Pregame glance: Michigan State

“We got a good, old piece of humble pie, so we’re back hungry.  This team wants to get back and practice tonight…unfortunately, we can’t due to NCAA rules.”

Those were the words of Jared Sullinger following Saturday’s disappointing loss at Wisconsin, and should be exciting for any Buckeye fan who reads them.  While there is some danger that the Ohio State team will be in the doldrums after dropping their first game of the season and bringing an end the pursuit of an undefeated record, this quote suggests that the team has the right perspective: win the game at hand.  Improve.  If 31-0 didn’t work out, then go 30-1.

The next step on the 2010-11 season journey is Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans.

While Ohio State fans naturally feel some disappointment about the loss to Wisconsin, it’s hard to imagine what the disappointment must be like for Michigan State fans this year.  Starting the season at #2 and falling out of the national rankings is a change in position that nobody expected for the Spartans this season.  While any team will have down years to go along with the up years, even at a school with a tradition as great as Michigan State, it’s always an unpleasant surprise to find that one of the expected up years is really one of the down years.

Having said that, it must be noted that a “down” year for the Spartans consists of a winning record, placement in the top half of the Big Ten standings, and continued hopes for an NCAA Tournament berth.  Hello relativity.  Seemingly by virtue of its track record, Michigan State stayed in the top 25 polls long after most teams would have exited the rankings.  Beginning in week 4 the team began picking up regular losses, yet it wasn’t until week 13 that the Spartans dropped out of both the AP and the Coaches poll in the same week.  Granted, Michigan State’s losses came against some of the best teams in the country, which is bound to happen when you build a pre-conference schedule like Izzo does, but the feeling that something wasn’t quite right was validated when the team failed to bounce back in characteristic fashion.

There is still time for Michigan State to pick up some big wins going into the Big Ten Tournament, and there would be no better resume booster than a win over Ohio State in Columbus.  The team still has a lot of veteran pieces, and tough, experienced players could quickly pull together at just the right time with a determined collective mindset.  Leading the way for the Spartans is senior point guard Kalin Lucas, who is averaging a team-leading 16 points per game on the season.  Lucas has led the team in scoring for three straight years now, which could be a question mark considering that Lucas is the floor general for the team rather than a dedicated scorer, but it’s tough to argue with two straight trips to the Final Four.

While Lucas is the de facto leader of the team, the highlight on the otherwise troubled season for Michigan State has been junior forward Draymond Green.  A bruising player, Green is contributing over 13 points and 8 rebounds per game for the Spartans, but his most impressive statistic has to be his team-leading 4.2 assists per game.  It will be important for Ohio State to keep Green off the boards, as his physical play around the rim can fuel the momentum for Michigan State.

Michigan State enters Tuesday having won only 2 of their last 7 games, so both teams clearly have a lot to play for in terms of making a statement.  There is no reason that the Buckeyes shouldn’t be able to overcome Michigan State, just as they did last year in East Lansing.  This game is shaping up to be a true battle, and coming down the stretch toward tournament time it will no doubt be a heated environment in the Schott.

Tuesday’s game will be played at 9:00pm and can be seen on ESPN.  As usual, we’ll be here live for all the action.