Izzo's methods have Spartans looking Final Four-ready again

Izzo's methods have Spartans looking Final Four-ready again

March 14, 2009
By Dennis Dodd CBSSports.com Senior Writer

It's up to Michigan State to save the Big Ten's reputation.

You know the one: slow, plodding, boring. Tom Izzo probably doesn't much care what the reputation is because his Spartans fought through it to dominate the Big Ten.

Kalin Lucas is the third Spartan to be named Big Ten Player of the Year in Tom Izzo's tenure. (Getty Images) Heck, Izzo helped create the reputation. Remember his football drill? Players suit up in football pads and scramble after rebounds in practice. It has paid off in four Final Fours and the 2000 national championship.

It wasn't easy this season with the league descending into a nightly wrestling match. Center Goran Suton missed six games with a knee injury. Raymar Morgan missed three games and was limited in six others. Freshman Delvon Roe has had two knee surgeries since 2007.

"This is the healthiest we've been all year ...," Izzo said. "Our best basketball is yet to come."

Michigan State's lofty seed was earned after it won the league by four games while winning 13 games against the top 50 in the RPI. Point guard Kalin Lucas became Big Ten Player of the Year.

Typical of Izzo's great teams, this one goes nine deep. That helps when Lucas is the only starter to score in the first half, as he was in the Big Ten quarterfinals against Minnesota. The reserves had to carry the Spartans against a Gophers team desperate to get an NCAA bid.

A disappointing loss to Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten semis has an upside. The Spartans get an extra day of rest for what could be an epic March.

Having faced almost every kind of adversity, these Spartans are made for a tournament run. It's time. Every player that has stayed four years under Izzo has been to a Final Four. The last Final Four was 2005.

Those drills paid off. The Spartans are in the top five nationally in rebound margin. They have a loaded backcourt with Lucas, a combo guard who averages almost 15 points. Senior guard Travis Walton has been playing some point guard and is second in assists.

Looking for weaknesses? Turnovers (14 per game) and free-throw shooting (69 percent). Michigan State is third worst in the Big Ten in both categories.

Look for three key seniors to be the inspiration. Walton might be the Spartans' best on-the-ball defender. Suton is the serviceable big man that so many teams lack. Marquise Gray plays only 10 minutes but averages more than three rebounds.

Those seniors are important also because they are the ones who are going to keep Izzo's Final Four streak alive -- or not.