In the zone

The thing about Michigan State is that is usually picks zone defenses apart. If the Spartans don't commit scads of mindless turnovers (like they did against Northwestern) and do hit enough of the open shots that a zone allows (like they didn't against Northwestern) they produce.

   When people talk about "getting the ball inside" against a zone, well, that's what a zone is designed to prevent. And if you can get the ball in deep, you're looking at a quick double team. You have to get the ball to the middle force someone to commit, then dump down to the baseline or kick out to a shooter.
    And if you have a shooter hitting (like Durrell Summers was Sunday), then you stretch the zone. And if you have a guy who can penetrate (such as Kalin Lucas), you destroy it. And that's how MSU put 52 on the Buckeyes in the final 20 minutes and got a huge road victory -- to get to 4-0 in Big Ten road games for the first time in program history.
    This was more than just a display of the formidable talent of Summers and Lucas. This was a recovery -- from Northwestern, from a poor start, from the fact that Lucas and Walton came off the bench because of an academic goal they failed to meet, from a relentless viral infection that flared up on Raymar Morgan, forcing him to get sick right before the game and limiting him to 21 minutes and four points.
    "Growing up" was the most commonly used phrase in the MSU locker room after the game.
    “It shows a lot," Walton said. "It was hard for us, we’re human so we watch basketball all day. We lose to Northwestern at home, watch them lose at Michigan and not hit the shots they hit against us...."
    Then MSU watched Notre Dame lose at home to UConn. That home winning streak could be No. 2 in the nation right now, at 29 games. All these things were on their minds -- and it looked like they were in a team-wide haze in the first 12 minutes against the Buckeyes.
    Then Goran Suton got an offensive board and Summers hit a triple. It was 67-43 MSU from there. This team is far from a finished product, but it can put some overwhelming runs together.