Cat-Nip; Spartans Shocked at Home
Submitted by Paul Mercier on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 00:24
Many streaks came crashing to a halt inside the Breslin Center Wednesday night. Most notably was the streak of 28 straight wins at home; the third best streak in the nation. However, they say all good things must come to an end, and in this case, it may just be what this team needs.
Heading into tonight, the Spartans grinded out a tough win against Penn State in Happy Valley, and found themselves in an equally tough game against a feisty Illinois team at the Breslin. Hoping for an easier road tonight, it was obvious that many Spartan fans stayed home, and perhaps they kept with them the hunger that MSU had just a few days ago.
The Spartans came out of the gate tonight as if they didn’t want to be there. Sure, it was obvious that Raymar Morgan was sick, and Suton was still a bit slow (despite still putting up a double-double), but nonetheless the overall hunger seemed absent. Now, it’s not like a Tom Izzo team to overlook an opponent, so I don’t think that was the case here. It just seemed to me that some of the younger players-Chris Allen, Korie Lucious and even Kalin Lucas with his 20 points- simply lacked the intensity and focus that is needed during a Big Ten Championship campaign. Turnovers and empty possessions were ever-present during both halves; Chris Allen fired off eleven shots, connecting on only one of them; and even the notoriously cautious ball handler, Kalin Lucas, had 6 turnovers.
We also saw Delvon Roe get a taste of what it looks like to see a good basketball player in Kevin Coble get hot. Coble, who would normally be guarded by a healthy Morgan, took full advantage of his senior knowledge and hot hand while being guarded by the freshman in the first half, and the result was Roe only seeing 12 minutes of floor time.
The good thing is this certainly isn’t the end of the world for the Spartans. They were going to lose at some point in the Big Ten race, after all, it’s still very early. The shocking part of Wednesday night was where they lost, and who beat them. But, they can mend all wounds with a solid performance at Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. This once intriguing match-up has now become almost a must win for the Spartans if they wish to raise a much needed Big Ten Championship banner.
Hopefully after tonight’s wake-up call, the Spartans will come out Sunday with that hunger we are used to seeing, and tonight’s face wash by the pesky Wildcats will be a distant memory.
