Preview: Michigan State Spartans vs. Valparaiso Crusaders
by KJ@theonlycolors on Nov 21, 2009 10:00 PM CST
in Michigan State Spartans Basketball
10 comments
TV: BIG TEN NETWORK
Crusaders bullets:
- 2009 record of 9-22; 5-13 in the Horizon League.
- 2009 Kenpom ranking: #216. Adjusted offensive efficiency: #225. Adjusted defensive efficiency: #201.
- Return only 2 of 5 starters from last year's team. But that team was pretty balanced: 10 players averaged at least 10 minutes/game and only one scored more than 10 points/game.
- Record of 1-2 thus far in the new season. Win was against IU-South Bend, an NAIA team.
- But they did hang with North Carolina for a bit, eventually losing by 11 points.
- Leading scorer is 6'2" RS sophomore guard Brandon Wood, who's averaging 22.3 points/game and dropped 30 on the Tarheels. Wood has knocked down of 9 of his 19 three-point attempts to date.
It's hard to get a good reading on this team looking at their tempo-free data. Last year's team was slightly better on the defensive end of the court. They forced quite a few turnovers (DefTO%=22.2%) while fouling quite a bit and forcing a lot of 3-pointers. They play some sort of zone defense (using it exclusively against North Carolina)--perhaps with a trapping component?
Through three games this season, though, the Crusaders look quite a bit better on offense. They've posted over a point per possession in all three games and are turning the ball over on only 12.7% of possessions.
Put all that together with the 3-point shooting ability Wood and McPherson have displayed and this match-up has me a tad more anxious than the Toledo game did. MSU will need to continue the efficient ball-handling they displayed Friday night and perhaps pump up the shooting percentage from beyond the arc (just 27.8% to date).
Defensively, this game is another chance for Durrell Summers and Chris Allen to show they can guard good opposing wing scorers. Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious will look to disrupt the Crusaders' rhythm in running their offense as smoothly as they have in previous games, and Roe/Green/Nix need to make sure that what looks like a healthy rebounding advantage on both ends of the court on paper actually materializes on the court.
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Effort
I’m going to guess that there will be no complacency on the court tomorrow. After Izzo’s rant the other day, I expect to see 40 minutes of basketball with no letdowns. Any player who doesn’t meet Izzo’s expectations may find himself parked on the bench.
I’m also going out on a limb and predicting Nix will hit two free throws tomorrow.
Amen
I’m hoping for the same intensity they showed, for the most part, in the FGCU game. Stay focused, go for the throat, then step on it.
** reserved for something original **
by Spartalytical on Nov 22, 2009 8:27 AM CST up reply actions
Common foes
I concur. Especially after Izzo’s allusion to Duke’s domination of Toledo compared to our own lackluster effort, I would be surprised if the coaching staff isn’t keenly aware of Carolina’s struggles with Valpo as some kind of measuring stick. Not that that stuff matters much, but as KJ noted in an earlier thread, it is another source of motivation early in the season and something Izzo seems to dangle out there as a sign of “elite” status (e.g. consistency, toughness, killer instinct, etc.). I expect to see maximum effort this afternoon.
by RobbingGormanThomas on Nov 22, 2009 8:50 AM CST up reply actions
Speaking of UNC
I saw their collapse Friday night against Syracuse (on whom I’m not sold), and they’re definitely beatable. They have size and talent, much like the Zags did, but there’s also enough of a (possibly unstable?) mix of inexperience to make things interesting. That may be balanced out by the fact that it’s in Chapel Hill (unlike playing in Syracuse’s back yard, where Boeheim never leaves before conference games begin). It will be interesting which MSU team shows up, and how healthy it is.
** reserved for something original **
by Spartalytical on Nov 22, 2009 9:08 AM CST up reply actions
Thank heaven
I need Izzo to hold me, pat me on the head, and tell me it’s going to be ok.
9-22 not 9-12
Typo fixed.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Nov 22, 2009 8:13 AM CST up reply actions
The line
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Nov 22, 2009 8:56 AM CST reply actions
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