Lucas, Summers carry Spartans past Hawkeyes

Remember last week's home loss to Northwestern? The Michigan State Spartans sure do. Tom Izzo's club used a shocking setback as a teachable moment, and as a result, the Iowa Hawkeyes became the latest Big Ten team to receive a basketball education from the No. 9 team in America.
 
Whatever ailed Michigan State against Northwestern has been flushed from the Spartans' system. The guys in green once again looked like a top-flight outfit on Thursday night in Iowa City. A decisive 71-56 win over Todd Lickliter's lads followed a strong performance on Sunday at Ohio State. In just two games, Sparty has reaffirmed its place atop the conference, posting a 7-1 record to quiet the doubts that emerged after a 28-game home court winning streak was snapped by the unlikeliest of opponents.

The Spartans conquered Carver-Hawkeye Arena on this evening because they took the game seriously. Few would dispute MSU's superior credentials when compared to a young and undermanned Iowa roster. The key, then, was for the league heavyweight to make the challenger max out just to keep things competitive. That's exactly what happened at both ends of the floor.
 
On offense, Michigan State's guards are playing with incredible clarity and rhythm. Point guard Kalin Lucas and shooting guard Durrell Summers repeatedly created open looks by breaking down defenders and making hard cuts around screens. Knowing exactly what they needed to do, Lucas and Summers made 16-of-22 shots and scored 45 of MSU's points. Scorers don't emerge by accident in basketball; they succeed because of their mastery of the sport's nuances. Lucas and Summers aren't just talented one-trick-pony shooters; they free themselves for shots by understanding their assignments and reading defenses, and Iowa learned how smart MSU's backcourt buddies really are.
 
On defense, MSU showed--interestingly enough--that Iowa is precisely a team of shooters more than scorers. While the Spartans' guards were able to create offense on their own, the Hawkeyes' backcourt couldn't do the same thing with nearly as much effectiveness. Michigan State generally locked down on Iowa at the defensive end, with the exception of a few lapses that enabled the Hawkeyes to sneak within nine points (61-52) inside the six-minute mark of regulation.

Whenever the Spartans did indeed slip on defense, they quickly regained their footing on the following few possessions. By giving Iowa little room to breathe, MSU made every Hawkeye shot seem more important than it actually was. Good defense can and will force teams to shoot the ball with diminished confidence, and that's exactly how the visitors from East Lansing came up with yet another successful road trip. In future years, Todd Lickliter might have a more physical and explosive backcourt that can reliably score off dribble penetration and ball fakes, but in 2009, the Hawks can only create open looks with their offensive system. Scorers beat shooters, and that's why a mature and well-rounded Michigan State squad exited Iowa with a solid, workmanlike victory.
 
Some Spartan fans might still be smarting about the Northwestern nightmare, but based on the way Tom Izzo has gotten through to his team in the days since that upset, it's becoming increasingly clear that Michigan State should send a thank-you note to the Wildcats. An unbelievable loss has not been forgotten... but it sure has forced the Spartans to become a much better basketball team, and the Iowa Hawkeyes could tell you as much.
 
The Big Ten is colored green just as surely as it was a few weeks ago. With more performances like this one in the heartland, Michigan State will find the regular-season championship that's been so elusive this decade.

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