coaches know what they are doing and it shows.”
Izzo has extended his NCAA Tournament second-round record to 12-2 while his squad held its 19th opponent of the year under 40 percent shooting, at 32.7.
“That’s just another reason to credit our coaches with the two-day preparation,” junior guard Travis Walton said. “We did a great job sagging in on the gaps. It was a team effort, both players and coaches.”
MSU currently holds the Big Ten record for longest active streak of making the NCAA Tournament with 11 consecutive years and is fifth in the nation behind Arizona (24), Kansas (19), Kentucky (17) and Duke (13).
“We’re playing aggressive, we’re attacking and playing great defense,” sophomore forward Raymar Morgan said. “Right now, we’re really confident.”
How they Drew it up
He never says die.
When senior guard Drew Neitzel missed his first seven of 10 shots Thursday against Temple, he didn’t feel sorry for himself and pass up open shots for the rest of the game.
That’s not how Neitzel was raised and that’s not how he plays the game — he competes without regrets, he said.
“It doesn’t matter if I miss five or 10 shots in a row — I have to keep shooting,” Neitzel said. “My teammates have my back and always encourage me to keep shooting.”
Neitzel finished Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh with 21 points on 6-for-13 shooting, including three back-to-back-to-back buckets in just over two minutes late in the contest.
He is averaging 20 points in his last four games and has nailed 16 3-pointers in that stretch.
“Drew is a big-time shot guy,” Walton said. “He came through for us last year and he’s been coming through for us this year. He’s gonna find a way to step up for us. Today he stepped up and knocked down shots for us. Big-time players will step up and hit big-time shots and that’s what he did.”
And Izzo isn’t changing his mentality toward the success of his team.
“Even back in December I said, ‘don’t kid yourself, we need him — he’s the guy,’” Izzo said. “It’s been a little bit of a tougher year with everybody defending him but the way he responded is awesome. He’s the All-American boy that good things are happening (to). We’re going to go as far as he takes us.”
Fresh-legged freshmen
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It hasn’t been a burden when they’re checked into the game — it’s been golden.
In their first two NCAA Tournament games, the freshman guard trio of Lucas, Durrell Summers and Chris Allen have averaged 25 points a game.
Postseason jitters — forget about it.
“I’m not getting nervous, I’m ready for it.” said Lucas, who finished Saturday’s contest with 19 points. “I’m ready to compete and go out there and give it my all. Whatever I do, if it’s basketball or whatever, it is just go out there and give 100 percent.”
And what has helped the freshmen gain such a sense of maturity so soon is the experience found in those standing right next to them.
“Just talking to all the upperclassmen — they tell us how the game is and how intense it’s going to be,” Allen said. “The Drews, Travis Walton, all the guys that have been there just tell us how it is.”
