Michigan State shrugs off turnovers, fights off Illinois

In the middle of January, two Big Ten teams competed with March-level intensity. In what was clearly the conference’s most emotional game of the young season, Michigan State found cooler heads down the stretch to beat Illinois, 63-57, and remain perfect in league play.

On most occasions, a basketball team suffers because it doesn’t bring enough energy to the arena. Saturday afternoon in East Lansing, the No. 10 Spartans ran into difficulties because they possessed far too much voltage in their veins. Inspired by a pregame ceremony retiring the jersey of Morris Peterson, a core member of MSU’s most recent national title team in the year 2000, Tom Izzo’s charges gained an abundance of adrenaline. While this is certainly a plus at the defensive end of the floor, it’s not so beneficial on offense. One of the wonderful aspects of basketball—a reality that makes the sport so textured and challenging—is that energy has to be harnessed and controlled. Yes, you need to work harder than your opponent, but you also need to channel your actions into the flow of the game. Michigan State never had a problem with the first part of this equation, but the leader of the Big Ten struggled mightily because it took a long time to get a handle on the second part.

Playing in the comfy confines of the Breslin Center, where they had won 27 straight contests, the Spartans jumped through the roof and flew down the court. The only problem was that they played at such a breakneck pace that they forgot to bring the ball with them. Michigan State coughed up 14 first-half turnovers, largely due to premature passes that lacked thought and intentionality. By rushing possessions instead of being smart, sound and selective, the Spartans—lacking a feel for the game—handed Illinois 18 points as a result. Gift-wrapped points off turnovers told the tale in the first 20 minutes, as Illinois forged a 34-27 edge at halftime.

In the second half, the energy remained high on both sides, but when crunch time came calling, the Spartans finally settled down on offense and found a way to prevail.

Before describing MSU’s late-game surge, a word about the gallant but vanquished kids from Champaign: Even in defeat, it has to be said that the Illini engaged Michigan State on even terms.

Weber had to be pleased with the tenacity shown by his own team, which didn’t give up on loose ball scrambles and flashed a big-time brand of defense in its own right. Illinois’ perimeter defense was so strong in this game that the Spartans hit only three 3-pointers and saw their most dependable players, point guard Kalin Lucas and small forward Raymar Morgan, score only 6 points in the game’s first 30 minutes. Because Illinois concentrated so fully on defense, the visitors were able to maintain a four-point lead (48-44) at the 10-minute mark of the second half. In the Big Ten’s toughest arena not named the Kohl Center, the Illini were very close to scoring their biggest scalp of 2009.

Just when an upset seemed entirely possible, however, the Spartans reaffirmed their identity as the best team in their conference.

Go back to the 10-minute mark of the second half, referred to just a moment earlier. At that point in the proceedings, Illinois’ two leading scorers—guards Alex Legion and Calvin Brock—had combined for 26 points off the bench. It was surprising enough that the two reserves had outscored any of Illinois’ starters, but it was far more shocking that Legion and Brock scored 20 points more than MSU’s two best players. If the Spartans were to avoid a deflating loss on the day belonging to “Mo Pete,” Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan had to make their presence felt.

With the undisputed Big Ten lead hanging in the balance, the successors to the great teams of Michigan State’s past proved worthy of the green “State” stitched on their home white jerseys.

Lucas drew fouls against tired Illini defenders, while Morgan—wisely forgetting three-pointers at a time when the Spartans weren’t shooting with confidence—relentlessly attacked the basket. A much-needed dose of intelligence at the offensive end of the floor enabled a more relaxed Michigan State team to get to the foul line and take advantage of its rebounding prowess. Lucas and Morgan combined for 12 points in the game’s final 10 minutes, with six of those points coming at the line. The dynamic duo also committed few of the turnovers that tormented the Spartans in the first half, as Michigan State turned the ball over just 2 times in the game’s final 10 minutes.

While the Spartans’ prime scorers stepped up their game, MSU locked down on Legion and Brock. During the same period when Lucas and Morgan finally flourished, Legion and Brock combined for just 2 points after lighting up the scoreboard in the first 30 minutes of action. It was clear on this afternoon that Illinois won the 30-minute battle, but Michigan State won the 40-minute war due to vastly superior play in the final 10 minutes.

Emotions ran high throughout the afternoon, as players fought for balls like wrestlers, Izzo picked up a weird technical foul, and the crowd went nuts after an inadvertent whistle by referee Donnie Gray gave Illinois an extra possession that led to a three-point basket at the shot clock buzzer. How ironic it was, then, that amidst the passion and fury of an invigorated arena, Michigan State moved to 5-0 in the Big Ten because of calm and levelheaded offensive execution in the latter stages of this game.

The Spartans aren’t winning games easily or with style points, but as long as they continue to find new ways to win, the lads from East Lansing will hang another banner from the Breslin Center rafters. Morris Peterson would be proud of the team that’s successfully carrying the torch for Michigan State basketball

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