COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Michigan State Spartans weren’t snapping, not on this day, not with their sticky defense back. The only thing that snapped in Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament opener was one unfortunate clipboard, dismantled by a riled Tom Izzo. Oh, and one unfortunate USC offense, dismantled by waves of Green.
This was the tenacity the Spartans had been seeking and Izzo had been demanding. Their guards were swarming, their big men were helping out and every USC possession looked like an accident waiting to happen. When Michigan State’s 72-62 victory was complete Friday, Izzo looked as pleased as he’s looked in a long time, just in time.
“We got our mojo back,” he said with a satisfied smile. “We talked about it for two or three weeks. It’s no secret I haven't been pleased with our defense. And I'd say for 32 or 33 minutes, it was exceptional.”
Exceptionally exhausting.
Izzo seldom cares who scores for his team, and the points generally get spread around. In this one, it was more Joey Hauser, as he continued scorching with 17 points. When Hauser shoots like this, the Spartans have a 6-9 weapon most teams don’t possess. But more importantly, when the guards — Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard, Jaden Akins — are ball-hawking like this, the Spartans have a mentality many teams can’t match.
Next up is Marquette, the No. 2 seed in the East, and the Golden Eagles’ sped-up offense and turnover-inducing defense will be a challenge. But so was this, with the Spartans mere two-point favorites over USC.
They welcomed the Trojans to Big Ten basketball as only they can. It was a slog, 34-34 at the half, and MSU never minds a good slog this time of year. The scouting report was simple. Don’t let USC’s leading scorers, guards Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, get comfortable. They’ve combined for almost half the Trojans’ points and are their leading 3-point shooters. And in Nationwide Arena Friday in front of mostly Spartan partisans — and some green-clad St. Patty’s Day stragglers — they were decidedly uncomfortable.
Early in the second half, Walker took over. He drove for one basket, then pushed the fast break that led to consecutive dunks by Carson Cooper. All of a sudden MSU’s lead was 49-40, and the Trojans were starting to crack.
“It’s not like we had to reinvent the wheel,” said Walker, who finished with 12 points. “We’ve played defense before; we just had to do it again. Those (USC) guys can score in bunches. It was just about slowing them down and making them make tough shots.”
They didn’t get many easy shots and didn’t make many tough shots. Ellis and Peterson combined to shoot 7 for 22, 1 for 7 on 3s Walker hounded Ellis into a 3-for-12 performance and helped force 11 USC turnovers.
'We got the pieces'
It looked pleasantly familiar for the Spartans, who have emerged from season-long bouts of inconsistency with intriguing pieces intact. They have experience across the roster. They have guards who can shoot and distribute. They have Hauser, who was 4 for 6 on 3s and is connecting on a staggering 46% of 3s this season.
“It’s been an up-and-down year, but I think we’ve got some really good leaders on this team,” Hauser said. “We think we have it all, to go to the Final Four, whatever it is. We got the pieces, just a matter of putting it together.”
Every team in the Tournament probably harbors similar thoughts. The Spartans’ advantage is, they’ve shown signs of putting it together before. Last year, they beat Davidson in the opener, then narrowly lost to Duke. With Marquette next, the challenge is similar.
As well as the Spartans have been shooting, marksmanship takes a team only so far. (Ask the Trojans). That’s why Izzo has been begging for sharper focus, especially guarding the perimeter. Early in the second half, with MSU’s lead down to 51-47, he was particularly incensed by USC offensive rebounds that led to a couple of dunks.
Before the timeout huddle, Izzo grabbed the clipboard, with no intention of drawing up a play. His face scrunched in anger, he snatched the board with two hands and snapped it. In all seriousness, it was a notable display of strength, considering clipboards are made of plastic these days, not flimsy cardboard.
“I was writing on that thing and all of a sudden it cracked,” Izzo deadpanned. “Don’t know what happened. Ridiculous. They gotta build a better product.”
Pause. Smirk.
“It’s all fun; players love it,” he said. “They know that I’m serious. You know what bothers me? It’s getting harder to break that damn thing. Maybe I gotta get in the weight room like Draymond (Green) used to say.”
It takes a fiery disposition to play fiery defense, and to hold a smooth-shooting team like USC to 34% in the second half. Once unleashed, the fuel spreads, and the Trojans never got closer than four after that. One of Izzo’s favorite moments came earlier in the game, when he yelled at Walker for committing a silly foul, and Walker barked back at him. Malik Hall stepped in and policed the matter himself, telling Walker to shut (the blank) up.
When the Spartans make tournament runs, it’s usually because they learn to share. Share the ball, share the scoring, share the scolding. And share the blame when defensive responsibilities break down.
Hauser, playing and leading as freely as he ever has, has learned to enjoy the in-game fervor, right down to the occasional broken board.
“At this point, I don’t even notice,” Hauser said with a laugh. “I don’t know how many clipboards we order a year, got to be upwards of 100. One a game is pretty low. I set the bar at three-and-a-half. … Coach is coach. He’s gonna yell, he’s gonna nitpick. That’s who he is, that’s why he wins.”
This is who the Spartans are, when they’re at their best. Driven by tough-minded guards, connected by defense. If they needed a reminder of what works this time of year, perhaps they just got it.
