Nothing but net.

Coming 20-point performances in three of his last four games, Neitzel had just six points – with seven assists – in his last MSU game.

After a season in which Neitzel admitted to being a bit scatterbrained, he ended with a strong postseason and now looks to the future.

“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s something you never want to face but you’ve got to some time. I’m going to try to spend some time with my teammates and reflect and talk about all the good times. I just appreciated everything they’ve done with me — stuck with me through the good and the bad. I have a lot of good memories in my career.”

The senior guard earned a starting spot as a freshman and will finish his career in the top four in MSU all-time assists and 3-point field goals, while retaining the top free-throw shooting percentage and finishing with the 14th-most total points (1,534) MSU for an MSU player.

Flash of the future

While Neitzel took his leave, Spartans fans had the opportunity to see part of the future. Freshman guard Chris Allen had a career-high 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting.

“When Chris Allen started making some shots, he passed up some 3’s,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “I don’t know why – he really competed on both ends of the court. That’s a lot of our makeup for next year, I’m sure when I watch the film, I’ll see some good things.”

He, along with fellow freshmen guards Durrell Summers and starter guard Kalin Lucas, emerged as potent scorers for MSU this season, each averaging nearly five points or more per game.

Rose is the thorn

The only time MSU looked as though it could creep back in the game was when Memphis guard Derrick Rose was on the bench.

Rose, a freshman sensation with NBA talent, led the Tigers with a career-high 27 points. As he sat on the bench with a cut to his eyelid, MSU crept back in the game. Memphis coach John Calipari said he was willing to get Rose stitched up himself to put him back in the game.

“He’s just as special player,” Calipari said. “He just has a will to win and now he has a team that he can lead and I keep saying, ‘The more you do, Derrick, the more you run this, the less I can do,’ and that’s the way I want it. He’s pretty darn good.”