When there’s no other squad available, just divvy ‘em up, grab a couple referees and hit the hardwood.
At the end of the day, it’s still basketball — a sport a team can only get better at with practice and being thrown into game-type situations.
Lucas scores 24 points to lead Green to 88-79 victory over White
Freshman forward Draymond Green, left, defends against senior forward Marquise Gray during the Green and White Game Saturday afternoon at Breslin Center.
On Saturday afternoon, after a booming crowd witnessed the football team’s come-from-behind 25-24 victory over Wisconsin, many jubilant fans headed to Breslin Center for the MSU men’s basketball team’s annual Green and White Game.
The Spartans didn’t disappoint either, showering the fans with 3-pointers from way downtown, off-the-glass slam dunks and a heated competition between the team’s 16 players, who were split in half.
Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas stole the show scoring 24 points and playing all 40 minutes for the Green squad en route to a 88-79 win over the White team, which was led by sophomore guard Chris Allen’s game-high 27 points and senior guard Travis Walton’s 21-point performance.
MSUThe event doesn’t just serve as a base for fans to see the players always hyped up by national media, but for everyone to get a look at the secret weapons that come off the bench as well.
Redshirt freshman forward Austin Thornton showed his range with eight points and a long-distance triple from behind the arc while sophomore guard Mike Kebler went 2-for-4 in 18 minutes of play.
“I think it’s a pretty good preview of how we’re going to be,” Kebler said. “This is a lot different (for me) compared to last year, because I didn’t get many minutes. But I got out there a lot today and got to experience it a little more. I think it just shows our weaknesses and gives exposure to them and gives us time to recognize them.”
One main weakness the coaching staff and players have recognized lately is MSU’s problem with keeping the turnover rate down (Green with 20 and White with 14).
But Thornton said it will just take some more practice to get it right, incorporating MSU’s classic fast-paced gameplay.
“With the style of basketball we play, we’re obviously going to have turnovers,” Thornton said. “We get up and down, but we still have to protect the ball and value every play like it’s our last.”
MSU faces off against Northern Michigan at 7 p.m. Wednesday, the team’s first exhibition game of the season. MSU opens the regular season Nov. 16.
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