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Spartans prepare for Connecticut, Hasheem Thabeet

April 2, 2009

MSU head coach Tom Izzo talks with sophomore guard Kalin Lucas during the first half of last Saturday’s game against Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Detroit — Senior guard Travis Walton said the MSU men’s basketball team is going to go inside against Connecticut and its 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet.

Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas, however, said the Spartans can’t go to the basket because of the risk of getting blocked by Thabeet.

The indecision remains on track of what head coach Tom Izzo said earlier this week.

“I can’t sit here and tell you I know how I counter him because I just started watching a lot of film,” Izzo said Wednesday in a teleconference. “I watched Connecticut play a lot this year. But when you watch him as a fan, you don’t watch him the same way you do as a coach or an opponent. I’m trying to look at some teams that are playing smaller guys on him. … I can’t say we’ll even know until we get there.”

The Spartans (30-6) better decide on a game plan soon, as they are gearing up for their national semifinal game against UConn (31-4) at 6:07 p.m. Saturday at Ford Field.

While Thabeet is the main concern, four players for the Huskies — guards A.J. Price and Kemba Walker, forwards Stanley Robinson and Jeff Adrien — are scoring in double-digits in the NCAA Tournament, along with Thabeet.

Adrien and Thabeet also are averaging double-doubles.

The surprise has been Robinson, who missed eight games during the fall semester after being suspended by UConn head coach Jim Calhoun.

“He’s a 6-foot-9 athlete who jumps out of the gym and is long,” MSU junior forward Raymar Morgan said. “He’s a rebounding machine and goes to the boards hard.”

Izzo called Robinson an X-factor for the Huskies, but another one may be Walker. The freshman guard also has averaged 12.25 points a game while coming off the bench in all four postseason games.

While Morgan will guard Robinson starting out, Walton will once again take the opponent’s leading scorer in Price (14.7 ppg through the season). Walton said the 6-foot-2 Price is a “big-time” player who demands the ball when he feels he needs to take over.

As for Thabeet, add MSU senior center Goran Suton to the list of people who have an idea how to play against him.

“As far as offensively, you have to try to pull him away from the basket and make him work,” Suton said. “Run ball screens and pull him away, get your mid-range (game) going.”

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