Write up from Spartan point of view
Write up from Spartan point of view
Before every game, st8izgr8 writes up a preview of the game. Here it is. Go green.
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=175#s=175&f=1101&t=1586012
MSU travels to Peoria for a road showdown with the Bradley Braves in what's certain to be a stiff test for the Spartans. Bradley is considered to be a title contender in the Missouri Valley this winter, a conference that has earned a great deal of respect in recent years due to the stellar performance of many of its member schools, both in regular season and Tournament play.
Bradley is as perimeter oriented a team as MSU will face this season. They're 6-2, with wins over Iowa and Iowa State to their credit, but losses to Ill Chicago and Vanderbilt (on a neutral court) have cut the other way. Regardless, at home, this is a team that will have to be reckoned with, as they have experience, shooting, and a crowd that will treat this as the game of the year.
BACKCOURT - Definitely the strength of the Braves' roster, Bradley features a pair of proven veterans in Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch. Ruffin is the floor leader, and in addition to averaging 16.4 ppg he's also averaging 7.2 assists per game. He takes some risks at times and is prone to committing some turnovers, but he's the key to their whole thing. Crouch is hitting around 46% on his threes thus far, and he takes a lot of them. Together, they are a lethal combination. They're joined in a three guard starting group by soph Andrew Warren. Warren is struggling some with his shot, but he's still finding ways to score.
Sam Maniscalco and Tyrone Cole-Scott, will play off the Brave bench. Maniscalco is a freshman from Chicago who has made an immediate impact as the top guy amongst the Bradley reserves, playing over 16mpg. Cole Scott hasn't proven yet to be a consistent shooting threats but he's eating up some spot minutes off the bench.
This will be a big game for the Spartan guards at both ends. There is no doubt that MSU has looked significantly better with Travis Walton's insertion into the starting lineup. Walton's play has gone up several levels in the last two games, and that's critical to MSU's success going forward. A big part of that will be the fact that Drew Neitzel ought to get better looks with the veteran group and an experienced point guard to deliver him the ball. As we've talked about here and Izzo stated this week, MSU needs to find ways to get Drew more shots...he's too good to only be an occasional threat and a decoy. Raymar Morgan continues his tremendous start to his sophomore season, having emerged thus far as one of the best all around players in the nation. This will be a difficult test for him if he sees a lot of wing minutes, as Bradley relies so much on the deep ball.
Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, and Durrell Summers are in for a heck of a ride tonight. The three freshmen haven't ever played in an environment like the one they'll see tonight. The one saving grace of a game like this to me is that, while I question what it'll mean for March, it should definitely give the kids a good indicator of what the most hostile Big Ten environs (C/U, Madison, Bloomington) will be like. These guys are going to really be tested, primarily on the defensive end. MSU cannot afford the occasional breakdowns we've seen from Allen and Summers on the wing, not with this opponent.
ADVANTAGE - Slight to Michigan State
FRONTCOURT - Bradley hasn't had much of a frontcourt presence in recent years, and this year is no different. Theron Wilson is a 6'5" junior wing who serves as the 4 man for the Braves. He's a funny sort of player...41% from three but only 48% from the charity stripe. Try finding that combination of stats in many other players. He's also their best rebounder at almost 7 per game. Essentially, he's an athletic kid who plays bigger than he's listed. Matt Salley is the other starter up front. Salley is a smallish 5 man (6'8", 220) who's role is primarily as a rebounder, defender, and pick setter. Sam Singh and Will Egolf are the two primary reserves off the bench. Singh is the one legit big man that will see the floor for Bradley, but thus far he hasn't impacted games to any real degree. He does use his bulk to create space inside and usually converts when he gets a shot opportunity, but that doesn't happen often. Egolf is a freshman from Alaska who's just starting to get his feet wet in D1 basketball.
Goran Suton didn't make much of an impact against Jacksonville. Hard to know what to expect tonight from him. Bradley doesn't match up well with Goran if he can manage to find ways to use his size in the paint. MSU needs an active game from him. The same can be said for Marquise Gray, who did play well against the Dolphins. Quise has strength and athleticism that few can match if he's focused enough. Drew Naymick has been struggling of late and needs to get back on track by focusing on what he does best, and that's defending. Unfortunately, Bradley isn't a team that does much inside, so Drew's effectiveness might be somewhat limited. The same can be said for Ibok and Herzog in this matchup.
ADVANTAGE - Michigan State
The 5 Keys:
1. Defend the Arc - The most obvious statement of the night. Bradley shoots about 25 threes per game, and they hit a relatively high percentage of those attempts. Ruffin, Crouch, and Wilson are the three main threats. MSU will have to deal with a lot of picks and some smart, focused opponents who know how to find open looks from deep. This is going to be a profound test of MSU's will and discipline on the defensive end. In particular, the freshmen have to grow up some fast or else they may be sitting more than they're accustomed to doing.
2. Exploit the Advantages - That's essentially using MSU's size in the paint. Bradley doesn't match up well with MSU physically. Guys like Suton, Gray, and Morgan should be able to stay on the floor against the smaller Brave team and still take them to school on the blocks. If MSU doesn't own the interior, there's a problem.
3. Weather the Storm - This will be a holy war atmosphere in Peoria. MSU needs to take a page from IU's book in terms of how they handled things at SIU the other night. That means MSU will have to ride out some early emotion, and then do its ****************dest to put the hammer down and get a lead, to prevent any momentum from building.
4. Punish Mistakes - Bradley commits a lot of turnovers. MSU has to use that to get into transition and convert easy scoring opportunities early and often. No better way to quiet their crowd than to put down a few transition dunks.
5. Ride the Vets - This is a game MSU's veterans need to take on their shoulders. A guy like Drew Neitzel should relish this kind of challenge, but he's hardly alone. MSU needs all the guys who have been through the wars (Walton, Suton, Gray, Naymick, Morgan) to step up and drag the kids along.
OVERALL - This is a very tough game. Bradley does some things that worry me, primarily because of their ability to create good looks from deep and MSU's young guys occasionally having problems with recognition. Bradley hasn't lost a non conference game at home in forever, and that's also a cause of concern.
Yet, I think when push comes to shove, MSU will find just enough plays to win. If they do win, MSU won't get nearly enough credit for getting an extremely difficult job done. This is an NCAA caliber team in its gym with all the motivation in the world behind them. Still, I think Neitzel makes some big plays late that put it in the win column.
PREDICTION - Michigan State 78 Bradley 75
