Sports: Great Start in Basketball & Spartans Rebound from Key Injuries

            Men hoopsters got off to a fast start but struggled in conference away games, while the women rebounded from key early injuries. 

            Last season, MSU men’s basketball team surprised many by making its 11th consecutive NCAA appearance as Drew Neitzel enjoyed a breakout season. This year, with Neitzel named pre-season All-America with a highly-touted freshman class, the Spartans set their goals higher. But after a 19-2 start, best in MSU history, hiccups developed in some Big Ten away games.

            By the start of conference play, MSU seemed ready to roll. The Spartans were 14-1, its only loss a 68-63 nail-biter at top-ranked UCLA.  A blowout win against North Carolina State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge gave MSU some early confidence.  Away wins against ranked teams like Bradley and BYU, and a nationally-televised 78-72 win against No. 4 Texas at the Palace in Auburn Hills helped solidify that confidence.

            The onset of Big Ten play, however, provided unexpected bumps. MSU was upset at Iowa and Penn State, and then lost at Purdue and Indiana—the latter by 19 points. MSU’s nemesis seemed to be turnovers, and what might be termed “whistle gap.” In the Iowa and Penn State losses, the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions enjoyed 80 free throw attempts compared to MSU’s 25.  Head coach Tom Izzo wondered if a North Carolina could win games with such a foul disparity. 

            But turnovers were a bugaboo the team could control.  The Spartans had 19 turnovers at Purdue, 18 at Iowa, and 12 in the first half alone at Indiana—four of which led to layups, thus negating MSU’s 60 percent shooting. For the season, MSU lost only one game when it committed fewer turnovers than the opponent.

            Neitzel made ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-America second team, while fellow senior center Drew Naymick set an MSU record for career blocks.  Sophomore forward Raymar Morgan enjoyed two perfect games, where he made every single shot and free throw taken.  MSU hoopsters seemed on the verge of gelling entering the postseason. 

SPARTANS REBOUND FROM KEY INJURIES

            Injuries to two captains early in the season led to a shaky start, but MSU soon  as the Spartans adapted to Suzy Merchant’s system.

            It’s one thing to install a new basketball system, but it’s another to do so while suffering two key injuries early in the season—no less to junior captains Mia Johnson and Aisha Jefferson.  Johnson suffered an ACL injury last summer, while Jefferson, a frontline force for MSU, suffered a season-ending knee injury  during a preseason exhibition game against Lake Superior State.

            New coach Suzy Merchant had to cope with early season inconsistency, as the Spartans tried to adapt without two key players.  But the team began to gel late in the conference season as MSU won 5 of 6 games, with four wins in a row. The Spartans won three straight in one week to vault to 16-11 and achieve a winning conference record.  MSU overcame a 13-point deficit and nipped Purdue 56-54, then beat Indiana 72-68.  MSU then sallied forth to Happy Valley, where MSU had never won a game in 13 tries, and proceeded to rout the Nittany Lions 66-50 for a milestone win.  MSU then beat Northwestern at home. 

            Sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan, who led the USA team to the gold medal and an undefeated 9-0 record at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, had to adjust to more physical defenses unleashed by opponents to contain her.  But she became the first player in Big Ten history to record 100 blocks in two different seasons.

            Freshman forward Kalisha Keane, who had led Canada at the FIBA U21 World Championships in Russia, lived up to her billing—averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds a game. Other solid contributors included sophomore center Lauren Aitch (7.9 points, 4.4 rebounds), senior guard Courtney Davidson (leading three-point shooter), and freshman point guard Brittney Thomas.  Sophomore guard Mandy Piechowski came on midway during the season to average 6.2 points.

            Fans were happy to see Suzy Merchant—a coach who enjoyed considerable success without many resources—responding well to adversity in her debut season.