Mikey D

Michigan State had their first scrimmage of the year against Saginaw Valley State last night, and the Big Ten Network had a replay of it today that I watched. As you know, I live and breathe MSU basketball, so I was giddy like a schoolgirl as I watched the Spartans take the court for the first time this season.

Here are my thoughts:

1) Lucas is back...already. All summer everyone was saying that Lucas would probably need some time to get back into the groove of things. I'm telling you, he looked like he hadn't lost a step. He was aggressive to the rim, and his shot was silky smooth (5-8, 2 of 4 from 3's). It was classic Lucas. We'll see how he reacts against stiffer competition, but he was impressive tonight. Welcome back, Kailin.

2) Nix was AWFUL. He worked his ass off all summer to drop some of his weight, and he does look much slimmer (he even dropped his number, from 50 to 25). But man...he was pushed around by an inferior team last night. He took many off-balance shots and didn't get anything to fall until late into the second half. On the plus side, he did shoot 3 of 5 from the free throw line. Disappointing start to the season, though.

3) Holy shit, Payne is a freak of nature. Okay, he definitely needs to add some muscle, but wait until you see this guy rebound. His arms are like Inspector Gadget arms. There were times he didn't even jump to get a rebound- it was amazing. He played 17 minutes last night and finished with 6 boards and 3 blocks. The dude is legit. On one sequence of plays Payne blocked an SVSU's player's shot from behind, ran back down court and hit an open three pointer, stole the ball at mid court on SVSU's next possession, and ran the fast break for a dunk. It was kind of awesome. It will take him a bit to learn Izzo's system, but when he does, watch out. He's the real deal.

4) Meet our replacement for Lucas...Mr. Keith Appling. He wears number 11, Lucas wears number 1. There will be many times this year you forget who is who out on the court. Appling went 5-9 from the field, but I think what I was most impressed with was the poise. He played 23 minutes and didn't commit a single turnover. That's really impressive for a freshman. Hell, Lucas is turnover prone at times. Appling is a natural scorer, but last night he was under control and played within the confines of the game. Like Payne, he's immediate impact.

5) Green...FOR THREE! Guess who worked on their outside shot all summer? Guess who's added the three point shot to his repertoire? Yep, Draymond Green. 2 of 3 from downtown last night, and all of his shots looked pretty (you know how some big guys look weird shooting it from deep...not Draymond). If he can hit that consistently for us, it would be huge. We really do have some gunners from downtown this year. Lucas, Summers, Lucious, Thornton, Appling, Green, Payne, Byrd, Gauna...there are some threats on this squad from deep.

6) Thornton deserves the game ball. It's about the little things. We need a scrapper out there, and Thornton was everywhere on the court. 3 of 5 from the field, 1 of 2 from threes, 7 (7!?!) rebounds, and two assists. When he was in, he made plays. I think between him and Kebler, it's Thornton that deserves the minutes. He looked much better out there.

7) The new look. New court logo, the Izzone has been moved, and the uniforms are no longer sporting the "State" script. I like having the Izzone in front of the camera now (although they were completely dead for last night's game, but it wasn't much of a game), but with the darker green in the MSU logo and jerseys, the Breslin has a much darker feel to it. Maybe I'm making that up in my head, so it'll be interesting to hear what you guys have to say about it when you watch a game.

8) Lucious, Sherman, and Byrd. Lucious began the first game of his 2-game suspension (yep, that's it). Sherman suffered a concussion in practice earlier in the week, but he should be back soon enough. Byrd is still out with foot surgery, and will be for the next couple of months. It's crazy to think, but this team has more guys to add to the army that will be big contributors. I can't wait to see the full squad in action.

Nebraska-Omaha next Monday! Yay for MSU basketball!

~Mikey D