Smacked Around in Mackey

Tuesday night’s Michigan State vs. Purdue contest had a couple of question marks as we approached tip-off. Answers were found in the starting lineup for Purdue with Robbie Hummel and the indication that Raymar Morgan would be able to give Michigan State about 15-20 minutes. Michigan State is probably still asking questions of themselves after a disappointing performance in Mackey Arena. Michigan State hadn’t lost a conference road game all year, but they looked like an unsettled bunch in dealing with the Purdue crowd. Star PG Kalin Lucas unraveled under the pressure. He was unable to find his shot and was a human turnover machine.

Where was the interior offense from the Spartans? Delvon Roe had become a factor offensively and only took three shots. Goran Suton found himself taking too many perimeter jumpers. MSU became a jump shooting team and that’s where Purdue’s defensive strength lies. They should’ve attacked Hummel’s bad back on the post and beaten him down with Suton, Roe, Morgan, and Gray. I’m not sure if it was Izzo’s inferior game plan, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. The blame for Michigan State’s lack of offensive efficiency falls on Lucas’ shoulders because too many possessions led to rushed shots instead of entry passes to the post. Lucas was someone I looked forward to watching in March, but now I need a little more convincing.

Purdue excelled with the encouragement of their home crowd. If you didn’t hear during the broadcast, Duke was able to take the Boilermaker fans out of the game during their visit, but Michigan State was unable to do so. I’m going to make the assumption that Hummel’s back won’t be 100% at any point this season. His injury has allowed JaJuan Johnson to become the focal point of the offense and that’s definitely a positive. The offense really moves when the focus is on Johnson with Hummel and Moore playing complimentary roles. Most importantly, Purdue was able to succeed with a lackluster performance from three-point range because they finally stepped up the defensive intensity.

My issue with Purdue still lies in the point guard position. Lewis Jackson gets a little careless with the rock and goes too fast. It is tough succeeding in March with a point guard who is a freshman and the other Boilermaker guards aren’t the greatest ball-handlers. If Purdue stays away from a pressure defense, they’ll be successful, but pressure could send them packing.