Thursday, March 28, 2024

Many factors led to loss to Ohio State

Cash Kruth

With the Big Ten Tournament done and the NCAA Tournament on the horizon, men’s basketball reporter Cash Kruth examines four questions surrounding the Spartans as they look to rebound from a disappointing conference tournament with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Question What went wrong against Ohio State?

Answer What didn’t go wrong? The Spartans couldn’t shoot and they couldn’t defend, but the most pressing issue is that the most important of their big three, junior forward Raymar Morgan, didn’t show up. Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas got his (17 points), while senior center Goran Suton (who didn’t get the ball enough in the first half) was out of the equation late as the Spartans tried to mount a comeback.

This past weekend was a microcosm of this whole season. Lucas may have been chosen as the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, but Morgan is the most important player on this team. He has gone through a lot this season, but if MSU has any chance to live up to its goals of playing in the Final Four, Morgan has to be the player he was earlier this season.

Q Did anything good come out of this weekend?

A Two big things stood out to me. First, sophomore guard Chris Allen became a man.

Sure, he followed up Friday’s 17-point effort with a 2-for-11 shooting performance on Saturday, but Allen played with a purpose unlike any he’s ever displayed as a Spartan. He was out and ahead in the fast break on many occasions, crashed the boards hard and even slightly upgraded his defense. If MSU has either Allen or sophomore guard Durrell Summers score 15 or more points a game, the Spartans will be in great shape.

Secondly, the freshman bench duo of guard Korie Lucious and forward Draymond Green is quickly becoming a nice luxury. Lucious, who scored 10 points in a minute of regulation against Ohio State, has the quickness and shooting ability to be a huge spark off the bench the rest of the way.

Green has played like a senior all season long.

The trust MSU head coach Tom Izzo has in him was shown when the freshman was on the court during the final minutes against Minnesota.

Q How far can this team go?

A I look at MSU and see a team that can be playing in the national championship game. They have multiple scorers, a lock-down defender, athletes and a coach who has been there and done it. When this team has played to its potential — which has only happened a few times this season — they look darn good.

On the same token, the Spartans have only reached their potential a few times, so who’s to say they aren’t a No. 2 seed who will be upset in the second round?

I know it’s an awful answer (especially since I’m asking the questions myself), but I honestly won’t be surprised with anything that happens with the Spartans.

If pressed for a prediction, I’ll go with a Final Four berth, although I fully admit I have my green shades on.

Q What do they have to do to get there?

A Plain and simple, the Spartans need Morgan, Lucas and Suton to play up to their potential. Lucas needs to take over games earlier than he has in the past. Suton needs to average a double-double. Morgan has to bring something to the table, whether it be a couple of big-time scoring games or a presence defensively.

This isn’t to say that no one else matters, but it’s safe to assume the Spartans are going to get great defense out of senior guard Travis Walton and freshman forward Delvon Roe. Likewise, someone off the bench (Allen, Summers or Lucious) will be close to double digits in scoring.

The NCAA Tournament is all about star power. The Spartans will need theirs to step up.

Cash Kruth is a men’s basketball reporter. He can be reached at kruthcas@msu.edu.

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