Keith Appling – Page 2 – Blake Froling

Payne Has Career Game as Spartans Down Longhorns

DEC 23 – Erwin Center was rocking on Saturday, as the upstart Texas Longhorns hosted number five-ranked Sparty. Rick Barnes’ squad was looking to avenge their 67-56 loss from last year in East Lansing.

Texas surprised many experts this year, starting the season 10-1 with an impressive win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. MSU came into the game shorthanded, with Matt Costello out due to illness and a banged-up Gary Harris coming off the bench.The Longhorns raced out of the gate, taking an early 11-4 lead in the first five minutes. But two quick buckets by Adreian Payne cut the gap to two. With Harris coming off the bench, Denzel Valentine was placed in the starting lineup and Travis Trice was also used heavily in the rotation.

There were questions about how Gary would play on a bum ankle, but his first basket erased those doubts. He exploded off that ankle along the baseline and finished with an acrobatic reverse layup.

MSU was in foul trouble for most of the first half, and Texas capitalized. They pounded the paint and out-rebounded the Spartans 20-18. With Alex Gauna barely seeing the court and Costello not playing, the Spartans were extremely thin in the post.

Texas’ big man Cameron Ridley had his way with whoever tried to guard him, scoring 13 and adding five boards in the first half. A last second shot by the Longhorns gave them a slim 38-36 lead at the half.

Travis Trice provided a much-needed spark off the bench for the Spartans in the first half, scoring eight points on 3-4 shooting from the field. Payne was hot from the outside, scoring 14 in the first frame on 6-7 shooting, to go along with two three-pointers. Harris was more of a distributor in the first, tallying four dimes.

The Spartans’ defense held the Longhorns to 35 percent first half shooting from the field, but Texas got to the charity stripe 13 times, converting on 11.

Adreian Payne continued his dominance in the second half. He was able to back down a much heavier Cameron Ridley on multiple occasions, and Texas was forced to double team him in the post. Texas had foul trouble in the second half, putting MSU in the bonus within the first eight minutes.

Payne picked up his third foul with just over 12 to play in the game, forcing Izzo to put him on the bench. But he returned two minutes later.

With about 10 minutes remaining in the game, MSU began a 14-4 run to take a 68-58 lead with just over five to play. MSU kept getting to the line and were actually making most of their free throws. MSU kept pulling away late, and with just over three minutes left, Valentine went on a fast break, lobbed the ball off the backboard for Dawson to flush down a commanding 13-point lead.

Texas could not cut the lead past 10, and MSU came away with the impressive road victory, 92-78. The Spartans heated up in the second half, scoring 56 points.

Payne had a career game in Austin, finishing with 33 points on 10-13 shooting from the field and 11-12 from the stripe. MSU as a team shot nearly 82 percent from the line. Harris showed that the ankle was not an issue, scoring 19 points with five assists. Dawson was a handful in the paint, with five offensive rebounds and numerous tip-ins. Trice added 11 points off the bench and Valentine had eight and 11.

Texas’ Cameron Ridley had a quiet second half, tallying only four points in the second frame. Freshman guard Isaiah Taylor scored 16 and dished out five assists. The Spartans out rebounded the Longhorns by 10 and held them to 39 percent shooting. The Spartans were efficient from the field, shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field.

The Spartans (10-1) appeared unfazed in their first true road game of the season. MSU has New Orleans up next at the Breslin Center on the 28th.

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Scouting Report: North Carolina Tar Heels

DEC 3 – In what could be the biggest challenge of the season since Kentucky, the North Carolina Tar Heels come to the Breslin Center on Wednesday as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The two teams will meet for the fifth time in 15 years.

North Carolina has had an interesting season, beating No. 3 Louisville but also losing to Belmont and UAB. Take a look at this box of chocolates from North Carolina:

Head Coach: Roy Williams (286-80, 11th season)

Last season: 24-10, lost in Third Round of NCAA Tournament

This season: 4-2

Key Players: Marcus Paige, James Michael McAdoo, P.J Hairston (suspended)

What an interesting season the Tar Heels have had so far. They have shown glimpses of brilliance and moments (or full games) of ineptitude. UNC came into the season ranked No. 12 in the nation, only to lose at home to a weak Belmont team, 83-80. They also dropped a road game against Alabama-Birmingham 63-59. In those two losses, North Carolina shot a combined 26-59 (44%) from the free-throw line.

In their impressive win against a highly-ranked Louisville squad, the Tar Heels shot 26-38 from the stripe. Is there a pattern here?

If the Spartans force UNC to earn their points at the line, their chances could be high.

James Michael-McAdoo and Marcus Paige are the leaders of the Tar Heels. McAdoo, a 6-9 junior, is averaging 13.8 points and six rebounds per game. Paige, a 6-1 sophomore, is averaging over 20 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. In their win over Louisville, Paige exploded for 32 points while shooting 9-12 from the field. McAdoo struggled in that game, scoring only nine points on 3-11 shooting. In UNC’s recent loss to UAB, the two combined for only 19 points on 9-29 shooting. Only two North Carolina players scored in double figures in that game. Keith Appling will have his hands full defensively with Paige, and Branden Dawson will most likely match up with McAdoo.

Last season, P.J Hairston was a big factor in the Tar Heels’ success. He led the team in scoring, but has not played a single minute this year due to suspension. According to the Associated Press, he had been cited twice during the offseason while driving a rental vehicle that had been linked to a party promoter, who was also a felon. This raised the possibility of an improper benefits violation. Hairston’s status for Wednesday’s game is still uncertain, but he would provide a huge lift for the Tar Heels if he were declared eligible.

North Carolina leads the all-time series 11-3, winning the last six games in a row. The last time these two teams met, the Tar Heels got the better of the Spartans, winning 67-55. The game was played as part of the Carrier Classic on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. In 2009, North Carolina also beat MSU in the National Championship game at Ford Field.

My prediction for the game: The Tar Heels stay with the Spartans most of the game. It will be a high-scoring affair, but the Spartans with the home-court advantage will get the win 84-76. The game can be seen at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/12/03/scouting-report-north-carolina-tar-heels/#sthash.xUDAQU29.dpuf

Scouting Report: Virginia Tech Hokies

NOV 21, 2013 – The Spartans, fresh off their 15-point win over Portland on Monday, head to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Friday and Saturday as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Their first opponent is the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Let’s take a closer look at the Hokies:

Head Coach: James Johnson (16-20, 2nd season)

Last season: 13-19

This season: 3-1

Key Players: Jarell Eddie, Ben Emelogu

James Johnson’s first season as head coach of the Hokies did not go as well as planned. They finished the season with only 13 wins, including a mid-season nine-game losing streak. Virginia Tech was able to notch one impressive win during the season, defeating #15 Oklahoma State 81-71 in December.

The lone bright spot of this team was senior guard Erick Green. He was a third-team AP All-America selection and led the nation in scoring. He was named ACC Player of the Year and earned First Team All-ACC honors from both the media and coaches.

Now, they have to move on without him. They will depend on Jarell Eddie to be their main scorer. Through four games, he’s averaging over 16 points with around six rebounds per game. The senior averaged just over 12 points per game last year. Freshman Ben Emelogu has been off to a great start in his career, averaging 15.8 points per game. He should present a challenge to Gary Harris on both sides of the ball.

The Hokies are 3-1 on the season, with a bad loss to USC Upstate by one point in the season opener. They also gave up 92 points to Virginia Military Institute on Monday, so they are a bit defensively challenged. This could be a high-scoring, possibly one-sided affair.

Michigan State finally shook off the ice and knocked down some three-pointers against Portland. If they can continue their hot shooting, the Spartans could run away with this one early. Keith Appling nailed all five of his three-point attempts against Portland and could present a challenge for the Hokies defensively.

VT’s main inside presence is 6-11 Trevor Thompson. He leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game but only plays around 18 minutes. Adreian Payne, Alex Gauna and Matt Costello should have no problem on the boards, no matter who starts where.

Prediction: Hokies will hang around for the first half, but the Spartans’ offense is firing on all cylinders. MSU runs away with this one 83-62.

If Michigan State wins, they will face the winner of Oklahoma vs. Seton Hall in the championship game. If they lose, they will face the loser in the consolation game. Friday’s game will be at 9:30 pm on TruTV. If they win, the game on Saturday will also be at 9:30. If they lose, it will be played at 7:00.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/21/scouting-report-virginia-tech-hokies/#sthash.C06lhSIB.dpuf

Appling Leads Spartans Past Pilots

NOV 19, 2013 – The Spartans squared off against the Portland Pilots on Monday night as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. After surviving a scare against Columbia on Friday, Coach Izzo decided to shake up the starting lineup. Gauna and Denzel Valentine started in place of Branden Dawson and Matt Costello. Dawson had eight points and seven rebounds against Columbia, and Costello failed to score in only 10 minutes of action.

Both teams traded blows during the entire first half, with Michigan State taking a seven-point lead with just over six minutes to play. Portland then went on a 9-1 run to take the lead with just over three minutes remaining in the half.

Back-and-forth play ensued, with the Spartans never being able to pull away from the Pilots. MSU held on to a slim four-point lead at halftime, largely due to the hot hand of Keith Appling. The senior scored 16 points on 4-4 shooting from beyond the arc, all in the first half.

In the second half, the Spartans finally started to pull away. After back-to-back threes by Gary Harris, MSU took a 10-point lead with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.

State wouldn’t look back after that, eventually extending their lead to 18 with 3:52 left. Appling continued his hot streak, scoring nine second-half points for a total of 25. The Spartans went on to win the game 82-67.

Appling’s 25 points tied his career high. Izzo said it was “one of the greatest point guard performances in many many years.”

Keith responded well after a disappointing three-point performance against Columbia. Izzo said he thinks Appling is becoming a leader, but just needs to work on communication. He went on to say that Appling is not the same player from last year. Hopefully he can continue his hot streak into conference season.

Adreian Payne scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. With Costello and Gauna playing a combined 19 minutes, Dawson was forced to play much of the game at the power forward position. He was effective on the boards, with a team-high 10 rebounds. Dawson also had a huge impact on the offensive side, with numerous offensive rebounds and tip-ins.

The Spartans need to figure out who is going to anchor the five position. Gauna got the start, but was only used sparingly. Costello was effective when he was on the court, grabbing five rebounds in 10 minutes. It will be interesting to see how Izzo will handle the rotation going forward.

Although the Spartans won by 15, they did not look like the No. 1 team in the nation. Izzo jokingly said that he doesn’t have to worry about peaking in November. The Spartans head to Brooklyn on Friday and Saturday for the Coaches vs. Cancer Championship rounds.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/20/appling-leads-past-pilots/#sthash.B0SQCm8A.dpuf

2013-14 MSU Basketball Season Preview

Nov 8, 2013 – McNeese State will kick off the action for the Spartans on Friday before they head to the Windy City to take on John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. But before the season begins, all of the experts have weighed in on how the Spartans will fare. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say about the green and white.

Bleacher Report recently published a list of the top 100 players in college basketball. They had four out of five of coach Tom Izzo’s starters on the list: Branden Dawson (88), Keith Appling (33), Adreian Payne (22), and Gary Harris (9). They also released their Big Ten predictions, putting MSU at the head of the class and Adreian Payne as the Big Ten Player of the Year. However, they have the Ohio State Buckeyes winning the B1G Tournament in Indy.

ESPN released their annual preseason poll, ranking MSU No. 2, behind Kentucky and in front of defending national champion Louisville. In a separate article, 18 out of 20 experts had the Spartans making the Final Four, with six writers predicting them to cut down the nets in Jerry-World Dallas in April. Three experts said that Tom Izzo would be Coach of the Year, and nobody picked a Spartan for Player of the Year.

CBS Sports released their preseason All-American teams, with Adreian Payne being the only Spartan selected, making the third team. Their top 25 slated Michigan State at No. 3, trading positions with Louisville. Their preseason bracketology gives Michigan State the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, with Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke claiming the other three No. 1 seeds. For their Big Ten preview, the Spartans are again predicted to finish first. Gary Harris and Adreian Payne made the preseason All-Big Ten team, with Harris also picked as the preseason Player of the Year. Izzo was selected as the Coach of the Year as well. Their top 100 players list included Gary Harris (7), Adreian Payne (15), Branden Dawson (56), and Keith Appling (82).

According to CBS Sports, Las Vegas released their odds on several different categories in college basketball. For the National Championship, they gave MSU 9-1 odds, fifth best in the nation. For Player of the Year, they gave Adreian Payne 14-1 odds (ninth best) and gave Gary Harris 50-1 odds (13th best). They gave MSU 2-1 odds to win the Big Ten, tops in the conference.

Overall, everyone seems to be high on the Spartans this year, as expected. The season would be considered a disappointment if Sparty didn’t make the National Championship game. This is one of the deepest Michigan State teams that Izzo has been fortunate enough to coach in years, with four NBA prospects on the team and experience everywhere.

The Spartans will get a chance to prove themselves early in the season, facing No. 1 ranked Kentucky on Tuesday in Chicago. Izzo also scheduled North Carolina (12th in the AP poll, 11th in the ESPN/USA Today poll) on December 4 at home, and unranked Georgetown on Super Bowl Saturday at Madison Square Garden. This matchup might be the most intriguing because of its timing. Most coaches don’t schedule non-conference games in the middle of conference play, but Izzo isn’t most coaches. The Spartans have never been afraid of stiff competition in their non-conference schedule. Just last year, they played Connecticut, Miami, Texas and Kansas all before they started Big Ten play.

Froling’s Prediction: Michigan State will finish first in the Big Ten during the regular season and will win the tournament. Branden Dawson will be the most improved player, Gary Harris will be the Big Ten Player of the Year and finish in the top-five in the voting for Naismith Player of the Year, along with Adreian Payne, but Creighton’s Doug McDermott will take Player of the Year the honors. The Final Four in Dallas will include MSU, Kansas, Duke, and Ohio State, with MSU losing to Kansas in the Championship Game.

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