2008-2009 Men's College Basketball Discussion

Thursday, November 6, 2008
Michigan State 118, Northern Michigan 57
Summers steals show in exhibition
Spartan sophomore electrifies crowd with 3-pointers, powerful dunks and 30 points.
Terry Foster / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- Freedom for Michigan State sophomore marksman Durrell Summers is letting one fly from the 3-point arc or feeling the power of a dunk.

He can do both with fluid grace and that has coach Tom Izzo comparing him to former MSU great Jason Richardson.

MSU fans saw a glimpse of the future Wednesday when Summers went on a 17-point scoring spree in the first half of a 118-57 victory over Northern Michigan in an exhibition game at Breslin Arena. He finished with 30 points on 11-for-14 shooting, knocked down three of five 3-pointers and put on a dunk fest.

MSU roared to a big lead, got a little bit sloppy on defense and got decent performances from the usual suspects. Guard Kalin Lucas (16 points and two assists) kept a frenzied pace and junior forward Raymar Morgan showed why he could be one of the best forwards in the Big Ten. He's still not as explosive as he wants to be, but tallied 19 points and seven rebounds against NMU. Chris Allen (13 points) also hit double figures for the Spartans.

Summers could play a key role this season. MSU lost its main 3-point threat in Drew Neitzel, who finished 14th on the Spartans all-time scoring list (1,534 points) and third on the 3-point field-goal list with 273.

Summers also electrified the crowd with a one-handed tomahawk dunk with 15:38 remaining in the game that gave the Spartans an 80-45 lead as 14,759 marveled at his athleticism.

So what makes him feel better? The long distance 3s or one-handed dunks?

"It is the dunk," Summers said with a huge grin. "You get a little sting and you get a little pumped."

Summers came off the bench only because a groin injury kept him out of practice for a week. Before the injury Summers was playing as well as anybody.

Allen and Summers have been asked to fill the Neitzel void.

"Man those are big shoes to fill," Summers said.

Summers is more athletic than Neitzel, running the court on fast breaks and stuffs passing lanes.

Late in the game Izzo took him out of the game and insisted Summers sit next to him.

Normally, that becomes lecture time for Izzo. Instead he showered Summers with praise.

"I told him to thank his teammates because they gave him some great passes," Izzo said. "I mostly told him don't forget how you got this. It wasn't just because you made a few shots. You were aggressive on the boards and you were running and filling the lanes."

You can reach Terry Foster at (313) 222-1494 or terry.foster@detnews.com

Friday, November 7, 2008
College basketball: Michigan 81, Saginaw Valley State 55
3-pointers propel U-M in exhibition
Justin Souva / Special to The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan relied heavily on the 3-pointer Thursday night in beating Division II Saginaw Valley State, 81-55, in an exhibition at Crisler Arena.

The 3-point arc is 20 feet, 9 inches from the basket -- a foot farther away than last season.

Sometimes the change wasn't an issue for the Wolverines, who were 7-for-11 behind the new line in the first half. Sometimes it was, as they shot 4-for-13 on 3-pointers in the second.

"I am pleased we shot the ball well, " said John Beilein, entering his second season as U-M's coach.

"When we make 10 threes in a game it usually is a good sign. If we shoot like that, that's essential to playing this style. ... I think we are an improved shooting team even with the line back."

The Wolverines, meanwhile, were 22-of-37 from the free-throw line.

"We got some shooters now," said David Merritt, who was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. "We've all been working pretty hard in the summer. With the additions of Stu (Douglass) and Zack (Novak), who are both 3-point threats, shots fall."

Douglass and Novak, both freshmen, finished with a combined five 3-pointers. Six Michigan players made a 3-pointer.

Manny Harris, who was selected to the All-Big Ten preseason team, finished with 16 points in 31 minutes. Harris is the leading returning scorer in the conference, averaging 16.1 last season.

"It's our first game back in over a year," he said. "Just being in game shape for an NCAA game is totally different. The expectations build every day. We are a team that wants to build and wants to learn, and our coach knows that."

Lawrence Ross led Saginaw Valley State with 21 points (7-of-14 shooting).

Justin Souva is a freelance writer.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
College basketball: Michigan St. 112, Lake Superior 69
Spartans romp in an exhibition
Morgan scores 23, Summers 18 as team works hard to reach speed Izzo wants.
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- With its exhibition games over, Michigan State appears ready to see if a faster-paced offense and trapping defense can work in the regular season.

The strategy definitely went the Spartans' way Monday night in a 112-69 rout of Lake Superior State that saw the home team score 23 points in the first five minutes.

Nearly a minute into play, coach Tom Izzo screamed at his players for more effort, a clear message he wants this team to step on the gas and not let up.

"Anytime we step on the court we're getting more aggressive and we're getting more consistency," Izzo said of his goal this season. "We've said, 'You can miss any shot you want, do some other things, but any casualness is (unacceptable).' "

Raymar Morgan led all scorers with 23 points, 20 in the first half. Durrell Summers had 18 and Marquise Gray chipped in with 16.

Mark Morse scored 19 for Lake Superior, which had 16 of its 19 turnovers in the first half, was outrebounded by 30 and shot 37.5 percent.

"Obviously, we ran into a buzz saw tonight," Lakers coach Steve Hettinga said.

The Spartans had a 61-28 lead at the break after a Chris Allen 3-pointer just before time expired. Morgan's fast-break layup made it 39-18 midway through the half.

After Izzo said he wants to run "all the time," he told members of the media to ask his players what they would like to do this season.

Morgan has no problem with that.

"That's our main concern right now, getting up and down and getting easy buckets," he said. "It's just a good look for everybody."

After one of three Lakers' five-second violations in the first half, Spartans freshman Delvon Roe's power layup made it 25-4.

The closest this contest got was when Ryan Kuhl, a Rochester native, made a jump hook on the left block over Idong Ibok to cut the deficit to 27-13 midway through the half.
Notes

Izzo started Summers and Gray over Travis Walton and Goran Suton . Walton and Suton started the first exhibition game against Northern Michigan with Morgan, Allen and Kalin Lucas .

Izzo said Suton is suffering from an injury to his right knee. Lucas started Monday and played 12 minutes despite an ankle injury suffered in practice that Izzo described as "nothing major."

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
College basketball: Michigan
U-M's Beilein craves better shooting
Wolverines coach is optimistic his team can improve on last season's woeful percentages.
Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- Not that it was necessarily a guarantee, but Michigan coach John Beilein feels pretty certain the Wolverines will be an improved shooting team in his second season.

It would not be a stretch for Michigan to make that leap.

After all, the Wolverines were last in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, making only 39.5 percent of their shots last season, last in 3-point field goal percentage (31.2 percent), and ninth in scoring offense, (62.7 points).

Nowhere but up, right?

"Yeah, probably," Beilein said Monday when asked if his team would be better shooters overall. "I think we should be. It would certainly help if we are.

"I think we have shooters at virtually every position, where that wasn't the case always last year. Hopefully we will because it will certainly open things up for us."

The Wolverines open the season tonight against Michigan Tech in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, at Crisler Arena. Michigan hosts the Ann Arbor Regional, and the winner will advance to the tournament semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 20.

Clearly, much of the focus this offseason for the Wolverines has been improving their shooting and scoring chances.

"Everyone was frustrated," senior guard C.J. Lee said of last season. "We're seeing us turn that around so far this year. Time will tell."

"We have so much work we have to do," Beilein said.

Beilein said he will go with an eight- or nine-man rotation tonight to "see how we do with it."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
College hoop fever hits Ford Field

 North Carolina and Michigan State, two of college basketball's titans, meet Dec. 3 at Ford Field in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

 Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m.

  Tickets, available for as little as $9, are on sale at all TicketMaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by calling (248) 645-6666.

Details at www.fordfield.com

Saturday, November 29, 2008
College basketball: Michigan 66, Savannah State 64 (OT)
Sims' jumper lifts Michigan in OT
David Goricki / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan avoided disaster Saturday afternoon at Crisler Arena when DeShawn Sims made an 18-foot jumper from the right corner with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to give the Wolverines a dramatic 66-64 victory over Savannah State.

The Wolverines (5-1) had battled back from a 20-point halftime deficit, only to fail to close the comeback in regulation when Zack Novak missed a dunk with less than a second left.

"Manny (Harris) was able to get me the ball and I drained it," Sims said of his winner. "I shot it comfortably. It was a perfect jump shot.

"I felt we played great down the stretch and carried it into overtime. They have some quick guards. They challenged us at home and we prevailed."

But what about that first half? The Tigers, who have played Division 1 basketball only since 2002, made their first nine shots, forced nine turnovers and used a 20-0 run to build a 24-7 lead. Then, they used a 13-6 run to end the half to open up a 39-19 cushion.

"They hit all those lucky shots," said a laughing Sims, a 6-foot-8 junior who matched career highs in points (23) and rebounds (12).

Sure, Sims could joke after the game, but a loss to the Tigers (4-2) would have taken away all the momentum the Wolverines gained from beating UCLA to build a postseason resume.

Novak, a 6-5 freshman guard, made up for his blunder by making a 3-pointer to give the Wolverines a 61-60 lead with 1:38 left in overtime. Still, it was his missed dunk he was talking about.

"I grabbed the ball with about three seconds," Novak said, referring to a steal. "I first saw Manny running and my initial reaction was to pass it to him. I just took it to the hoop strong. I was thinking dunk and I let go of it too early. I just looked up and said, 'What went wrong?'

"I think they (players) kind of got a kick out of it and they wanted to kick me at the same time. It would have been worse if we lost. It felt good to come back (with the 3-pointer) after having something like that happen. Coach (John Beilein) said we were going to win at halftime. He said, 'Just believe.' "

Novak finished with nine points, making 3 of 7 3-pointers. The Wolverines shot 40.4 percent and made just 4 of 22 3-pointers (18.2 percent).

Harris reached his average, scoring 22. He made all 14 free throws and also had nine rebounds and eight turnovers.

The Wolverines trailed 39-19 at halftime, having twice as many turnovers (12) as field goals (6-of-19). Savannah State shot 71.4 percent in the first half (15-of-21) and forced turnovers with its full-court pressure and in the half-court game.

Harris had three straight turnovers during Savannah State's 20-0 run. He had as many turnovers as points (four) in the half.

"We were clearly rattled at halftime," Beilein said. "I told them, 'I don't know if Michigan ever came back from 20 at halftime before so let's be the first one.'

"We panicked defensively (with our 1-3-1 in the first half) and were not playing the right angles. Some nights you have all kinds of things go wrong and you have to deal with it. The key was we came back. I loved the way we stayed in there. Manny didn't shoot the ball well, but he was able to get to the foul line."

Harris came out aggressive in the second half, taking the ball to the basket. He scored 18 second-half points, making 12 free throws.

He had a three-point play to give the Wolverines a 64-62 lead with 38.6 seconds left. Later, Harris brought the ball up during the final seconds of overtime and found Sims in the corner for the winner.

Savannah State, one of 10 Division I teams playing as an independent, received 19 points from 5-11 senior guard Raye Bailey.

Bailey scored 17 in the first half, making all five of his shots, including four 3-pointers.

He scored nine in the final 3:56 of the half, making three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-pointer to open up a 31-15 lead, then banking in a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down before finishing the run with another 3 off a turnover with 35 seconds left.

U-M's road gets tougher

Michigan plays in the Big Ten-ACC showdown at Maryland (4-1) Wednesday before returning home to face No. 7 Duke (6-0) Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN). Duke is the lone team to beat the Wolverines (71-56), on Nov. 21.

"Coach said nothing's better than going 5-and-1 into an ACC place," Novak said. "They (Maryland) had a big win over Michigan State (80-62) the other night. We know we have to play well to have a chance at beating them."

Big improvement for Tigers

It was the first time Savannah State played Michigan and the third time the Tigers played a Big Ten team.

Savannah State scored just 34 points in a loss to Illinois in 2006 and 32 against Wisconsin in 2007. The Tigers already had surpassed those point totals in the first half Saturday.

Savannah State dropped its first game of the season, Nov. 25 at Clemson, 81-49.

You can reach David Goricki at david.goricki@detnews.com

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Maryland 75, Michigan 70
Wolverines stumble
Harris scores 15 to lead U-M, but Maryland's 16-3 run to begin second half erases early lead.
Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Michigan coach John Beilein knows his basketball team well.

But even he's not sure yet which team will show: the quickly improving Wolverines, or the still-a-bit-scary ones.

Beilein got a show of everything as Maryland defeated Michigan, 75-70, at the Comcast Center as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The good Michigan team dominated the first half.

The iffy squad showed up in the second and lost the game.

The slow-starting Wolverines quickly gave away a six-point halftime lead, allowing Maryland to reel off a game-changing 16-3 run.

"We'd like to take those first three or four minutes," Beilein said. "I'm learning more about my team, and I've learned that my team can't fix things early on their own in the second half.

"I should have used a timeout earlier. We just imploded a little bit mentally. I completely don't like it, but you expect it. There's some valuable stuff you learn from negatives that will make positives one day."

Beilein blamed himself for not intervening, hoping his young Wolverines would find a way to halt Maryland's increasingly crushing roll.

The lesson was delivered by the Terrapins and learned by the Wolverines: You can't let down to start a half.

"We didn't execute out of the gate, and those four minutes cost us," said junior DeShawn Sims, who started for the first time this season. "Just we have to start and end the halves exceptionally well."

Beilein had reason to believe the Wolverines could regain their way, as they clearly outmatched the Terrapins early. U-M dominated, showing active hands, good flow and determination to finish plays.

Michigan was in a groove, making 6 of 14 3-pointers. Sims and Kelvin Grady were 4-for-4 beyond the arc.

Sims had 10 points by halftime, shooting 4-for-5.

But Michigan's progress went away in a flash. No more 3s. No more movement.

Maryland opened the second half with a flurry of 3-pointers. Greivis Vasquez, who finished with a game-high 23 points, pumped his first after hitting the first 3 and the ruckus grew only louder as the Terrapins became the faster, feistier and better-shooting team.

Michigan briefly came back to lead by one, thanks to a Zack Novak 3-pointer at 11:32. But Vasquez took over, with steals, points and force of will, and the Wolverines never led again.

Manny Harris paced U-M with 15 points. Sims and Novak added 12 apiece.
Quick shots

U-M is now 3-5 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Maryland is 7-3, 6-0 on its home floor. (6-0).

The two teams, despite having a history of strong programs, haven't met very often.

This was their first ACC/Big Ten Challenge game pairing. The Wolverines are 3-3 overall against the Terrapins.

You can reach Joanne C. Gerstner at (313) 223-4644 or joanne.gerstner@detnews.com

Thursday, December 4, 2008
North Carolina 98, Michigan State 63
Star heels: Izzo suffers second-most-lopsided loss of career
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- So this is what the nation's No. 1 team looks like.

North Carolina clearly played the part Wednesday night in a 98-63 blowout of Michigan State at Ford Field before an announced crowd of 25,267.

It was the Spartans' fourth game in seven days. Coach Tom Izzo put some blame on himself for scheduling such a brutal game after a lengthy holiday tournament.

"This sounds like an excuse, but we were dead," Izzo said.

The first half said it all. North Carolina used balanced scoring and an explosive fast break fueled by 11 MSU turnovers to take a 53-39 lead.

The second half was only worse for the Spartans as Ed Davis made two free throws for a 26-point lead midway through the second half.

So much for reports of shin and ankle injuries for All-American Tyler Hansbrough. He looked completely healthy pounding his opponent practically everywhere on the floor.

"He's a competitive rascal," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said.

When Hansbrough didn't making spinning shots in the lane, jump hooks or layups, he deferred to his teammates, who appeared more than ready to pick up the slack.

By halftime North Carolina had 14 assists on 20 baskets, made eight of nine free throws and committed just four turnovers.

Hansbrough had 15 of his 25 points by the half, Wayne Ellington 13 of his 17 and Ty Lawson nine of his 17.

Travis Walton, one of Izzo's best defensive players, thought his team defended North Carolina's transition game early, but simply didn't have the legs in the second half.

"We've had an NBA schedule the past week -- four games in seven days," Walton said. "But that's not an excuse."

Lawson was the catalyst that couldn't be stopped early as his mix of speed and strength appeared to overpower anyone that covered him.

The Tar Heels imposed their will early, especially along the perimeter as Danny Green made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 19-11 advantage.

Despite six straight Raymar Morgan points to start the game and three Chris Allen shots beyond the arc, Michigan State failed to find much consistency.

Morgan and Allen were the team's lone double digit scorers with 18 and 16.

They also were the only Spartans to shoot 50 percent or better from the field.

With Goran Suton out for the fourth straight game because of a left knee injury, Izzo once again scrambled for answers with various lineups.

"If this was our regular team (with Suton healthy) we would have probably lost by 20 or 25 instead of 35," Izzo said.
Surgery for Suton

Suton didn't play because he's scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery today on his left knee.

Suton, the Spartans' starting center, missed the past four games because of what he described earlier this week as a sprained knee.

Surgery is expected to keep him out two-to-four weeks.

You can reach Eric Lacy at elacy@detnews.com

DREW SHARP | NORTH CAROLINA 98, MICHIGAN STATE 63
UNC stomps MSU; Izzo takes blame
Spartans coach says schedule left his players 'dead'

BY DREW SHARP • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • December 4, 2008

Did Michigan State inadvertently expose itself to Lion toxins during its visit? Perhaps they walked too close to the Lions' locker room? The Spartans looked clueless against a spectacular North Carolina in something charitably called the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The only "challenge" was Tom Izzo fighting the urge afterwards to say "It's on me" or questioning his defense's "run fits" or "pad levels."

Detroit should expect to see North Carolina again in another four months when the Final Four comes to town.

The Spartans could see Detroit again -- but only if they have tickets.

They're a good team.

But Carolina is a special team.

Izzo did play the Rod Marinelli card after the Tar Heels' 98-63 romp over the Spartans. He took the blame, covering for his clearly overmatched players. He faulted the scheduling -- four games in seven days -- leaving his players, in his own description, "dead" in the second half.

Nobody asked him though if he should fire his son-in-law as defensive coordinator.

"I take responsibility because I'm the guy who does the scheduling," Izzo said. "We lost our legs and when that happens against a great team like North Carolina, they're going to do exactly what they did to us. They're going to run you right out of the building."

It's too bad that Michigan State played as poorly as it did in this nationally televised showcase because -- for this one night, anyway -- they joined the parade of punch lines surrounding this stadium and the current futility of its principal tenant.

It wasn't lost on many that in the span of seven days, Ford Field hosted a 37-point Tennessee football victory over the Lions and a 35-point North Carolina trouncing.

"It was embarrassing," Izzo said.

The Ford Field atmosphere resembled a Lions' game.

The crowd was dead. Even though this wasn't the Spartans' home floor, they should've enjoyed a considerable home crowd advantage. But the combination of a late start and overpriced tickets resulted in an embarrassingly disappointing crowd of around 20,000. There was no electricity indicative of the high profile match-up.

There's plenty of blame.

It starts with the Big Ten. It should've told ESPN "No" when the network insisted on a 9:15 p.m. start for its marquee Challenge game. That's fine for a game held in a college arena with a guaranteed sellout. But when you're promoting an attendance stunt like filling up a football stadium for a basketball game, an earlier start improves the chances of selling more tickets.

The Lions must share some of the blame as well because they established the prices for the tickets, charging $139 for the most expensive tickets at floor level.

Somebody forgot to remind them that Michigan was in an economic recession long before the rest of the country.

The last time the Spartans played at Ford Field, they set a NCAA single game attendance record when they drew more than 70,000 for an early regular season game against Kentucky.

But that was a Saturday afternoon, not a Wednesday evening.

Izzo apologized to those fans that made the long drive from East Lansing or other parts. He hoped that a strong performance against the nation's best team might inspire confidence in everybody connected with the program that Michigan State could return for the Final Four.

You could probably pencil the Spartans into the NCAA Sweet 16 right now. But what frustrates Izzo most about this team is its schizophrenic personality. It doesn't know what form it'll assume in any given minute. They're more athletic than any team Izzo has had since the 2001 Final Four team, but -- right now -- they seem incapable of morphing into that grind-it-out, half-court, crashing the boards identity that's defined Izzo in his 15 years as the soul and persona of Michigan State basketball.

There remain too many questions.

Can senior Goran Suton, scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday, reach a point where he's comfortable playing through physical discomfort?

Can junior Raymar Morgan display more consistency?

Can they put this ugly night behind them as quickly as possible?

Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008
College basketball: Michigan 81, No. 4 Duke 73
Michigan stuns No. 4 Duke
Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- The second time was the charm for the Michigan men's basketball team.

Just more than two weeks after losing to Duke in the final of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament at Madison Square Garden, the Wolverines pulled off their second upset of a top five team this season in stunning fashion.

Michigan, led by DeShawn Sims, who had a career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds, upset No. 4 Duke 81-73 before a sellout crowd at Crisler Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The student section emptied and swarmed the floor to celebrate in joyous mayhem.

"I feel better than I ever felt my whole life, almost," said guard Manny Harris, who scored 17 points and had five rebounds. "That was crazy. Every one of our chairs was knocked on the ground, so that was one of the best feelings ever. That was my first time seeing the crowd like this since I've been here. We didn't want to let the fans down, and they kept us into it, and we kept them into it."

Freshman Zack Novak, who played a critical role in the second half and finished with 14 points, was caught in the fan rush at half-court. His jersey had pocks of blue smudge marks all over the front.

"I think some of the guys who painted themselves got me," Novak said, smiling.

It has been years since Michigan basketball has experienced this kind of upswing, and at 6-2, including victories over then-No. 4 UCLA and now Duke -- the last time Michigan had two victories over top-five teams was the 1986-87 season -- the Wolverines are feeling good about themselves.

"This is big because it shows Michigan is getting a little bit back to where it needs to be, and we want the fans to feel comfortable coming and supporting us every night and trying to get it back to the Michigan everyone loved," Harris said.

The players wanted it known, though: This victory was no fluke; it was earned.

"We worked hard all week," said guard Kelvin Grady, who had nine points, including a 5-of-6 showing from the free throw line. "Someone asked me, 'What do you feel about beating Duke?' I really feel like we worked hard enough to be able to deserve this. We feel like we can compete with anyone in the country on any given night.

"We believe we can play with anybody. That's the attitude you have to have."

But this was mighty Duke, which entered the game 8-0 overall and already with a 71-56 victory over Michigan earlier in the season.

The Blue Devils shot 47.7 percent from the field, but they were dreadful from the 3-point line. They were 7-of-33 -- four straight 3-pointers in the last minute kept them in contention -- from long range. While they couldn't hit a distance shot, the Blue Devils got little help from the free-throw line. They didn't attempt a shot in the first half and were 4-of-6 in the second half.

"It's a really good basketball team, and they're going to keep getting better, if no one gets injured and they maintain their aggressiveness," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "The crowd, the team, the coaching staff were terrific. They were able to make big plays."

The Wolverines distanced themselves with 5:26 left in the game when they built a 62-55 lead with a12-2 run. With the Wolverines trailing by three, Novak sparked the run with back-to-back 3-pointers, giving Michigan a 56-53 lead.

"Momentum swinger," Novak said. "I think that's my job -- hit your open shots."

The Wolverines, who had the halftime lead but trailed by four early in the second half, never trailed again after that scoring run.

Duke, however, stayed in the game late by making four straight 3-point shots. The Blue Devils pulled within 75-71 with 52 seconds left. Grady, who scored seven points, including five free throws, in the final 4:33, made two free throws with 41 seconds left to give Michigan a 77-71 lead. C.J. Lee added two free throws to give Michigan an eight-point lead with 32 seconds left.

"I kept looking at the clock and saying, 'If they can come back (with us) up eight with 23 seconds left, that's crazy,' " Harris said. "I kept looking at the time saying, 'I don't see it happening, it can't happen.' "

Duke was led in scoring by Jon Scheyer, who had 16 points, Kyle Singler scored 15, Nolan Smith 12 and Gerald Henderson 11.

Michigan carried a 32-30 lead into halftime after trailing by as many six nine minutes into the game. Michigan had, at that point, gone 4 1/2 minutes without a field goal.

Michigan broke the tie at 25 when David Merritt hit a pull-up jumper with 2:02 left, to spark a 7-2 run to end the first half. Novak hit a 3-pointer and Sims added a dunk to end the run.

Sims led Michigan in scoring in the first half with 11 points and six rebounds.

U-M coach John Beilein, who admitted to being "stuck" for words after the game, ultimately couldn't say enough about his team's performance.

"We were very fortunate against a very good team," Beilein said. "Duke is a much better shooting team than that. They had some pretty good looks that they just lost some rhythm and they couldn't make them like they did at the end.

"That allowed us to really get into some transition points. It was playing from ahead in the second half that was helpful for us. I'm really proud of everything."

You can reach Angelique S. Chengelis at angelique.chengelis@detnews.com

Monday, December 8, 2008
College basketball: MSU 75, Bradley 59
Spartans struggle but win
Allen scores 19 for MSU, but Izzo still points to troubles in substitution patterns.
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- Less than a week after one of the worst losses of his career, Tom Izzo still had reasons Sunday to feel uneasy about his team after a 75-59 win over Bradley.

In a contest that marked Michigan State's first day spent on the Breslin Center floor since the Nov. 16 Idaho game, the team showed it still has plenty of issues to resolve.

"We're not where we need to be at all," Izzo said. "We need more practice time on the court. We need continuity in our substitution patterns."

Bradley, of the Missouri Valley Conference, wasn't No. 1 North Carolina -- which destroyed Michigan State last week by 35 points -- but the Braves gave the Spartans trouble early.

It took most of the second half for the Spartans to come alive against a mid-major with just two senior starters and averaging 17 turnovers.

Draymond Green's putback and free throw, a two-hand dunk from Delvon Roe and Chris Allen's 3-pointer in about a 90-second span with about 10 minutes left led to an 18-point lead.

Kalin Lucas hit a pair of free throws for a 20-point cushion, 67-47, with 5:39 left.

Allen, who scored 13 in the first half, had a team-high 19 points for the Spartans, followed by Lucas' 12 and nine assists. Travis Walton and Durrell Summers scored nine each.

With a week off from games, after the fifth since Nov. 27, Walton believes this a crucial time for development.

"We're kind of searching for ourselves a little bit," Walton said. "It's going to be a slow process."

"(Against Bradley) we took a baby, baby step."

Michigan State clung to a 32-27 lead after a first half full of defensive breakdowns, bad passes and overall miscommunication.

Raymar Morgan also injured his hip after getting hit by a Braves defender and was limited to 21 minutes.

"I think it's just a bruise," he said. "It stiffened up a bit (in the second half)."

No moment was more telling of MSU's first half woes than when 5-foot-11 Darian Norris and Dodie Dunsongrabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds that led to points.

The Braves' largest lead was 17-11 courtesy of a Dunson 3-pointer near the 15-minute mark.

Eleven players saw the floor in the first half as Goran Suton sat on the bench in street clothes three days after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

You can reach Eric Lacy at eric.lacy@detnews.com

Saturday, December 13, 2008
Michigan 91, Eastern Michigan 60
U-M wins minus Beilein
Vertigo sidelines coach; Dunn fills in, Harris scores 22 and Sims 18 in blowout.
Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan coach John Beilein wasn't on the sideline coaching, but the Wolverines could "hear" him.

And the message must have come in loud and clear, because after a slow start in the first half, the Wolverines erupted for a 91-60 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday at Crisler Arena.

Beilein was sidelined by acute peripheral vertigo stemming from an inner ear infection and had to miss the game. Associate coach Jerry Dunn, formerly the head coach at Penn State (1995-2003) filled in.

"I'd catch myself," said Kelvin Grady, who had 11 points, all in the first half. "It was like (Beilein) was in my head. If I made a mistake, it was like I could hear him talking to me. It motivated me. It really motivated us, him not being here."

Dunn said Beilein was home resting and the hope is he will return soon.

The Wolverines (7-2) improved to 6-0 at home. Michigan, which shot 51 percent from the field, made a program-record 16 3-pointers, eight in each half.

Manny Harris, limited early in the game by foul trouble, scored 22 points. DeShawn Sims had 18 and Jevohn Shepherd 13.

Eastern (2-7) was led by Brandon Bowdry, who had 16 points and Justin Dobbins (13).

Michigan had not played in a week since upsetting then-No. 4 Duke at Crisler. The Wolverines, despite having two victories this season against top-five opponents, did not make either top-25 national poll after beating the Blue Devils.

"Know what?" Harris said, when asked if that slight bothered the Wolverines. "We're just hungry right now. Maybe we aren't supposed to be in the top 25, but we're going to continue to work hard until everyone believes that we do. We're going to stay hungry and not worry about being ranked."

The Wolverines didn't look particularly hungry at the start of the game, as the Eagles rushed to a 6-0 lead. With 11:46 left in the first half, Harris got his second foul and sat for the rest of the half. He played eight minutes and had one basket.

At that point, EMU, which led by as many as seven points, was up, 19-13. With 9:50 remaining, The Wolverines hit four straight 3-pointers, including three by Grady, to cut Eastern's lead to one point.

"It definitely feels great, because I haven't really had an opportunity to shoot the ball like that," Grady said. "To be able to come down and feel it and keep shooting it actually was great."

Michigan went on a 17-4 run to end the first half and take a 44-34 lead, thanks in large part to Shepherd and Grady, who scored all their points in the half.

"We were missing shots, I guess anxiety," Shepherd said of the slow start. "Then we got comfortable and got in our zone. I was just letting the game come to me, and just like all the other guys just picking spots and not really searching for shots, just following the flow of the game."

Dunn said that at halftime, he stressed the importance of coming out strong in the opening minutes of the second half.

"Going into the second half with a 10-point lead, it was very critical we start the first four minutes very solid," Dunn said. "We knew we had to shore up our rebounding (U-M was outrebounded, 21-12 in the first half) on the defensive end, and I thought we did that."

Michigan extended its lead to 16 points in the opening five minutes, sparked by Harris, who scored eight points, including two 3-pointers.

The Wolverines said they were curious how they'd respond a week after the Duke upset against a team that was not, well Duke, and if the lack of national respect in the polls would give them a chip.

"After last week when we beat Duke, we knew we made a big step," Grady said. "We're getting better, we're making strides, our team chemistry is great. We have so many other things going for ourselves, making it in the polls is the last thing on our minds."

You can reach Angelique S. Chengelis at angelique.chengelis@detnews.com

Saturday, December 13, 2008
MSU 118, Alcorn St. 60
MSU impressive in easy win over Alcorn State
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- Tom Izzo appeared to get the kind of game he wanted Saturday night, especially after a weeklong layoff that included final exams for his players.

Playing without Goran Suton (left knee) for the sixth straight game but with fresher legs, Michigan State used 20 assists on its first 22 baskets to rout Alcorn State, 118-60.

The first half was clearly the story as Korie Lucious tallied seven of those assists in his first eight minutes of play. He had three in a row midway through the first half.

Lucious lobbed an alley-oop pass from the 3-point line to Marquise Gray for a dunk, set up Raymar Morgan for a slam and dished to Kalin Lucas for a 3-pointer for an early 13-point lead.

Durrell Summers drove the lane, scored a layup while fouled and netted a free throw for a 34-point lead in MSU's first 60-point half in nearly four years.

Lucious finished with 10 of MSU's 35 assists on 44 baskets.

Alcorn State did take an early 9-6 lead after a Anthony Ford 3-pointer but fell victim to 31 percent shooting in the first half and 10 turnovers to just two assists.

Chris Allen led all scorers with 20 off the bench as Izzo started a lineup of Lucas, Morgan, Travis Walton, Idong Ibok and Delvon Roe.

Lucas had 16 points, Morgan and Roe 13 apiece and Draymond Green added 10.

Troy Jackson had 16 for Alcorn State on 6-of-17 shooting. Alcorn State looked lost most of the game, letting MSU shoot 65 percent.

Top recruit attends

Trey Zeigler and his father, Central Michigan coach Ernie Zeigler , attended the game and sat five rows behind the MSU bench.

Trey is considered by Rivals.com a four-star recruit and one of the top 75 players nationally among class of 2010 prospects.

The 6-foot-5 guard attends Mount Pleasant and also reportedly has interest in Michigan, UCLA and his father's program.

The Detroit News ranks Zeigler the No. 2 player in the state behind Detroit Pershing guard Keith Appling, an MSU verbal commitment.
You can reach Eric Lacy at elacy@detnews.com

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Michigan State 79, The Citadel 65
MSU preps for No. 5 Texas with easy victory over the Citadel
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

EAST LANSING -- Ready or not, Michigan State now has its sights on nationally ranked redemption after Wednesday's 79-65 win over The Citdael.

The focus now shifts to No. 5 Texas, a 1 p.m. matchup Saturday in Houston, more than two weeks after a 35-point drubbing by No. 1 North Carolina at Detroit's Ford Field.

Based on the Spartans' play at the Breslin Center, it's hard to tell if coach Tom Izzo's team is ready to handle what should be a raucous Toyota Center atmosphere.

A South Carolina military school never led at the Breslin Center, but did create some interesting moments courtesy of 10 3-pointers, five from Austin Dahn.

But size and speed were clearly issues for The Citadel as it simply couldn't match up against Raymar Morgan, who led all scorers with 26 points and went 10-of-11 from the field.

With a 41-33 lead at halftime, Morgan scored six of MSU's first eight points in the second half to keep the Bulldogs away for good before Durrell Summers' 3-pointer made it 52-41.

Late in the game, after Morgan scored on a series of put-backs and jumpers, he led a fast break, converted a lay-up while fouled and hit a free throw for a 16-point cushion.

Dahn led the Bulldogs with 17 points, but his team shot 39 percent from the field.

Summers and Chris Allen each had 12 points for the Spartans. Delvon Roe added 10.

Saturday, December 20, 2008
College basketball: No. 19 Michigan State 67, No. 5 Texas 63
Summers time: Sophomore lifts MSU past No. 5 Texas
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

HOUSTON -- On Saturday against No. 5 Texas, nobody owned the game's final three minutes more than Michigan State's Durrell Summers.

It was Summers' 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds left and pair of free throws with a second remaining that gave the Spartans a 67-63 victory.

"Coaches have always told me to just stay intense the whole time and good things will happen," said Summers, who scored 14 in 22 minutes off the bench. "That's what I tried to do."

The improved effort pleased coach Tom Izzo, but it took him more than two minutes and two reporters questions before he mentioned the sophomore wing.

"I told him that if he would just concentrate on doing his assignments, everything else would fall into place," Izzo said of Summers. "I think today he grew up a little bit."

Summers, like several other Spartans (8-2), made the best out of some challenging situations against the Longhorns (9-2), especially in the first half.

In a physical and fast-paced game with an equal amount of turnovers for both teams (15), MSU didn't get its largest lead until Summers' free throws.

The Spartans' next game isn't until Dec. 27, a meeting with Oakland at The Palace of Auburn Hills. But Summers said he knows the importance of always being ready for the next game.

"This game does something for my confidence," Summers said. "But even before this game, I knew my coaches and teammates believed in me and what I can do."

Texas appeared in control for most of the first half and had a 47-42 lead with 12:52 left before the contest's momentum began to shift.

Connor Atchley hit jumper during the stretch, followed by consecutive 3-pointers.

More than two weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery, Goran Suton led an early second half comeback with a layup that tied the score at 53.

But Gary Johnson, who led all scorers with 20 points, netted a pair of free throws for a 61-56 lead with about five minutes left before the game took another twist.

That's when Summers chased down his own missed shot in the paint and dished to Kalin Lucas, who drilled a mid-range jumper for a 62-61 lead near the three-minute mark to keep Michigan State in control.

"I don't know how he got that ball," Lucas said of Summers' rebound. "It was just a big-time play."

Suton also earned praise for a 26-minute effort which showed he's making more progress from a left knee injury suffered late last month.

Suton had a team-high 18 points, including 10 in the first half, and is glad to be back on a team that he thinks will live up to its lofty preseason expectations.

"This proves we're better than how we've been playing lately," Suton said. "I think we are a top-five team because we just beat a top-five team."

Izzo knows his team still has plenty to work on, including poor free-throw shooting (8-of-17), but has reasons to feel better about his team than he did even a couple days ago.

In a victory Wednesday against The Citadel, he thought his team disrespected its opponent and the game itself. Izzo was much more positive after Saturday's triumph.

"I know we're still trying to find ourselves," Izzo said. "But this definitely helps us some.

"I think we can get a lot better."

You can reach Eric Lacy at elacy@detnews.com

Saturday, December 20, 2008
College basketball: Michigan 89, Oakland 76
Michigan holds off Oakland
Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- For the opening two-and-a-half minutes, it looked like a 3-point shooting contest between Michigan and Oakland.

Michigan's first four baskets of the game all were 3-pointers, including the first three by freshman Stu Douglass, and Oakland added two in those opening minutes to make the teams a combined 6-of-6 from beyond the arc.

The Wolverines were an impressive 10-of-18 on 3-pointers (55.6 percent) in the first half, and while they didn't maintain that pace in the second half, they managed to overcome a late run by Oakland to win, 89-76, on Saturday at The Palace.

"I don't think anybody sees that very often," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said of the early game shooting. "I've coached 31 years, and I haven't seen too many things like that. I told the team, 'If they go 10-for-18 in the second half, we're going to pat them on the back and tell that that's the damndest thing we've ever seen.

"We ran into a Michigan team that made shots tonight. We ran into a team that made a lot of deep shots."

Michigan coach John Beilein, back on the bench after missing last Saturday's game because of vertigo, credited Douglass, who finished with 12 points, for giving the Wolverines their initial spark.

"I was really happy for Stu," Beilein said. "That really got us going. Of course, we couldn't stop them either. (Kampe) is such a brilliant coach with his offense, I think you have to outscore them. We did not want to be shy today if we were open, because you don't know when you're going to get a good look."

DeShawn Sims led the Wolverines (8-2) with 20 points. Manny Harris, who entered the game averaging a Big Ten-best 20.9 points, had 15 points and 13 assists, and guard Laval Lucas-Perry, who was making his debut, scored 14.

The Golden Grizzlies (7-6) were led by Keith Benson's 23 points and 11 rebounds. Erik Kangas scored 15 and Johnathon Jones added 13.

Michigan built a 16-point lead in the second half, but the Grizzlies wouldn't go away. They went on a 17-7 run to cut the lead to 65-59 with 8:34 left when the Wolverines took a timeout. Two minutes later, Oakland had cut its deficit to four points.

Harris then scored on a layup, Zack Gibson hit two free throws and Zack Novak and Kelvin Grady hit back-to-back 3-pointers to increase Michigan's lead to 12.

"We got it down to four, and they made a backdoor layup and they hit two 3's in a row that opened it up," Kampe said. "They're a good team, and that's what good teams do. They didn't beat UCLA and Duke for no reason."

Michigan led by as many as 17 in the first half, but Oakland overcame a seven-minute scoring drought. The Grizzlies took a timeout with 6:28 left, and as Dan Waterstradt walked toward the Oakland bench, he yelled at his team, "Time to pick it up!"

He then hit two free throws coming out of the timeout and the Grizzlies went on a 16-8 run to cut the Michigan lead to eight points heading into the half.

Oakland made 36.4 percent of its field-goal attempts, while Michigan made 45.5 percent, including 56 percent from the 3-point line.

Lucas-Perry, who transferred to Michigan from Arizona, was eligible to play for the Wolverines for the first time. He made his first four shots, all 3-pointers.

You can reach Angelique S. Chengelis at angelique.chengelis@detnews.com

MICHIGAN 76, FLORIDA GULF COAST 59
DeShawn Sims' 20/20 sight to behold

BY MARK SNYDER • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • December 23, 2008

Another game, more history.

The Michigan basketball team isn't taking the most traditional path to success, but each game seems to have a historic moment, and Monday was another one for the scrapbook.

The No. 24 Wolverines shot only 36% and let a potential blowout slip to an eight-point margin in the second half, but the U-M bookkeepers will mark it as a 76-59 win over Florida Gulf Coast, highlighted by DeShawn Sims' standout night.

Sims again thrived in the middle, posting 20 points and 20 rebounds to become the first Wolverine to go 20/20 since Phil Hubbard in 1977.

"I went to go get it, honestly," Sims said of his aggressiveness on the glass. "I was told to be a warrior today, and I took that mind-set most of the game. It just happened to turn out good for me today."

His five offensive rebounds led to some put-backs, and he was able to work through Gulf Coast's sagging defense.

Admittedly, Hubbard's 22-point, 26-rebound night against the University of Detroit in the NCAA tournament had more impact, but without Sims' big night, U-M might not be talking about making the tournament in March.

For the second consecutive game, U-M (9-2) let an opponent get too close as Gulf Coast closed to within eight with 5:11 left on former Wolverine Reed Baker's three-point play.

But for the second consecutive game, the Wolverines answered with a pair of three-pointers -- this time from Laval Lucas-Perry and again from Kelvin Grady -- to secure the victory with 3 1/2 minutes left.

"The difference this year is people will make runs," U-M captain David Merritt said, "but we'll respond."

It was a mediocre offensive game for Michigan, which committed 15 turnovers. But the Wolverines never seemed in serious danger, knowing that their three-ball would be there -- even though they made just 12 of 42 treys for 28.6% -- when necessary. And they forced Gulf Coast into 26 turnovers.

Don't think coach John Beilein forgets the past, either.

"Especially after what we went through last year, we celebrate every win," Beilein said. "No matter what."

NOTEBOOK: Beilein will give his players two full days off for Christmas, enough time for all to head back to their respective homes. They will resume practice the night of the 26th and play next when they host North Carolina Central on Monday.

Contact MARK SNYDER at 313-223-3210 or msnyder@freepress.com. Check out his Wolverines blog at www.freep.com/sports

Michigan is ranked!

About time!

Saturday, December 27, 2008
Michigan State 82, Oakland University 66
Izzo impressed as Spartans roll
Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

AUBURN HILLS -- First it was Michigan State going on a streak, then Oakland. Then Michigan State got on a roll again.

In the end, though, Michigan State proved to be nearly unstoppable, defeating Oakland University 82-66 Saturday before 15,361 at The Palace.

Goran Suton scored 16, Kalin Lucas 15 points and Travis Walton 14 for MSU (9-2), which opens the Big Ten season Wednesday at Minnesota.

"I couldn't be prouder or happier with the way we played," MSU coach Tom Izzo said. "Most of you know that's not normally the way I feel."

Keith Benson had 20 points and Erik Kangas 15 for Oakland (8-7), which is host to South Dakota State on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The Spartans scored the first nine points of the game, only to see Oakland score the next 15. But MSU responded with the next 11, taking a 20-15 lead.

Oakland rallied to take a 28-26 lead on a Benson bucket, but MSU went on an 18-2 run to close the first half.

"We're disappointed the way the (first half) ended," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "We made some bad decisions defensively. We let the ball get inside."

The guard play of Lucas (six assists, two steals) was key during that late first-half stretch.

"He kind of controlled the game," said Izzo, who added that it might have been Lucas' best game as a Spartan.

Said Lucas, "It's a matter of coming out and playing hard and getting guys involved, and knocking down some shots."

The Spartans were dominant on the board with a 38-22 rebounding advantage. MSU also held Oakland to 44-percent shooting (22-of-50), while shooting 51.6 percent (32-of-62).

"In terms of offensive rebounding that's one of the better teams we've played, and we dominated the boards early," Izzo said. "Defensively we were pretty good.

"I'd have to say I'm as pleased with the preparation that carried over to a game situation as I've been in a while."

Having Suton and forward Delvon Roe healthy and contributing gives the Spartans a good dose of confidence with the Big Ten season set to begin.

"We have things to work on as a team, but we're getting better," Suton said.

You can reach Ted Kulfan at ted.kulfan@detnews.com

Go State! Poor Oakland

Monday, December 29, 2008
U-M 77, North Carolina Central 57
Harris leads Michigan to 10th victory
Sophomore's double-double helps Wolverines match win total from last season.
Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- It's a nice belated Christmas present for Michigan coach John Beilein.

His Wolverines gave him a somewhat messy win Monday, still good for the 10th victory of the season.

Last year, 10 represented Michigan's entire victory total.

This year, the team reached the mark before the new year, thanks to handling pesky North Carolina Central. The Wolverines defeated the Eagles, 77-57, at Crisler Arena.

The Eagles (0-15) never could mount a run dangerous enough to threaten the Wolverines.

U-M sophomore guard Manny Harris led Michigan with his fourth career double-double. He scored 29 points with a career-high 16 rebounds. He also had seven assists, a steal and a block.

Junior forward DeShawn Sims added 17 points, nine boards, three steals and a block.

The Wolverines open Big Ten play Wednesday, hosting Wisconsin at Crisler.

You can reach Joanne C. Gerstner at (313) 223-4644 or joanne.gerstner@detnews.com

10 wins is nice, but they need to keep winning! This team could make the NCAA tourney if it doesn't screw up. It's been a long time since they were there.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wisconsin 73, Michigan 61
League opener a dud for U-M
Badgers dominate from the opening tip; Novak scores 20 in first start for Wolverines.
Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- It was the rude awakening that often comes with Big Ten play.

Wisconsin made life very difficult for No. 23 Michigan in a 73-61 rout at Crisler Arena on Wednesday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

The Badgers (10-3) proved to be stronger, taller, better rebounders and quite able from 3-point range. The Wolverines (10-3) went down 20-9 early, and chased the Badgers the rest of the game.

"We played tough, but we didn't play smart," said sophomore guard Laval Lucas Perry, who shot 2-of-8 for 11 points. "We didn't play the defense we needed to have at the start and then we couldn't get things back. We'll learn from this."

Sophomore guard Manny Harris also had a subpar performance, only scoring nine. He entered the game averaging 19.

"We knew they were going to play us physical, but maybe we didn't remember how that was going to be," Harris said. "I don't know. Some of us haven't seen that before, so that's good to see it now. That's how Big Ten play is, you have to expect that."

Wisconsin shot 58.7 percent, while Michigan struggled at 39.2. Freshman guard Stu Douglass, Lucas-Perry and Harris were 1-for-11 combined on 3-pointers.

Every miss proved to be costly for Michigan.

Wisconsin, led by senior forwards Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft and sophomore forward Jon Leuer, sliced and diced the Michigan zone in opening minutes. Inside, outside, everything seemed open and working for Wisconsin.

U-M then went into man-to-man, somewhat putting a halt to the Badgers' ease in running offensive sets.

But Wisconsin, thanks to their size and physicality, finished with 30 rebounds to Michigan's 26.

"Wisconsin just put on a clinic in the first half in how to play solid basketball," said coach John Beilein, whose Wolverines trailed 42-31 at halftime.

"They're patient, they get a good shot, they're how we want our program to be one day. This is a team (U-M) where we've been very effective getting to the rim; you don't get to the rim against these guys (Wisconsin)."

The lone bright spot for Michigan was the confident play of freshman guard Zack Novak.

He made the most of his first career start, with 20 points, nine rebounds and a number of important hustle plays.

He shot 4-for-5 in the first half, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

"I saw open looks and I took the shot; you can't be afraid to shoot it," Novak said. "I wasn't nervous or whatever. I just went out there and played. It was tough out there, but we have to do better. We know we can do better."

Landry and Trevon Hughes each scored 16 to lead Wisconsin.

Slam dunks

Michigan missed the usually dominating presence of junior forward DeShawn Sims , who had 14 points and only four rebounds.

He appeared to be struggling with a lingering right ankle injury suffered in Monday's win over North Carolina Central.

Sims, who did not speak the media after the game, was sent by Beilein to the training room for evaluation and treatment.

Sims insists he's OK; Beilein thought Sims' jumping lift looked compromised.

... Football coach Rich Rodriguez attended the game.

... Michigan's next game is Sunday at home against Illinois (noon, Big Ten Network).

You can reach Joanne C. Gerstner at (313) 223-4644 or joanne.gerstner@detnews.com

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
MSU 70, Minnesota 58
MSU wins Big Ten opener
Ted Kulfan / The Detroit News

MINNEAPOLIS -- The development of sophomore point guard Kalin Lucas has been accelerated this season.

Or, rather, maybe it's slowed down. But in a good way for Michigan State.

Lucas had a career-high 24 points as 10th-ranked MSU beat No. 21 Minnesota, 70-58, on Wednesday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Last season, Lucas essentially played at a breakneck speed trying to adjust to the Big Ten as a freshman. Coach Tom Izzo has noticed a different, more mature, Lucas this season.

"He's starting to see things," Izzo said. "He's so quick. Last year he went at a blur speed and didn't see the court and what was going on it. He is maturing."

Lucas agrees with that.

"I was tying to be fast, and this year I'm taking my time more," he said. "The points don't really matter. It's just getting the win and the team playing well."

Of that, there was no issue.

MSU (10-2) followed up an impressive win against Oakland with possibly an even better all-around game.

Chris Allen scored 13, Goran Suton 11 and Raymar Morgan 10 in a balanced attack. Suton (12 rebounds) and Morgan (10 rebounds) had double-doubles.

"We told our kids they had to match (the Gophers') intensity," Izzo said. "For the most part, we did that. We've been a team out of sync, but we played better than we did against Texas (a key victory earlier in the season). Other than a couple of sloppy plays, we executed, defended and rebounded pretty well."

The Spartans outrebounded the Gophers, 49-27, with an astonishing 23 of MSU's on offense. The Spartans also held the Gophers to 39.6-percent shooting (21-of-53).

"Our team knows they were out-toughed today, that's what it boils down to," Gophers coach Tubby Smith said.

MSU led 30-29 at halftime but opened the second half on a 20-9 run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Suton and Lucas.

Slam dunks

Point guard Al Nolen had 14 points and seven assists for Minnesota (12-1). But Izzo felt the Spartans did a fine job of containing Nolen's penetration and protecting the paint, or shrinking the court, as is MSU's terminology. "We had a lot of help defense," Izzo said. "As good as it's been this year."

... Allen scored 11 in the first half, including three 3-pointers. "I just came in and tried to do what the team needed me to do," he said. "Look for my shot and play defense."

... Delvon Roe (ankle) played just five minutes. He had two points and two rebounds.

... Michigan State's next game is Saturday at Northwestern (7 p.m., Big Ten Network).

Saturday, January 3, 2009
Michigan State 77, Northwestern 66
Michigan St. downs Northwestern ... again
Ted Kulfan The Detroit News / The Detroit News

EVANSTON, Ill. -- There have been several great Michigan State basketball teams but none accomplished what this one did Saturday.

By defeating Northwestern 77-66 at Welsh-Ryan Arena, this MSU (11-2, 2-0) team became the first in school history to start the Big Ten with two straight road victories.

"It's huge," said forward Raymar Morgan, who led MSU with 22 points and 13 rebounds. "Every road win you can get is so big."

MSU coach Tom Izzo felt his team could have played much better against Northwestern.

"I know how good this league is and we have to be getting better every day," he said. "We just didn't guard and we looked out of sync a lot. We had been taking steps forward, but tonight we took a giant step backward in what we did.

"The score wasn't indicative of the game. It could have been a lot closer."

Izzo and his players gave Northwestern (8-4, 0-2) credit for making MSU look average at times.

"Northwestern runs its zone real well and on offense they do a lot of picks and screens and cuts and in the first half we had a hard time with it," said Kalin Lucas, who scored 17 and had nine assists. "We played with more discipline in the second half and it worked out for us."

Chris Allen added 17 points for MSU, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, as the Spartans shot 9-of-16 (56.3 percent) from beyond the arc.

MSU held Northwestern to 40 percent shooting from the floor (22-of-55) and out-rebounded the Wildcats, 47-28.

"The rebounding is the most essential thing we have to work on," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said.

Northwestern actually led 33-32 at halftime, but MSU scored the first 12 points of the second half and never looked back.

Northwestern closed the gap to 51-46 on Craig Moore's 3-pointer, but Allen quickly countered with a 3-pointer. Moore finished with 16 points.

"I knew from watching (film) I saw holes in their defense and I was going to get wide open looks," Allen said. "My focus was to knock down shots. Give Northwestern credit. They played their game. We didn't play our best game but we won on the road and that's always good."

One sided rivalry

Michigan State has won 12th straight games over Northwestern, 19 of the last 20 and 39 of the last 42.

But this Northwestern looks like a much improved team.

"I'm not looking forward to playing them (at MSU on Jan. 21)," Izzo said.

Rebounding machine

MSU came into the game averaging 14.3 offensive rebounds per game and had 19 on Saturday against Northwestern.

"We have the potential to rebound, we have athletic guys who can jump over the rim," Morgan said. "It just depends if we want to go get it or not. We have to be aggressive and get it."

Slam dunks

Lucas struggled in the first half, shooting 1-for-7 (a 3-point shot) with only three assists. But after halftime -- and a heart-to-heart discussion with Izzo -- Lucas had 14 points and ran the offense with precision.

"He found some guys open," Izzo said. "He made some big-time plays."

... MSU returns to the Breslin Center on Tuesday to face Ohio State (7 p.m., ESPN2). It'll be MSU's first game at home since Dec. 17

... Morgan had a sense in the pre-game warmups he might have a good night.

"I felt good in the shootaround and guys did a great job of finding me where I could be creative and make plays," Morgan said. "I was just trying to be aggressive."

You can reach Ted Kulfan at (313) 223-4606, or ted.kulfan@detnews.com

Sunday, January 4, 2009
U-M 74, Illinois 64
U-M earns gutsy win over Illinois
Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- It took toughness, smarts, and even a little blood, but Michigan found its way Sunday. The No. 23 Wolverines defeated Illinois, 74-64, in a tense game at Crisler Arena.

Michigan (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten) played with emotion, and by game's end, the Wolverines had ample reason to be proud. Illinois (13-2, 1-1 Big Ten) tested them in every way possible, and Michigan showed poise.

Six Wolverines -- Zack Novak, Manny Harris, DeShawn Sims, Laval Lucas-Perry and Zack Gibson -- finished with double figures scoring. Harris led all with 16.

U-M went up by seven in the opening minutes, thanks to three-pointers from Sims, Lucas-Perry and Novak.

The Wolverines showed resiliency in the first half, after the Illini stormed back to go up by six. Three-point shooting helped Michigan get out of the hole, with Novak and Sims hitting shots through tight defense.

Harris drew a foul on a drive, hit both free throws and Michigan tied the game at 31.

The Illini continued to find holes in the U-M defense, with senior guard Calvin Brock doing the most damage. Brock had 11 points in the first half, off 5-for-6 shooting.

The Wolverines were down 39-38 at halftime.

Harris brought the crowd to its feet a few times in the second half with spectacular individual plays. One such play was a block on a shot by Illini forward Mike Davis in the opening minute of the half.

Davis, 6-9, was driving and looked to be going for the dunk when Harris, 6-5, jumped and met him in the air.

About six minutes later, Harris stole a pass and finished with a powerful two-handed jam to put Michigan up 50-48.

The Wolverines fed off Harris, and started playing tougher defense, scrapping for loose balls and fighting Illinois everywhere.

Novak, a freshman, showed his poise midway in the second half. He took an elbow from Alex Legion (Detroit Country Day) near his left eye. The wound bled profusely, sending Novak to the locker room for stitches. He returned to play with about a minute to go, sporting a big bandage.

I wonder if they'll stay ranked?

catbox_9 wrote:

I wonder if they'll stay ranked?

U of M, I would think so, they did win.