U-M’s small lineup could alter Spartans’ rotation
EAST LANSING -- Deyonta Davis today earned a Big Ten weekly honor for the second time this season, and now he’s about to find out whether he can earn minutes at power forward despite what appears to be an unfavorable defensive matchup.
The No. 10 Spartans (19-4, 6-4 Big Ten) have extra time this week to rest and prepare for their only regular-season matchup against Michigan, on Saturday at U-M’s Crisler Center (2 p.m., CBS). It’s the start of a challenging stretch — a Feb. 9 visit to No. 18 Purdue follows, then a Feb. 14 home game against No. 22 Indiana — that will test MSU’s versatility.
Michigan, like Indiana, goes with four perimeter players and one big man, meaning MSU’s power forward will be chasing around Zak Irvin or Duncan Robinson on Saturday. The amount of time Davis, named Big Ten co-freshman of the week, gets to try “depends on how hard he works this week,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said after Sunday’s 96-62 rout of Rutgers.
“I mean, those are some of the questions, but they have to guard us, too,” Izzo said. “But if we’re just launching threes, they don’t have to guard us.”
In other words, if MSU does go with two big men together, as has been the case for the majority of the Big Ten season, the Spartans should be able to take advantage of interior mismatches with one of those U-M wings trying to guard Davis. But a U-M zone defense or hard doubling in the post could take away some of that advantage.
Five games without Tum Tum and Nairn watch begins
It’s harder for MSU, an exclusively man-to-man team, to hide a big man chasing a shooter off of screens or trying to stop dribble penetration away from the basket.
If seldom-used MSU forwards Javon Bess and Marvin Clark are going to increase their contributions, the U-M and Indiana games will be their opportunities. (Purdue also goes with two big men.) Clark has played exclusively power forward in his career, meaning his minutes have been chopped to nearly nothing with Izzo rotating Davis, Kenny Goins and Gavin Schilling at that spot.
Bess has played mostly power forward and some small forward this year. But he has had trouble cracking into a perimeter rotation featuring Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, Eron Harris, Matt McQuaid and, recently, Alvin Ellis, who is getting a few minutes while starting point guard Tum Tum Nairn (foot) sits. Nairn’s status for Saturday’s game is uncertain.
Bess and Clark are on the outside of the rotation at this point. But Bess, in particular, might fit in defensively against U-M.
Izzo has tried to keep both players engaged and, last week, he talked to them about former MSU football receivers Tony Lippett and Bennie Fowler. Those players struggled in 2012 and saw their roles fade but kept plugging and both eventually became standouts for Mark Dantonio’s team.
Notes: On the bracketology front, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has MSU as a No. 3 seed in the West in his latest NCAA tournament bracket, his projection of how the field would look if the season ended today. … MSU senior center Matt Costello had his sixth double-double of the year, and ninth of his career, with 12 points and 13 rebounds Sunday. He also had three blocks, giving him a career total of 132. He needs three more to pass Drew Naymick for third place in MSU history, and he is 11 away from passing Branden Dawson for No. 1 on the list. ... The Minnesota Timberwolves have recalled former MSU power forward Adreian Payne from the NBA Development League. Payne averaged 26.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals in three games for the Erie BayHawks. He has played sparingly for the Wolves this season, averaging 2.7 points and 9.5 minutes over 30 games.