There's a first time for everything, as the saying goes, and yesterday was a first for me, and my two friends: RSMSUBball and PaleYellow. We headed to the new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn proudly wearing Spartan t-shirts to watch a UofM game live against an opponent that wasn't Michigan State. I felt out of place in a sea of maize and blue (their opponent, West Virginia, has similar school colors). Our loyalties had to be clear as we entered the potential hostile environment. Who did we root for, you may wonder. I won't directly answer that question but I will say that my comrades and I rarely, if ever, cheered or clapped our hands, but we did take some notes.
Who is this Michigan team ranked third in the country and potentially first in the nation after Butler's overtime thrilling win over Indiana yesterday? Are they really that good and do the Spartans have a chance to earn a W over them this season? The answer is yes and yes.
After reading some on the Wolverine's team, I came in expecting stellar offense and not-so-great defense. Those expectations were met. Michigan's backcourt duo, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., led an impressive offensive effort with Burke's season-high 27 points and Hardaway's 25 points. Whatever those two wanted, they got. So, what does Michigan State need to watch out for?
First, they must watch and cover the three. Burke, Hardaway, and freshmen Stauskas, can all shoot the three. Hardaway made four of eight threes last night and Stauskas has been making 63.6 percent of his threes throughout the season, according to Luke Winn as of December 5th.
Appling and Burke have similar styles so that match up should be a fun one to watch. Both can shoot and both love to penetrate the paint for an easy lay up or pull-up jump shot. Appling is a great defender so I'm hoping he can contain Burke to a season-low rather than a season-high.
Michigan's defense is not as great as their offense and our Bigs in Payne and Nix can take on Jordan Morgan any day. We must play in the paint and not rely on perimeter shooting as our only source of offense. The Wolverines also appeared sluggish, at times, getting back on defense. MSU loves to run the ball. We must grab 'n go. Get the rebound and run the ball. Appling, Trice, Valentine, Harris, and Dawson, all have quick hands and make quick baskets. Michigan is a team we just might find some success with our fast offense(provided they don't fix this issue anytime soon).
But no matter what, with the emotion that goes into an arch-rival game, MSU is looking at a brutal battle with their in-state opponent. Basketball basics will be key: rebounding, defense, and making shots. MSU will not win with 20 turnovers and if they don't defend the three, forget about bragging rights.
Good/bad news? Both teams have almost two months to prepare: first match is February 12, 2013. My vote is the Spartans! How about you?
No comments:
Post a Comment