Michigan State Scouting Report: Forward Adreian Payne #5

NBCSports.com

Although he has a very peculiar way of spelling his name, Adreian Payne has improved greatly during his time at Michigan State and has ended up the leading rebounder for the Spartans — especially on the defensive end.

Most missed shots appear to end up in the hands of the 6-foot-10 forward. His 180 total defensive rebounds ranks 76th in the country. Combine his tenacity on the glass with 39 total blocks (1.2 per game) and he is tied for 173rd in the country.

Physical 

We’ve alluded to it a bit, but Payne is an athletic specimen in a green and white jersey. Aside from being 6-10, he’s 240 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. And if that wasn’t enough NBA Insider for ESPN Chad Ford, says he’s an ‘explosive jumper’. In case you were wondering what an ‘explosive jumper’ looks like, we’ve got you covered:

So yeah, there’s that… make the mistake of trying to over play him and get too aggressive, he’ll try to rip the rim off.

NBA Chances

Currently Chad Ford has Payne as the seventh best forward in his class, and the 40th best player available for the 2013 NBA Draft.

But the scariest thing is Payne’s Hollinger PER. It’s 24.57. If you don’t know much about PER and how it works, just know this: Tim Duncan has a PER of 24.38 and Blake Griffin’s PER is 23.92.

Now obviously Payne is not some Duncan-Griffin hybrid, but then again he could be. He’s been described as ‘freakishly athletic’ and he has another thing I hate to hear thrown around in sports — potential.

Potential is a scary thing. If you draft on potential and a player pans out, you’re a genius. If you draft on potential and a player flops, it’s a sad story for them and most likely a pink slip for you.

Payne came into Michigan State at 215 and has grown to 240 pounds, coach Izzo has said he wants Payne to bulk up even more reaching 245-250. If he doesn’t have an NBA-sized body already, 250 pounds is a guarantee that he will.

But when you look at Ford’s take on Payne, the two negatives are: lack of strength and inconsistency. So despite his 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game — there’s more there, or so the scouts think.

ESPN.com

ESPN.com

Statistically yes, he is a very good shooter and even shoots a high percentage from both 2-point and 3-point range; but he doesn’t shoot it often. He shoots 58.2% on 2-pointers and 45% on 3-pointers sure, but I refuse to call a player with only 33 attempts from 3-point range a good shooter.

Nothing worse than wasted potential

While it could be the limitations of Michigan State’s offense, I’d expect a junior ‘freakishly athletic’ forward with NBA size and a PER higher than a future Hall of Famer to be the team’s leading scorer. Instead the majority of the offensive load is on the shoulders of Appling and freshman Gary Harris.

Can anyone see why I hate potential with such a passion yet?

He’s also turnover prone. I know turnover stats can be skewed with big men but Payne has the fourth most turnovers on the team with 54. His high amount of turnovers most likely can be attributed to his lack of post moves.

Scouting website Draft Express NBA had the following to say about Payne:

In terms of his post-game, Payne has improved some from his freshman year, still showing largely crude footwork and having problems with turnovers against top competition, but doing a better job taking advantage of his physical tools and showing decent touch on his finesse moves. He’s much more comfortable executing moves against weaker competition and with more space to operate, seeing his effectiveness go down markedly in more difficult situations. This area is still a work in progress for him, but he shows some nice flashes, specifically with a running hook that shows a very high release point and solid touch.

After reading that, you probably said something along the lines of “Wow that kid’s got something special if he can put it all together and continue to develop” if you did, you probably have something in common with Tom Izzo.

This next part isn’t a joking matter however. Payne unlike the rest of the players scouted, is riding a nice little wave of success.

Analysis

Over the last five games he’s averaging 13.4 points and 9 rebounds; and he’s done it against fairly good competition. The list of opponents includes Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State. In those three games alone he’s averaging 12.6 points and 10.3 rebounds.

After reading that, you probably thought something along the lines of this.

But hold your horses. Back on January 19, Payne was coming off of a 17-for-22 shooting streak over the course of three games and was averaging near 15 points per game.

Since then? Well he’s been 63-for-120 or to make it simple, he has a 52.5FG%. As for that 15 points per game? Well it dropped a bit to 13.3 to go along with his 8.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

Okay, let your horses go, the kid is on fire. Despite what Draft Express has said, he’s been doing it against a “Who’s Who” of the Big Ten. His hit list includes: Ohio State (3), Indiana (2), Wisconsin (2), Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan. He’s no one-hit-wonder, Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota were the only teams during that stretch he didn’t play at least twice.

Chris Vannini from The Only Colors said to look out for senior Derrick Nix but right now after looking at the trends in Payne’s play as of late, I’m saying look out for him.

If he’s got it going we could see much more of this

Potential’s a helluva adjective..

and like, for real, for real, he’s trying to rip the rim off. I’m convinced.

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Be sure to keep up with us on Twitter as we’ll wrap up our final scouting report with senior forward Derrick Nix.

Opponent Q&A: The Only Colors

The last few days we’ve been giving you scouting reports on the Michigan State players, talking to coach Brian Satterfield of Hamilton Southeastern (Gary Harris’s high school coach) and breaking down coach Tom Izzo’s strategies; now we’re fortunate enough to have heard from the Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Editor Chris Vannini took the time to chat and answer some of our questions about Thursday’s game.
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Be sure to check out The Only Colors, an SB Nation blog they have everything possible related to Michigan State sports that are interesting whether you’re a fan of Michigan State or the Big Ten Conference. 

Q: What makes Appling so dominant? Would a bigger guard like Lavonte Dority (6’1 200) or Matt Kenney (6’4 205) help slow him down when he tries to attack the paint? 

I wouldn’t say Appling “dominant.” He’s had quite an up-and-down year. Early on, he was the key in a win against Kansas in Atlanta, but during a three-game losing streak late in the season, he was a mess. The good news for MSU is that his confidence has come back over the last few games, though his outside shot is inconsistent. He’s most effective when he’s able to drive into the paint and either get to the hoop or pull-up for a mid-range shot. When his mid-range shot is falling, that means he’s on. I don’t know much about either of the two guards you listed, but I imagine Dority is the quicker one? Appling has struggled against smaller, quicker point guards like Aaron Craft, who prevent him from driving with on-ball defense. 

Appling struggles with smaller guards like Craft (4) giving Valpo’s Erik Buggs a chance to be effective. Buckeyeempire.com

 
In last season’s Round of 32 game against Saint Louis, the opponent very much sagged off him, daring him to shoot the three-pointer. Appling went 4-for-7 from 3 in MSU’s last game, but has struggled from beyond the arc in the second half of the season. I’ll be curious to see if Valpo gives up the outside shot, which Appling is sometimes hesitant to take if his confidence is low.

Q: When they’re hot, Valpo is known to torment teams with their 3-point range. How do the Spartans deal with that, any examples of 3-pointer driven teams MSU has either won/lost against?

MSU was No. 27 in the nation in allowing opponents to shoot just 30.2 percent on 3s. MSU has had problems on ball screens, however. DeShaun Thomas was a two- or three-guard playing power forward for Ohio State, and he was able to get open for many three-pointers against Adreian Payne, so that aspect does worry me with you guys. I’ll be interested to see if MSU switches a lot or tries to hedge on ball screens and see if the MSU guards go under or over the screens. The Spartans have a tendency to go under the screen more often than I would like. They defended the three-pointer well against Michigan, though not against Wisconsin a few weeks ago. (Wisconsin missed a ton of open looks)

Q: Travis Trice appears to fit the true point guard mold while Appling is more of a combo. Is there or have there been times where both are on the floor together? How does the offense flow?

Trice has missed most of the season due to injuries. He suffered a concussion in the first game of the season and missed much of the next few months. He returned and suffered another head injury against Illinois and missed time again. But he has come back and run the point at times of the last few weeks. His return has benefitted Appling the most, because it allows him to rest and play off the ball at times. The problem with Trice is that he’s very limited offensively. He’s basically just a three-point shooter, though he has run the offense OK. He’s shooting an incredibly bad 17 percent on two-pointers. Trice isn’t a huge part of the offense, but he is used to spell Appling. Tom Izzo will go to his bench early, and with a weekend tournament format, perhaps he’ll try to rely on it a bit more than normal.

Q:  Who is a player that does the dirty work, helping win games but is often over looked?

It’s hard to say the No. 2 scorer is overlooked, but Gary Harris’ personality I think makes him a little overlooked on this team. He defends well, plays smart and can rebound, along with shooting the lights out and getting to the basket. The problem is he’s been dealing with a back injury and recurring shoulder injuries all season, as I’ll touch on in the following question. I know Harris is a projected lottery pick, but he’s probably more notable to opposing fans rather than MSU fans, who look at Appling, Payne and Derrick Nix as the notables on this team. 

Q: What do you estimate Gary Harris’s ability to play after re-injuring his shoulder (50%, 70%, etc).

This is the big question. In the Big Ten Tournament, he struggled mightily in both first halves and got beat up. When he’s on, he can be one of the best shooters in the Big Ten, along with having an ability to drive and finish at the hoop. He’s MSU’s only reliable option for outside shooting, so if he’s off, MSU needs to succeed inside early and often.

Q: What is it about Indiana that gives the Spartans so much trouble, yet Wisconsin beat them in the Big Ten Tournament and MSU beat Wisco twice this year, once by 15 points.

Well, Indiana is one of the most talented teams in the country, for one. MSU played then very close in both games and choked in the final minute at home. As for Wisconsin, they play a slow-it-down style that frustrates opposing offenses. What makes MSU so great in the NCAA Tournament is that they can adjust to different styles of play. They can slow it down and play ugly like Wisconsin, but they can also play fast like Indiana and keep those games close.

Q: Same question for Ohio State, after beating the Buckeyes in January, whats changed in Feb and March that prevents MSU from winning again? 

Well, MSU only won by three points in the first game, so all the games were close. But the difference in the second and third games simply was Aaron Craft. The defensive guard exploded for at least 20 points in each game. In the first game, Appling played him tight, and he was able to drive to the hoop for layups. In the second game, MSU sagged off him, and he hit a number of jumpers. For a guard who doesn’t score much, it’s hard to say what the problem was. Izzo has long called Appling one of the best defensive guards he has ever had, but he’s had a problem letting some guards drive by him to the hoop in Big Ten play, which has been worrying.

Q: Score prediction and player of the game

MSU 72-64. My player of the game will be Derrick Nix. MSU’s center is a load inside and uses his girth to push his way around. He has great footwork and instinct. If he gets doubled, he usually can find an open man. He’s third on the team in assists. His problems come against centers with height advantages, but it appears Valpo is small on the inside among its regular contributors. Nix is also the only senior on the team and he’s from Detroit, so he’ll have extra motivation to play well and keep his career going.
Thanks again to The Only Colors for this Q&A. Be sure again to check out their website and follow them on Twitter
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Be sure to follow our Twitter as we’re updating frequently with information about Thursday’s game. Be on the look out for the conclusion of our scouting reports on Michigan State tomorrow as we wrap up with the forwards/centers.

Time to Shock the World!

Josh Russell 

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Crusader Nation,

Much like last weekend, this article will not be a strategic breakdown of Michigan State’s offense. If I were to focus on the numbers, the stats, and approach this game without bias, I would consider giving up my spot in the pep band because this game should not be close.

The Crusaders are 10.5 point underdogs to Michigan State and in Vegas, the odds are 100-to-1 that they win their Midwest Region bracket.

Michigan State on the other hand did not lose a game this year to a team that wasn’t ranked in the Top 25 at some point during the year.

The worst defeat the Spartans suffered this year was a 13-point loss to Minnesota which doesn’t look so bad compared to their 23-point shellacking of Michigan (No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region) and a 15-point blowout of Wisconsin (No. 5 seed in the West Region).

Their roster is projected to have four NBA draft picks – one currently a lottery-pick freshman. And if talent wasn’t enough they are coached by one of, if not the best “March coaches” in the nation in Tom Izzo.

We truly are underdogs. We are David and they are Goliath. They have won two national championships, been to three Final Fours, four Elite Eights, and six Sweet Sixteens in the last ten years. Once again, on paper its looking like I shouldn’t head out east on Wednesday.

Bleacherreport.com

But it’s March. It’s supposed to be warm, it’s not. Numbers are supposed to matter, but they don’t, what matters is how strong you believe.

Selection Sunday

I cannot lie to you, I was disappointed and shocked when I saw the match-up and the seeding we received from the NCAA.

After an impressive regular season, and a conference championship in one of the Top 12 conferences, Valpo was projected to be a 13-seed with favorable games against either Marquette or Oklahoma State in San Jose, California or Kansas City, Missouri.

Forbes.com

The NCAA had other plans. They sent Valpo to Auburn Hills, Michigan to take on the Spartans in what will be a home game for the student-athletes of East Lansing. The Palace at Auburn Hills sits a mere 80 miles away from Michigan State’s campus – any way you slice it we are walking into hostile territory on Thursday.

In case you got lost grab a cup because this is the water break. Now, here’s a recap of what we’ve established so far:

Valpo is going up against a team laden with NBA prospects, a hall of fame coach, close to 15,000 Michigan State fans and the national media, made up of experts who have picked MSU as a Final Four dark horse.

Reminiscing

Think back to last Tuesday.

Valpo and Wright State are battling for the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and number-one-seed Valpo has found itself down by as many as six points.

They battle back to tie the game 50-50; during a timeout with just over a minute left, Erik Buggs stood in front of his teammates, looked them in the eye and took control of the game.

Never one to take credit, Buggs will not admit that the he and his 21 point performance were instrumental in the 16-0 run that propelled the Crusaders to their first tournament berth since 2004.

This team believes in itself. When they were down six with the ball in the hands of Wright State, I was worried. But this team never stopped believing in each other. Eleven guys who seem more like brothers than teammates, have gotten the Crusaders through many games this year.

ValpoAthletics.

ValpoAthletics.com

This is a team that isn’t intimidated by the name on the front of the opposition’s jersey. This is a team that believes they can win.

The question is, do you?

Time Travel

Fifteen years ago a baby-faced senior hit a shot that put our little school of 4,100 students on the map. I don’t need to tell you that the baby-faced assassin is now the head coach of another baby-faced senior from Australia who hit a shot to once again put Valparaiso on the map.

It is  cliché but what we need most right now is unwavering belief and support.

We’re all in at BTA. This team can win, will it be easy? No.

ValpoAthletics.com HorizonLeague.com

ValpoAthletics.com – HorizonLeague.com

Back to the Present

In less than 48 hours I will be on the pep band bus, headed to the Detroit Metro area. I am not sure what to expect once we get to the Motor City, but I am sure of one thing.

I believe in this team.

I believe in this coaching staff.

And Crusader Nation, chant along with me…

I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

Liustudios.com

I’ll see ya in Michigan, and for those of you not going, maybe you’ll see me.

Hail Crusaders Who Rise!

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Michigan State Scouting Report: Guard Travis Trice #20

Bleacherreport.com

Travis Trice has the one thing I cant stand: “A high basketball I.Q.” I guess he’s a member of point guard Mensa.

I.Q. aside, he seems like a solid young point guard with the potential to develop into a key player.

Physical

He’s only 6-foot and 170 pounds but he does what every great point guard should do: protect the ball and shoot a high percentage from 3-point range.

The sophomore point guard comes in behind Denzel Valentine in assists per game with 2 but unlike Valentine he only averages 1.2 turnovers giving Trice an assist-turnover ratio of 1.66.

He is one of the best 3-point shooters on Michigan State, if not the best shooter on the team connecting on 39% of all 3-point attempts. Only Gary Harris shoots a better percentage from 3-point range for the Spartans.

Durability

Trice suffered a blow to the head suffering a concussion and a broken nose during the home opener against UConn. He’s suffered off-and-on from ‘concussion like symptoms’ during the season causing him to miss nine games.

Bigtennetworks.wordpress.com

He hasn’t had much time to get experience. On the year he’s averaging 18.9 minutes per game, but over the last seven he’s only averaged 15.7 minutes.

Analysis

Trice is a key player in the Spartan attack. Coach Izzo refers to him as his ‘backup quarterback’ to Keith Appling. Trice has been struggling as of late though, in the last seven games he’s 6-of-22 from the field; he’s shooting 35% from 3-point range, but is only averaging two attempts per game.

The optimist for Michigan State will point out that during this stretch Trice is averaging 2.3 assists per game, 1.85 steals and only 0.57 turnovers.

For a ‘back-up quarterback’ what more could you ask for?

ESPN.com

ESPN.com

That concludes today’s scouting report. Tomorrow, we’ll focus on Michigan State’s forwards.

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Michigan State Scouting Report: Guard Denzel Valentine #45

MLive.com

Draymond Green. Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

These are a couple of the names thrown around when mentioning freshman combo guard Denzel Valentine. The comparison is an obvious one – a big player (Valentine is 6-5 220, Green is 6-7 235, and Johnson 6-9 220) who has the ability to handle the ball and facilitate the offense, is going to draw comparisons to any point-forward type of player, particularly the greats like Magic Johnson (For more info see: Lebron James).

Sixth Man

Valentine is the second leading assist man behind junior guard Keith Appling with 2.4 per game. The freshman is incredibly versatile playing 20.9 minutes per game off the bench, scoring 5.1 points and grabbing 4.1 rebounds (fourth best on the team). 

Coach Izzo has even called Denzel the best passer on the team.

Style of Play

He appears to be very selective with his shot taking, only attempting 141 field goals this season, averaging about four attempts per game.He shoots 52% on 2-point attempts but his range is limited – connecting on only 30% on 3-point attempts.

Despite his ability to create plays, Valentine is also one of the team-leaders in turnovers. His two turnovers a game are third highest on the team and give him an assist-turnover ratio of 1.16 a bit low, but he is still a freshman.

A natural point guard he prefers the ball in his hands but those duties are generally given to Appling and reserve point guard Travis Trice.

Analysis 

Coach Izzo and Valentine are waiting on it to click. but over the past five games, the freshman Valentine has only scored 13 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in 17.6 minutes of play. That adds up to 2.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1 apg.

To make matters worse in that same time he’s had 12 turnovers, averaging 2.4 per game. During this most recent stretch he has an awful assist-turnover ratio of 0.41. 

Apparently it still hasn’t clicked.

Valentine is a good freshman, not a great one. With his size and skill-set there’s no quest that his time is coming. But it doesn’t seem to be this year. He has limitless potential which makes him dangerous.

It would be very unlucky if it begins to click for Valentine on Thursday in Auburn Hills.

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Coming Up: Guard Travis Trice #20

Michigan State Scouting Report: Guard Gary Harris #14

MLive.com

Pedigree

Gary Harris is a freshman phenom, plain and simple. The 6-foot-4 inch, 210 pound 18-year-old has been dominant for the Spartans this season. Not only has he been named Team co-MVP with junior point guard Keith Appling, Harris has also been projected to be the 10th best prospect in this year’s NBA Draft. 

A shooting guard from Fishers, Indiana, Harris was a highly touted recruit coming out of Hamilton Southeastern. An ESPN 5-star recruit, a McDonald’s All-American, Jordan Brand Classic All-American, the number two shooting guard in the nation, and the eleventh best player in ESPN’s Top 100. 

His claim to fame is a fabulous buzzer-beater in the High School Sectionals vs North Central that made ESPN’s Top Play of the Day. (NOTE: Skip to 4:40 if you’re strapped for time)

Physical 

He is a strong combo guard who has put on fifteen pounds since entering college. His motor, strength and speed makes him a threat every time he slashes to the basket. Below is ESPN’s Insider scouting report on Harris coming out of high school.

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Harris appears to have maintained his defensive intensity at the collegiate level, he is averaging 1.4 steals per game in 29.6 minutes for the Spartans. We haven’t found much film on Harris, but with a 2-point field goal percentage of 51% we assume the majority of his offensive production comes from him attacking the rim.

He is a well-rounded guard, shooting 41% on 3-point field goal attempts and while he might be a slasher, he has no fear when it comes to pulling the trigger on shots from deep. He has attempted 143 3-point field goals this season. For comparison, Valpo’s Will Bogan has attempted 129 and Ryan Broekhoff leads the team with 190 3-point attempts.

Intriguing Stat: Harris only attempts two free throws a game, considering his tremendous slashing ability, you’d assume he’d get more foul calls.

Harris Highlight Tape

Harris on the Big Stage 

The freshman seems to live for big games. Here are his stat lines from a few match ups against some AP Top 25 opponents:

ESPN.com

ESPN.com

 vs Kansas (W 67-64): 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting

@ Indiana (L 75-70): 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 2 steals 

vs Minnesota (W 61-50): 15 points and 4 assists

vs Michigan (W 75-52): 17 points on 5-of-9 from 3pt, 3 assists and 3 steals 

vs Indiana (L 72-68): 19 points and 3 steals

One and Done? 

Harris has shot up NBA Insider Chad Ford’s big board of prospects for the 2013 NBA Draft. As of February 27th, the freshman shooting guard had climbed twenty spots from 30th to 10th.

The jump placed him ahead of players such as Duke’s senior forward Mason Plumlee (14th),  Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and Michigan point guard, Trey Burke (16th), and North Carolina State junior forward C.J. Leslie (36th).

Ford believes Harris is the real deal saying, “He’s the best on a very talented veteran team” and “[...] even at less than 100 percent more and more scouts believe he’s one of the top three shooting guards in the game”.

Insider.ESPN.com

Insider.ESPN.com

Analysis 

In the words of Dick Vitale, Gary Harris is a ‘diaper dandy’, he’s a ‘P.T.P.’ (See the Dick Vitale Glossary of Terms if you’re lost) but he is a freshman, and despite his potential, at times it shows.

Share the wealth!

Harris is an exceptional scorer but his inability to create for teammates is glaring. In 67% of the games played this year he had less than two assists; he’s registered ten games this season with zero assists, yet during those same ten games he averaged 9.7 field goal attempts.

With limited film its hard to say, but the numbers look like sometimes Gary focuses on getting his shots and doesn’t concern himself with his teammates.

Giving away possessions

Like most freshmen transitioning to the college game, Harris has a hard time holding onto the ball. He averages 1.5 turnovers per game giving him a weak assist-turnover ratio of 0.87. In 42% of the games played this season, Harris has averaged two or more turnovers.

However, being surrounded by a ‘very talented, veteran team’ seems to protect him as Michigan State was 5-3 overall in those games.

Durability Concerns 

According to coach Izzo, Harris has been banged up for most of the year with shoulder and back issues. During the Big Ten Tournament, he appeared to re-aggravate his left shoulder, causing him to go o-for-4 shooting in the first twenty minutes against Ohio State; finishing 1-for-7 with five points and four rebounds.

The game before at Iowa he started 1-for-5 before settling in and scoring 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Harris swears he isn’t unhealthy or being hampered by the injury, instead he credits good defense by his opponents.

“It’s just not coming, I’ve just got to work a lot harder and I haven’t been able to knock down shots,” Harris said. “They’re just not letting me get shots, they’re not helping off me, just doing a great job.

“I just have to watch film and I have to see different areas where I can make plays.”

Coach Izzo however believes that Harris is injured and appeared to offer little to no opinion on the subject when asked. “I probably should have taken him out,” Izzo said. ”I don’t think he’s healthy right now. … Today wasn’t good at all for him. So, I don’t know.” 

Similar to Appling, Harris appears to carry a big chunk of the offensive load for the Spartans. He is the second leading scorer on the team and is playing nearly 30 minutes per game as a freshman.

Final Take

He is still dangerous. He is the first Spartan to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year, he is one of eight finalists for national Freshman of the Year, and he is the co-MVP of a team that finished 2nd in the Big Ten.

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Coming up: Guard Denzel Valentine #45

Zimbio.com

Michigan State Scouting Report: Guard Keith Appling #11

ESPN.com

ESPN.com

Junior point guard Keith Appling is the floor general and the leader for the Michigan State Spartans on the court. He averages heavy minutes and is the main ball handler in coach Tom Izzo’s offense. In January, Appling was named team captain in the middle of the season. Coach Izzo has referred to him as ‘RGIII reincarnated’. At the team banquet Appling was named co-MVP, sharing the honor with freshman guard Gary Harris.

Physical 

Appling isn’t an overwhelming point guard in terms of size. He is 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. He is however blessed with tremendous speed, a great handle, leaping ability, and the ability to effectively penetrate the paint and set up teammates for scoring opportunities.

Appling ball handling: 

Appling leaping ability: 

He is a combo guard that will play both the point and shooting guard positions. Appling hardly leaves the court averaging 33.7 minutes per game this season. Out of high school he was a shooting guard and appears more natural in the two guard position but he averages 3.5 assists per game and has a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Skill 

As mentioned before, Appling’s greatest assets are his speed and his driving ability. The majority of his damage is done in transition or of pick and roll plays. He shoots around 46% from the field but struggles to consistently make jump shots.

His speed and tenacity make him a great defender he averages 1.3 steals a game and is tremendous when pressing the opposing ball handlers. He will try to get the majority of his points closer to the basket, he averages seven attempts from 2-point range per game and only 3.5 attempts from 3-point range.

Scary stat: Appling gets to the free throw line quite a bit, averaging five attempts per game. Not only does he get to the line, he converts 74% of his attempts. With an aggressive point guard of our own in Erik Buggs, quick foul trouble for Buggs could allow Appling to take over the game. 

In a 58-43 win over Wisconsin in March, Appling scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Spartans past the Badgers. Eight of those fourteen points came from layups and free throws; if he gets going, he is hard to contain.

Appling in transition: 
Appling driving to the basket: 

Analysis

Appling is obviously a talented guard, his 13.6 points per game leads Michigan State and he has the praise of Coach Izzo and his teammates. His scoring has improved to 14.6 ppg over the last five games, but those inflated numbers are covering up the fact that Appling has been slumping. 

As of March 1st, Appling was 9-for-39 on shots from the field. Heading into his last five games he is 21-for-62; while his scoring has improved he is shooting 33% over that stretch.

At the same time, his distribution has decreased. Appling is only averaging 2.2 assists per game over these last five games. Couple that with his 1.8 turnovers per game and his assist-turnover ratio is at 1.2. The best way to beat Appling and Michigan State is to force him to turn the ball over and force him to take jump shots - preferably from 3-point range.

Michigan State lost 75% of their games this season in which Appling had two turnovers or more and Appling shoots 46% on 2-point attempts opposed to 31% on 3-point attempts.

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Coming Up: Guard Gary Harris #14

gary harris tease

ESPN.com

CBSSports.com – “The next Stephen Curry? We’ve got the 12 best candidates here”

Senior Blogger for CBSsports.com Matt Norlander released a list of 12 candidates to be the next Stephen Curry in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

For those who don’t know Stephen Curry currently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. During his college career he lead the Davidson Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament twice in his three years as a student-athlete.

SBNation.com

Freshman Year: Davidson as a 13 seed took on the University of Maryland. Even though Davidson lost 82–70, Curry was the leading scorer with 30 points as a freshman.

Sophomore Year: Davidson matched up with seventh seeded Gonzaga. Davidson won 82-76 behind Curry’s 40 point performance.

Davidson played second seeded Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Curry scored 30 points propelling Davidson to a  74–70 win.

Curry led Davidson to another upset win against third-seeded Wisconsin. Curry scored 33 points as Davidson won, 73–56, advancing to the Elite 8 before losing to eventual national champion Kansas.

 

 

In this article, Norlander lists Valparaiso senior forward Ryan Broekhoff as one of twelve potential “Stephen Curry(s)” in this year’s tournament.

Here is his take:

Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso). The senior forward for the Crusaders puts up 16 points per game, grabs seven rebounds and can shoot 43 percent from deep. He hit the game-winning shot that sent this team to the tournament. You know Valpo, right? Bryce Drew in ’98 hitting a legendary shot to beat Ole Miss. Yeah, Drew now coaches this program. And he lets Broekhoff have a long leash. He’s a matchup problem for a lot of teams. The Aussie is the next-best thing to this next fella.

 

CBSSports.com

Selection Sunday: (14) Valparaiso vs. (3) Michigan State

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It was announced today that Valpo will take on the Spartans of Michigan State, Thursday in Auburn Hills, Michigan. For the Spartans it is a brief road trip totaling 80 miles and a little bit more than an hour. It is almost guaranteed the Palace of Auburn Hills will be filled with Spartan fans.

Michigan State is an incredibly talented team from the Big Ten conference. They have quality wins over Kansas (No. 1 seed in the South Region) Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin (No. 5 seed in the West Region).

In regards to their losses, they all came from teams either currently in the AP Top 25 or teams that were ranked in the Top 25 when Michigan State played them.

All but Connecticut, who beat Michigan State 66-62 on November 9th made the NCAA Tournament today.

Here’s a look at how the opponents they lost to  fared on Selection Sunday:

Indiana – No. 1 seed in the East Region

Miami (FL) – No. 2 seed in the East Region

Minnesota – No. 11 seed in the South Region

Michigan – No. 4 seed in the South Region

Ohio State – No. 2 seed in the West Region

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Needless to say, Valpo has one tough match-up awaiting them on Thursday in Auburn Hills.

Be sure to visit the site frequently this week for updated news regarding Thursday’s game or subscribe to our email newsletter that alerts you each time a new article is published. 

Look for an in-depth game preview this week leading up to the game and be sure to follow us on Twitter: @BTA_VU 

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Josh’s Response to Saturday Night

Crusader Nation,

Wow. The ridiculousness of that shot, wow.

DISCLAIMER: If you’re looking for an unemotional, unbiased, statistical breakdown of Saturday night’s game you aren’t going to get it here because if we’re being honest for a bit, stats don’t matter after Valpo’s 70-69 buzzer-beater victory over Green Bay.

If I told you Ryan Broekhoff was shooting 50 percent on 3-pointers before the final 6.3 seconds of that game would it matter?

Would it matter if I pointed out that Erik Buggs was cutting towards the basket unguarded as Ryan drove to the wing with his head down against Brennan Cougill with 1.7 seconds left?

Would it matter that with 1.6 seconds left when Broekhoff decided to pull up for the game-winning jump shot that I point out he wasn’t squared to the basket, that it looked like he struggled to get the ball up clean and as he shot it off-balance over the outstretched 6-foot-9-inch Cougill he came down awkwardly, tripping over his own feet?

No. None of those things matter because as Broekhoff fell to his seat and slid across the screen printed signature of Homer Drew and his ugly, contested, and most certainly desperate 3-pointer hung in the air as the “0.0″ on the shot clock was illuminated red, nothing mattered until it finally found a home in the bottom of the net.

70-69.

Valparaiso had overcome Green Bay who attempted to play spoiler and end what we’ve all believed would be an NCAA Tournament run.

It was a shot of epic proportions and sure it’ll cause many to be reminiscent of Coach Drew’s own shot. For those Chappelle Show fans, the made shot was more of a statement similar to this.

You can’t script this kind of drama.

Welcome to March!

Perhaps it’s odd to consider this the Spring season due to the cold weather, but maybe the foot of snow that fell on Tuesday was the omen needed to signal that the madness had begun.

FRIDAY:

UIC and Green Bay played two of the most entertaining games I have ever seen — fortunate to be sitting court-side I was a witness to former Valpo High School standout Hayden Humes’s stellar 23 points and 5 rebounds on 10-of-12 shooting. He put on a show that was only topped by Sultan Muhammad‘s deep game-winning 3-pointer from the wing.

As Muhammad rose up for three in front of his coach (who was begging for a time out) it seemed as if time really did, for a moment, slow down. As his shot too found the bottom of the net, UIC heaved up a final shot in desperation as the buzzer sounded and I started to wonder if Saturday could live up to the dramatics of Friday.

Well, Saturday answered — strongly.

Everything was lining up for (2) Detroit to take on (1) Valparaiso for the third time this year and the second straight time in the Horizon League tournament championship. With buses full of fans, Detroit filled their section of the ARC. What they had failed to plan for was the amount of fans who turned the ARC into Northwest In-Dayton-iana.

Josh (L) and the members of the Crusader Pep Band cheer on Wright State

Myself and the Crusader Pep Band chipped in with chants of “Let’s Go Raiders”, “W-S-U” and roared with approval for every basket WSU made and every basket missed by Detroit and Horizon League Player of the Year, Ray McCallum.

As the final seconds ticked away and the game remained close, the Valpo fans started to root for Wright State. It was more than a group of people cheering for an underdog, it was a group of people cheering against a team. A group of people who remembered the ghostly imprints of Ray McCallum’s hands as he sweatily slapped Homer Drew Court and hung from the rim last year in a 15-point comeback and stolen NCAA Tournament berth.

Time continued to tick away and Miles Dixon sent the ARC up for grabs with another game-winning shot that beat all the odds.

Triple teamed, Dixon rose up from a horrible angle — not squared to the basket and contorted in mid-air to seal Wright State’s fate.

On the court the Titans were left speechless, but the band and student section had a few things to say that caught my attention, here are some of my favorites:

“Why didn’t they just let us win?….we were supposed to win!”

“Don’t they know who we are?”

Again, you couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried.

As the ARC echoed with chants of “W-S-U”, the college careers of Doug Anderson and Nick Minnerath ended. One shot had cut their March lifeline short and denied Detroit a rematch in the championship round.

With Detroit out of the picture, clearly it would be a cakewalk for Valpo to win and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Especially facing Green Bay; Valpo had an average margin of victory of 15.5 points per game against the Phoenix.

Maybe Valpo shouldn’t have won. Seasoned sports enthusiasts, coaches, players, etc. will tell you its tough to beat a team three times in one season, and Valpo almost proved that common saying true.

But it came down to a senior who has not only meant so much to the program, but has faced scrutiny from BTA and other media members for coming up short in big games, for deferring when he was needed to take the final shot.

In short we gave him the Australian Lebron James treatment, calling for fans to look at him during “crunch-time” not just the first few minutes of a game; Saturday night he got the shot he had been waiting for — a game-winning, critic silencing, season preserving shot, and he cashed it in.

The word amazing is thrown around a lot in sports lately, but that was amazing. And after “Lebronning” him these past few weeks, Broekhoff made us all witnesses.

But even still, after 40 minutes of intense basketball and a game-winning shot, Broekhoff collected himself off the bottom of the dog pile and proceeded to sign autographs for adoring fans.

I warned you this would be emotional so there will be no apologies forthcoming.

When I was growing up in Valpo during the late 90′s and early 2000′s, kids grew up wanting to hit a shot like Bryce Drew. Twenty-one years later while it wasn’t quite the same, I believe kids will now want to hit a shot like Ryan “Rowdy” Broekhoff.

What makes Ryan so special is that his skills on the court pale in comparison to the impact and affect he has off the court in this community. I truly believe he has become a great ambassador for our city and for the university. While I have been hard on him in the past, Broekhoff proved that at his very core he is a champion.

Here’s to you Rowdy, no one should wear “45″ at Valpo ever again.

It wouldn’t be a post without me making a comment about game attendance so here it is:

Please pack the ARC like it has never been packed before. Bring your mom, dad, sister, brother, aunts, uncles, in-laws, whoever you want.

Just give these guys an atmosphere they will remember forever, because this team will be remembered forever.

Hail Crusaders Who Rise,

Josh Russell

Find Josh on twitter at: @jruss4uk
or tweet the site at: @BTA_VU