NU shoots too many 3's and plays a little too much zone for me to feel comfortable with this win. Shurna should be in better shape for this one, too. BUT...Summers will be looking to do something today, as will Lucas and Lucious. I would expect NU to take it at Appling given all the credit that was heaped on him after the last meeting. It could be a long day for Keith.
I like MSU by 10 at home.
Here. We. Go.
20:00 -- 16:30 Roe is playing great on ball defense. Shurna has been blocked or redirected his shot 3 times in the first 3 minutes. Summers also looks good on defensive switches. MSU still can't run a fastbreak. Payne is looking ACTIVE. Thompson carries the ball badly, and often. It never gets called.
16:30 -- 14:45 Early shots aren't falling for either team, with MSU getting some good looks but missing and NU not really getting any clean shots off. Still 4-0 at the first tv timeout, but don't expect Lucious and Summers to keep missing all day. Payne doesn't have the weight yet to bang, but is right in the mix on rebounds and running the floor really well. Again, at least 2 times so far this game MSU fails to execute on a fastbreak.
14:45 -- 12:30 Bad call on that play as the ball went off a NU players foot under the MSU basket, but after some indecision ball out to NU. Nix with a terrible shot underneath after a good pass from Lucious. Rather than bring it down and go up clean Nix tried a goofy lob-layup. This zone is really making MSU work the shotclock. Lucious finally penetrates and misses, Nix again tries a tip rather than rebounding and going up clean. Things are getting a little sloppy against the zone.
12:30 -- 11:00 NU fouls Appling for a steal, runs out on the break, travels and misses the layup but goaltends to make it a 1 point game. On the other end Summers drives and is whistled for a charge. Great sequence for refs everywhere.
11:00 -- 8:30 Roe is like a blanket on defense, but NU takes the lead on a double back cut. Meanshile MSU has 4 wanna be guards standing around the perimeter ready to fire 3's with only Roe on the block to rebound. It doesn't work if you miss. On the defensive end back to back NU layups for Draymond's man. Lucas throws a lob to Summers that lands in the 14th row. Great idea.
8:30 -- 5:30 MSU looks awful on offense. Stand around the 3 point line and fire 3's is not an offense.* Drive on these guards (appling, lucas, lucious) and get the ball inside where you can abuse this team. The current zone offense is a joke. On defense, guard the shooters and don't bother helping on drives. Make free throws.
5:30 -- 3:45 Payne and Sherman have twice left men alone under the basket on switches (see: no switch). Frank Noname is fouled but makes both free throws. Lucas goes to the other end and plays like an MSU senior** leaving his feet, throwing a pass to no one, and then committing an immediate foul.
3:45 -- :50 NU is up by 7 and turns it over AGAIN against the zone. For the 2000th consecutive season MSU can't do anything against a zone. Roe misses another layup, which I am starting to think is his intention. TERRIBLE CALL ON THORNTON when NU Nobody Norton drops 3 straight elbows but Thornton gets the call. Horrible. After review the refs add an intentional on Nuncio Nothing.
Timeout MSU with 10 seconds. I call a double screen for summers.
After a foul and MSU inbound MSU runs...the double screen for summers. Summers jumps in the air with nothing to do and throws the ball to no one. Looks like the MSU offense overall, with 18 points at the half. One -- Eight. (18)
HALF (mercifully)
Summers, to my knowledge, hasn't scored. He is MIA. If you see him, please return him to the Breslin Student Events Center. Lucas is playing really stupid. The offense is 1 and done; there is no offensive rebounding presence. If you hold a team to 23 in the half you should be up 10-15 points. Instead, MSU played a game of "anything you can screw up we can screw up worse" and put up 18 points. Appling has 1/3 of that on 2 shots. This team is an offensive joke as it 1. can't run a fast break, and 2. can't find any offense against a zone. So, if you play MSU this year and have ever even heard of the work zone, just spring back on defense and fall in to a zone. That's it. You have at least a 50:50 chance of winning. Actually, make that 60:40 if you can hit free throws, because MSU can't do that either.
Second half, IPA in hand, here we go.
20:00 -- 17:30 Make Lucas, miss NU, foul NU, misshandled pass Green, foul Lucas.. It's lamost a palindrome. Green gets lazy on defense and gives up a traditional 3 point play. Green makes up for it on the other end with a rebound and put back. Then, Green baits Mirkovich into his 3rd foul on the other end. Good stretch for Green.
17:30 -- 15:30 Roe forces a turnover on Shurna who can't shake Roe with his bad ankle. FINALLY! A Summers sighting. Tie game! And another NU turnover as a secondary ball handler steps out of bounds. Where is Crawford today? Lucious is out of control and not really contributing positively at all today. Thompson goes by Lucious for a layup and follows it with a pass to the 43rd row (rather than Roe) on the other end. I'm wondering why Lucious is still on the floor. Lucas hits 2 free throws to tie it up 28 all.
15:30 -- 12:40 Roe makes 1 of 2 from the line to take a 1 pt lead. MSU decided to execute a 4-2 advantage fast break. You guessed it, no points and now we are going the other way. This is THE worst executing fast break team in the history of basketball. Its really not even close.
12:40 -- 8:30 Crawford shows up on cue to abuse Thornton. Lucious shows up on cue to throw a terrible lob to...someone...I guess Payne. Crawford is hitting now. Awesome. Back to back plays by Nix and Roe tie it back up. By the way, that is the Roe Izzo expected when he turned down N. Carolina for MSU. LUCAS for 3! This is more like it. Then Thompson hits a long, tough, guarded 3.
This used to look like a good team that showed minutes of sloppiness and stupidity. Now it is a stupid sloppy team that shows minutes of good play from time to time. This team is, honestly, bad.
Nix is a tough matchup 6+ feet from the basket for big men because he can really move his feet. However, inside he really gets jammed up in tight space. MSU will be shooting from here on out, as NU is over the foul limit. You decide if that is good or bad.
8:30 -- 6:00 Crawford is coming alive and really hurting Appling. But LUCAS answers with what we've seen in the past, a drive and finish. It could be important down the stretch that both Summers and Lucas have 3 fouls already, with 8+ minutes to go. Right on command, as I yell at Green "he can't guard you -- go by him!" Green drives and is fouled. He hits both free throws to tie the game again, this time at 44.
Cobb hits a 3 for NU. If you ask "Cobb who?" I'll answer: Carl Cobb. That's my guess at least. It could be Curtis or Curtain for all I know.
Green picks up his 4th foul. That is big. That means Sherman and Nix are going to have to produce on both ends, mostly not giving up easy shots and picking up some rebounds to close out defensive possessions.
6:00 -- 3:30 FINALLY! A great entry pass to Nix from Lucious. Nix even cooperates and catches the pass and makes the shot. Then Nix loses his man, again, on defense. Roe reverts to Roe circa 2 weeks ago by going over the back on a rebound he had no chance at getting. Shurna has one of the ugliest shots in the history of shots. Having to watch it from the free throw line, with no other movement or noise, is disgusting. Mateen Cleaves' jumpshot is museum worthy art in comparison.
3:30 -- 1:40 Roe has really found his place on defense. He just forced a shot clock violation on a big game, a serious change of pace from Shurna. Appling hits a 3 and then gets picked off giving Crawford another layup. Miss by Lucas, BIG rebound by Roe, timeout Izzo.
1:40 -- :25 BAD possession by MSU ending in a BAD shot by Appling. Lucas ends up on Crawford, who again posts up the smaller MSU guard, travels (no call) and banks a fall away. 3 point lead NU. MSU has no offense against this zone. Green isolates out of the timeout and drives, drawing the foul. He has to hit both. 1 up 1 down. The 2nd is good.
:25 -- NU is up 3 w/ Green at the line. It is about stops and scoring quickly. Playing excellent defense all day Roe intentionally fouls, committing only his 2nd of the day. 1 make, 1 miss, rebound MSU! Green gets his own rebound and heads back to the line. 1st one...makes! 11 seconds and we ARE TIED!
TRAVEL NU! MSU ball with 2.7 seconds to go and the whole floor to cover. Just don't throw it away and don't commit an offensive foul. Andddd...missed 3. Overtime.
OT
Green continues to hit free throws. Crawford is crushing MSU right now, and really, is NU's best player. Crawford hit a long 3 off a high screen. Great challenge by Roe but Shurna hits again. NU by 3. Which also means a zone by NU on the other end. MSU misses again.
ROE AGAIN causes a travel in the post. He is so locked in on defense. Appling for 3! Where is summers? Doesn't matter. Appling with 17 pts and a great box out on the other end leading to a Crawford foul. He's got a real chance to be special given his size. MSU often gets good but undersized guards (Lucas, Cleaves, Neitzel) but Appling is longer. He can, with a little more weight, play at the next level as a scoring point guard.
Up 2 and with the ball, Izzo wants a timeout. I don't blame him. You have to get something on this possession. I would go inside and force the defense to collapse, then kick back out. Instead Lucas throws up an early 3. NU rebound.
ROE FORCES ANOTHER AIR BALL! Unreal. Shurna couldn't find an inch of daylight. Air ball, shot clock violation, MSU ball with 10 seconds to go. Just control the ball and hit free throws.
Lucious got the ball and was fouled almost immediately. Misses the 1st. Hits the 2nd. 8 seconds to go. Draymond steps out on the perimeter, pokes at the ball and fouls out of the game. Bad foul by the wrong guy.
Nix rebounds the NU miss and is fouled immediately. He hits a free throw that runs through the rafters, scrapes the banners, and goes in. He misses the 2nd. You decide if it was on purpose.
MSU wins by 4, in OT, and looks terrible for 90% of the game. Thank the IPA for the second half resurgence. As always, the IPA fund is taking donations.
* Unless you are um.
** Dictionary definition of regress.
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