A big win -- ankles, knees, tweets and turnovers be darned
What do you want to know first, before I fly back with the Spartans? Kalin Lucas' knee? He said it's fine, Washington's Matt Bryan-Amaning fell on it hard, but Lucas expects to play Sunday. He said after the game that it did hurt some. Anyone questioning Lucas' toughness right now, by the way?
Not so, Lucious said after he battled through a right ankle injury (he said he didn't expect to play moments before the game, but a shot loosened the ankle and he was able to go) and played a huge part in MSU's comeback win.
“A lot of people thought they were (about basketball) and the coaches came to me and talked to me about it," Lucious said. "I didn’t try to put them up there, I tried to cancel them but they went up anyway. They weren’t about basketball at all, so if anybody thought it was, it had nothing to do with basketball and this team.”
Fair enough, tweet away.
How about Durrell Summers? He admittedly didn't play well in Maui. He said after tonight's game that it's his fault MSU isn't playing in the title game (starts in a few, should be a good one). But wow, were those consecutive 3-pointers big. And wow, was that a coaching move with long-term implications.
Yes, Lucas was off at the time with that banged knee, but Izzo could have called a play for Draymond Green. He opted for Summers, he said, because "he probably worked as hard as any human being that I've coached during the summer," and he believed Summers would deliver, as he did so often in March.
“Coach called the play for me and I was confident," Summers said. "I have hit the shots before. So I just kind of talked to my inner self and said, ‘I’m gonna knock it down.’”
Then Lucious got into the lane and found Summers for another one. Moments after Lucious pulled Summers aside for a pep talk. Moments before Lucious hit two huge free throws with 8.3 seconds left and MSU up a point.
“I just told him shooters keep shooting," Lucious said of his chat with Summers. "I mean, he was a little down on himself, but I told him ‘If you get a little space, just shoot it.’ And that’s what he did. And the second time when I got in the lane, I wasn’t really looking for him but I saw him open and hit him and he hit the shot.”
How about Garrick Sherman? He was demanding the ball. And he was scoring it, a career high of 10 points. He's one of the positive stories of this young season, amid the struggles, for MSU.
How about Derrick Nix? Sherman expects him back. They've been texting. Lucas expects him back. Nix called Lucas before the tournament started Monday. Izzo, Nix, Lucas, Summers and Green are expected to meet soon on the mainland to talk things over. But make no mistake, this is about playing time first and foremost.
“He is a player, he does want to play more,” Lucas said of Nix. “But at the same time, we did play South Carolina, they’re more of a pressing team, so … we really couldn’t have him in there with a team with a lot of guards pressing.
“But hopefully we get back, we’ll sit down, coach and me and the other two captains, and we’ll decide what’s best for him.”
How about this MSU team? Gut check passed today, but 20 turnovers, still eight free-throw misses between Lucas, Green and Summers, Adreian Payne has to get more involved, and the defense is not honed yet. Washington is a legit top-15, though -- I must say, the Huskies' defensive pressure was impressive, and Izzo compared it with Purdue -- so this win should hold up in March.
How about Chaminade? Big win for the Silverswords! Good for them, and good for the best darn tournament in college basketball other than the big one.
Aloha. Unless some huge news breaks Thursday other than me setting the world record for stuffing consumed, I'll talk to you Friday morning.
