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Spartans Hope to Capitalize on Speed
Kalin Lucas, right, and Tom Izzo are all smiles now that Michgan State is running on offense.
(By Al Goldis -- Associated Press)
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More importantly, players said, being able to utilize the Spartans' team speed has provided them a vital component that was absent last season. "I don't think we really had a true identity last year, and that's what hurt us," senior center Goran Suton said. "We did things good at times. We rebounded well at times, we defended well at times, but we didn't have one certain aspect of the game where we could say, 'Oh, this is what we're really, really good at.' "
Michigan State trailed by two with 11 minutes remaining at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on Nov. 19, but surged ahead with a 13-0 run generated by fast-break opportunities.
In addition to Lucas and Suton, Izzo said junior forward Raymar Morgan must develop into a consistent playmaker for the team to reach its potential this season.
"It's okay to go from great to good, but he went from great to okay," Izzo said.
The coach measures his program in much the same manner, pointing out that Michigan State has not "fallen off the earth" as several other high-level schools have done periodically over the past decade.
By adjusting when circumstances rendered his normal approach impractical, Izzo ensured that his team never strayed far from the top and ascended quickly once the necessary parts were in place. Izzo considers this year's squad a Final Four contender, in large part because of its floor leader.
"I think the team will follow me," Lucas said. "However my engine go, our motor go."
