MSU – Page 3 – Blake Froling

3-Point Play: Minnesota Edition

JAN 11 – It took five extra minutes, but the Spartans (15-1, 4-0) were able to overcome a second half deficit to beat Minnesota (13-4, 2-2) on Saturday, 87-75. They did it without both Adreian Payne and a less than 100 percent Travis Trice, whom coach Izzo describe as “zone busters.”

The Golden Gophers had the hot hand from outside to start the game, connecting on seven of 12 from deep in the first half. They went on a 13-4 run to take a 29-21 lead with six and a half minutes remaining in the first. Kaminski was lights out from deep for MSU, making his first four three-pointers in the first half. The Spartans trailed by five at the break.

Michigan State chipped away at the deficit throughout the second half. They finally took the lead with just under 11 minutes remaining, their first edge since midway through the first half. A pair of Matt Costello free throws extended MSU’s lead to five with 22 seconds remaining. Malik Smith hit a three-pointer with 16 seconds left for the Gophers, then Deandre Mathieu made a layup in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime.

The overtime period was dominated by Michigan State. Minnesota didn’t get onto the board for the first four minutes. The Spartans outscored the Gophers 16-4 largely on free throws and won by a score of 87-75. Here are three storylines that stood out in the overtime win.

1. Kenny Kaminski: Pure Shooter

Redshirt freshman Kenny Kaminski had his coming out party against Ohio State, in which he hit three shots from beyond the arc. None were bigger than his three-pointer in overtime to give the Spartans a two-point lead. Against Minnesota, he was scorching. Kaminski connected on his first five three-pointers and earned extra minutes with Branden Dawson disappearing in the first half (I’ll get to that later).

Kaminski has responded as well as coach Izzo could have hoped after his second suspension of the season. He has missed six games this year due to suspensions, mostly for academic reasons.

“He has made some progress,” Coach Izzo said in the post game press conference, “he has been handling it pretty well and we are going to keep moving forward.”

Izzo went on to say, “If he continues to improve and we try to get a rebound once in a while and guard someone once in a while, he can shoot it with anybody. We do have to do more than just score on one end, but he did give us a lift at a point in time when we weren’t very good.”

2. Will the real Branden Dawson please stand up?

Zero points and three rebounds is the disappointing stat line that Branden Dawson turned in through one half of play on Saturday. Coming off another disappointing game against Ohio State in which he only scored four points and grabbed four rebounds, many thought he would be fired-up to bounce back.

That was not the case in the first half.

When he was on the court, Dawson looked disinterested at times, not fighting for rebounds like we are accustomed to seeing. “There is something wrong with Branden, there is no question about it,” Izzo said.

He was benched at the start of the second half with the hot Kaminski replacing him. His first basket came on a tip-in with 11:30 remaining in the second half and his play picked up after that, but still not the level that coaches expect out of him.

“You can see the look on his face, everybody can see it,” Izzo said, “My mother calls; she’s 87, she is wearing her bifocals looking at the TV and she can see it.”

With Dawson being a nonfactor in the first half and a slightly better version in the second half and overtime, this leads us to wonder, which player is the true Branden Dawson? The one who scored a season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds against Penn State? Or the player who turned in four points and four rebounds in the overtime win over Ohio State?

“He was averaging a double-double going into that Carolina game,” Izzo said. “He really struggled in that game, and then he had the big stretch where he played very well, and then he has not played with that same energy and it’s nothing with his teammates, it’s nothing with his coaches, it’s nothing with school. It’s something and we just have to figure it out and get him back.”

The hope is that Dawson will bring a consistent effort on a nightly basis because his pure athleticism makes him one of the most exciting players to watch, and the sky is the limit for his potential. His freakish jumping ability makes up for the height he gives up in the paint, and he leads the Spartans in rebounding with 8.7 per game. Dawson grabbed some important boards near the end of regulation and overtime, which is a good sign. The only question is, why can’t he perform at high level consistently for a full game?

3. Costello and Valentine fill in nicely for Payne

Adreian Payne played through pain to score 18 points and grab eight rebounds in a heroic effort against Ohio State. Due to a right foot sprain, Coach Izzo didn’t even think the senior would play when he got to the Breslin Center on Tuesday night. But Payne gritted his teeth throughout the game and played a major role in the overtime win.

The pain was too much for Payne to play through on Saturday, however, so the Spartans found themselves without 16.2 points of offense.

But that’s where MSU’s team displayed its depth, which has been better than expected, with all of the injuries and suspensions that have plagued the team. He has seen multiple players step up when their team needed them throughout the year. On Saturday, Matt Costello returned to the starting lineup and played his best game since he came down with mononucleosis. He scored seven points and added eight rebounds and three blocks.

Denzel Valentine was in the starting lineup on Saturday and had a tough time shooting. With the emergence of Kaminski, the Spartans didn’t need Valentine to be a scoring machine. He did come up clutch when his team needed it, though, and finished the game with nine points and ten rebounds.

“He got some big rebounds late. I thought he defended better late,” Izzo told reporters.

UP NEXT

Michigan State travels to Evanston, Ill for a matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats on Wednesday. With the days off, the Spartans should have a fully healthy Travis Trice and a much-recovered Adreian Payne. Tipoff is at 7:00.

Opinion: Branden Dawson Disappointing but Knows His Role for MSU

JAN 11 – In November, I wrote an article about how Branden Dawson would be the X factor for Michigan State this season. At the time, he had been bragging about his new-look jump shot that would transform his game.

As of now, nothing has really changed for the junior from Gary, Ind.

Dawson has had some impressive games this season scoring-wise, but they have been few and far-between. In MSU’s biggest games of the season, Dawson just does not put in the performance that coach Izzo expects.

In the loss to North Carolina, Dawson posted two points and three rebounds. Against Ohio State, he scored four points and added four boards in a game where Izzo said some of his players played like, “little boys.”

Dawson’s new jump shot was supposed to turn him into something more than a dunk and layup guy, but that is definitely not the case. He still has not attempted a single three-pointer in his collegiate career and is a stonemason from anywhere outside of seven feet. His field goal percentage is extremely high at just over 60 percent, but that is a result of dunks, layups and put-backs. We have not seen Dawson test his new jumper hardly at all this year, and I do not think we will anytime soon.

Dawson has shown flashes of his true potential at times this season. He scored a season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds on the road against Penn State. According to ESPN, he only made two shots that were not considered dunks or layups in that game. Luckily for Michigan State fans, Dawson seems to know his limitations and does not try to force the issue with taking jump shots.

The ACL injury does not appear to have any lingering effects on Dawson. He has springs for legs and never fails to impress on a breakaway.

Although he lacks the size of most power forwards and centers, he leads the Spartans in rebounding with 8.6 per game. He simply jumps over the bigger defenders most of the time.

Right now, Dawson might be able to get a tryout with an NBA team, but his pure athleticism will not carry him far in the pros. Until he figures out his jumper, Dawson will always be a one-dimensional player. Teams have already recognized this and frequently sag off of him whenever he has the ball outside of the paint. He simply is not a threat if he is not near the basket.

Coach Izzo has enough outside weapons on his team that he does not need Dawson to expand his game right now. With the emergence of Kenny Kaminski especially, Dawson can be used as a post player, perfect for lobs and tip-ins. He can do the dirty work while Adreian Payne draws the bigger defenders out of the post.

Another year under Izzo could be what he needs to make the progress he hoped for this year. Even though Branden Dawson has not progressed the way many scouts and coaches thought he would, he fits the system at Michigan State very well – when he shows up.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2014/01/11/opinion-dawson-disappointing-but-knows-his-role-for-msu/#sthash.ASl0yKbe.dpuf

Marquee Matchup: Aaron Craft vs. Keith Appling

JAN 7 – When talking about Ohio State, the first player that comes to mind is most likely point guard Aaron Craft.

In his senior season with the Buckeyes, Craft is the leader of an undefeated and third-ranked team heading into only its second true road game of the season. He is not expected to put up 20 points a night, but defense is how he earns his keep.

Craft is not an offensive powerhouse, but is efficient when he has the ball in his hands. He averages 4.9 assists per game, good enough for second in the Big Ten. He rarely turns the ball over either, with an assist to turnover ratio that is second in the conference. He is fourth in scoring for the Buckeyes with 9.3 points per game and shoots a solid 48 percent from the field.

In his last two regular season games against the Spartans, Craft averaged 13 points on 45 percent shooting and recorded six assists and three steals between the two games.

But Craft makes his money on defense, as some experts say he is the best perimeter defender in the nation. He does not tower over the guards he faces off with, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, but relies on his lateral quickness and his hands to harass defenders and get into passing lanes. His 2.5 steals per game leads the Big Ten.

According to basketball-reference.com, Craft leads the nation in Defensive Win Shares (an estimate of the number of wins contributed to a player by his defense) with 1.7. The scary part about Craft’s defense is that it is getting better. His Defensive Rating (an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) is nearly ten points better so far this season than it was last year at 81.7, good enough for third in the Big Ten.

Craft will most likely match up against Keith Appling tonight. Appling is averaging 15.6 points per game this season, twelfth in the Big Ten. He shoots efficiently from beyond the arc and can explode toward the basket. In his last three games, Keith is shooting 54 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent from downtown. He is also the main distributor in the Spartans’ offense, leading the team in assists with 4.6 per game.

Offensively, Appling has a strong edge over Craft. Offense is not a main focus for Craft, who takes more than four fewer shots per game than Appling. Craft has one inch and ten pounds on Appling.

Defensively, Craft holds the advantage. Aaron’s defensive rating is 12 points better than Appling’s this season and his defensive wins share is 0.5 points better than Keith’s.

Craft will have to use his quickness to keep Appling from driving by him and has to get in passing lanes early and often. Appling will have to hit his jump shots and three pointers to have success against Craft.

My prediction is a 73-69 Spartan win. Appling will score 12 points and dish out five assists. Craft will have eight points and four steals. The Buckeyes are good, but they hardly have any road experience this season. The Izzone will definitely be the sixth man on Tom Izzo’s squad.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2014/01/07/marquee-matchup-aaron-craft-vs-keith-appling/#sthash.IYBPyALS.dpuf

Appling Shines as Spartans Rout New Orleans

DEC 28 – Coming off a huge win in Austin, the Spartans (11-1) were definitely at risk of having a letdown game against the New Orleans Privateers (3-5). With Branden Dawson ruled out with a shin injury and Matt Costello still not able to play, this game could have looked similar to the Columbia matchup.

Michigan State was shaky to start, committing six turnovers in the first eight minutes. Gary Harris missed his first four shots, and the team started out 3-10 from the field. The Privateers held a slim 10-9 lead at that point, but it was the last time they would be ahead of the Spartans.

Michigan State proceeded to go on a 17-3 run, capped off by a transition dunk by Keith Appling. New Orleans had no answer for the Spartans’ high-powered attack and simply could not keep up with the number five-ranked team in the nation. The combination of Harris, Appling, and Adreian Payne combined for 63 points, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Spartans went on to win the game 101-48.

The Spartans out rebounded the Privateers 54-31, but Izzo was still disappointed in Payne’s performance, saying, “Adreian didn’t focus in early.” He continued, “He had seven rebounds, but it should’ve been 15.” The team shot 54.5% from the field, including 13-25 from beyond the arc.

Here are three factors that decided the game:

1. Appling Recovers From Tough Two-Game Stretch

Keith struggled mightily in his last two games for the Spartans. He only scored eight against North Florida and four against Texas, shooting a combined 4-19 in the span. Coach Izzo said that Appling’s wrist has been sore ever since the North Carolina game, where he took a nasty spill and used his wrist to break his fall.

Appling started off hot and never cooled down. He scored seven of Michigan State’s first nine points to kick things off. He led all scorers with 16 points and six dimes at the half. With Harris struggling with his shot early, Appling had to step up in order for the Spartans to pull away from the Privateers.

Keith finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Izzo raved about Appling, calling him the “biggest thrill of the night.” If the Spartans hit more of their open shots in their first half, Appling could’ve easily had a double-double.

2. Spartans Didn’t Miss a Step Without Dawson, Costello

With the combination of coming off a huge road win and two starters not playing, the Spartans could’ve found themselves in big trouble against a pesky New Orleans squad. But Denzel Valentine and other players stepped up and played a huge role. Valentine started in place of Dawson, scoring 10 points and adding 13 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes on the court.

Alex Gauna also pitched in for MSU, posting six points and five rebounds in only 10 minutes of work. He added a block and an assist, but was limited due to foul trouble. Travis Trice scored five with three assists, but seemed sluggish. According to Coach Izzo, Trice was “sicker than a dog” during the game. Michigan State’s bench scored 22 points on 50% shooting. Coach Izzo is known for squeezing production out of his players, and he certainly did that tonight.

Izzo was pleased with the performance of his bench. He said, “I feel like Mark [Dantonio] with his quarterbacks.” He said he would be comfortable with playing “seven, eight, nine, or ten guys” in the rotation.

3. Spartans Sprinting to B1G Season

Michigan State’s final tune-up game couldn’t have gone any better. The Spartans won by their largest margin of the season and look to get Costello and Dawson back in time for conference play. MSU kicks off the Big Ten season at Penn State on New Year’s Eve. Coach Izzo is not a fan of playing on New Year’s Eve. He said that Penn State is much improved, and “we have our work cut out for us.”

Izzo said in his press conference said that Costello was cleared to play, but wasn’t yet in game shape. He fully expects Matt to play at Penn State.

Branden Dawson, meanwhile, was kicked in the shin during a drill in practice. His leg swelled up but there was no bone damage. Although Dawson didn’t play, he still made a big impact on the game.

Izzo said, “He was a way better coach than I was.”

Dawson is also expected to play against Penn State.

http://www.spartansportsnetwork.com/modules.php?name=Blogs&op=detail&id=71&blog=basketball&m1=3&m2=29&mr=

Scouting Report: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan State Spartans

Nov 10, 2013

Head Coach: John Calipari (124-26 at Kentucky, 5th season)

Last Season: 21-12, Lost in first round of NIT to Robert Morris

2013-14 record: 2-0

Key Additions: Julius Randle, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, James Young, Aaron Harrison, Marcus Lee (All in ESPN Top 100 Prospects)

Key Losses: Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin

John Calipari worked his recruiting magic once again this year. He landed six five-star recruits this year. That’s unheard of in college basketball (except at Kentucky, they do it just about every year). It’s likely that four of these recruits will make the starting lineup (Randle, Young, Harrison twins), which means that they’re vulnerable early in the season. A lack of experience and team chemistry could outweigh their extreme amount of talent.

It’s tough to gauge how this year’s team will fare because of how different it is from last year’s disappointment. The 2012-13 team entered the season ranked number three in the nation and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. They ended up losing in the first round of the NIT to Robert Morris. Their star big-man Nerlens Noel tore his ACL in February and missed the remainder of the season. After that loss, Kentucky wasn’t the same team.

Willie Cauley-Stein, the only returning player projected to be in the starting lineup, averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds last year. Alex Poythress will most likely be the first off the bench for the Wildcats this year. The sophomore averaged 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season.

The Wildcats are undefeated in their first two games of the season, beating UNC-Asheville 89-57 on Friday and Northern Kentucky 93-63 on Sunday. Julius Randle, arguably the most talented player on the team, is averaging 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds through the first two games. Marcus Lee added 17 points off the bench in the first game, but only scored five in the second.

How will the Wildcats match up against the Spartans? Lets take a look:

Pos.	Kentucky Projected Starters	Michigan State Projected Starters
C	Willie Cauley-Stein (So, 7’0”, 244 lbs.)	Adreian Payne (Sr, 6’10”, 245 lbs.)
F	Julius Randle (Fr, 6’9”, 250 lbs.)	Matt Costello (So, 6’9”, 240 lbs.)
F/G	James Young (Fr, 6’6”, 215 lbs.)	Branden Dawson (Jr, 6’6”, 225 lbs.)
G	Aaron Harrison (Fr, 6’6”, 218 lbs.)	Keith Appling (Sr, 6’1”, 185 lbs.)
G	Andrew Harrison (Fr, 6’6”, 215 lbs.)	Gary Harris (So, 6’4”, 210 lbs.)

Julius Randle will be a handful for MSU’s frontcourt. He has been on a tear thus far (although against subpar competition). He can score at will and is a beast on the boards. The Harrison twins have a big size advantage over Harris and Appling. Look for them to be physical and take it to the rim against smaller defenders. The Harrisons are averaging a combined 23.5 ppg compared to 31 points for the Harris/Appling combo.

The most intriguing matchup will be Dawson against Young. Both are the same height but Dawson has a 10-pound advantage. Dawson scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds off the bench against McNeese State. Coach Izzo held him out of the starting lineup because he was late to a team meeting. Dawson should return to the lineup on Tuesday. Young is averaging eight points and 2.5 rebounds per game. If Dawson can consistently hit jumpers in the 15-foot range, he could become a nightmare to defend.

The Spartans obviously have a huge advantage when it comes to experience, which could prove to be the difference. Look for MSU to pressure the Wildcats early and try to rattle the young players. With Kentucky being so athletic, MSU has to be careful in transition. If this game goes down to the wire, which it most likely will, MSU will be the cooler team. Kentucky isn’t used to pressure situations. Most of their players have never played in a close college basketball game.

Bottom Line: The Spartans will come away with a hard-fought victory 84-79. The game will come down to free throws, and the Spartans will come up clutch in that department.

The game is on Tuesday, November 12 in Chicago at the United Center. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and heard on the Spartan Sports Network.

– Original link to article: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/10/scouting-report-kentucky-wildcats-vs-michigan-state/#sthash.fNvx1dXB.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.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/08/2013-14-season-preview/#sthash.YTNlVTC0.dpuf

Opinion: Branden Dawson is the Spartans’ X-Factor

Branden Dawson’s freshman season ended during the final regular season game of the year versus Ohio State, when he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament. That injury changed the trajectory of Dawson’s career. Instead of spending the summer of his sophomore year developing his game or possibly preparing for his rookie season in the NBA, he was forced to rehab his knee.

Dawson saw his production drop in his sophomore campaign, going from 16.4 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted to 13.7. Although he was healthy, the mental aspect of recovering from such a serious injury still lingered.

“The mental aspect was hard. When I came back from my ACL injury, there were times where I was thinking too much, and there were times where I went in for a dunk and I just went in and just laid it up. The mental aspect, it was very tough on me. I was going out there, and I was thinking a lot,” Dawson said in an interview with Spartan Nation Radio.

This prevented Dawson from having the breakout season everyone expected from him. If he hadn’t injured his knee, he would probably be in the NBA right now, but a slight letdown of a season made Dawson think twice about making the leap to the pros.

Now entering his junior year, Dawson says he is “100 percent now,” and is due for that breakout year. This is why he will be the Spartans’ x-factor. Without having to worry about his knee, Dawson was able to spend his summer working on his game, especially his jump shot. Although he shot 53% from the field last year, that number was down four percent from his freshman campaign. Branden Dawson has not made a three point shot in a Michigan State uniform, but this year looks to be different. He is so proud of his new jump shot that he posted a video on his instagram account of him shooting.

http://instagram.com/p/cfAR1LGiRj/

Dawson has improved so much over the summer that coach Tom Izzo had this to say about the junior in an interview with Spartan Nation Radio:

“This summer he’s improved his shot. He’s improved his body. I think he’s had the best summer of his life, and I think he’ll be ready for hopefully a breakout junior year.”

Everybody can talk about how important Adreian Payne, Gary Harris, and Keith Appling will be for Michigan State this year, but Branden Dawson might be the player that could carry the team from very good to the best in the nation. With an improved jumper and better ball-handling skills on the wing, Dawson could spread out opposing defenses and open up driving lanes for the guards. Assistant coach Dan Fife said this about Dawson in an MLive article:

“Branden’s got huge hands, but one thing that when he came in, he was a good ball-handler,” Fife said. “He really was. I think he’s working to become a great one.”

The 6’6” junior is one of the best defenders on the team. Dawson led the Spartans in steals last season with 57. His defensive rating was the sixth best in the Big Ten according to sports-reference.com. He had 1.4 blocks per 40 minutes last season, which was second among all wing players in the nation according to draftexpress.com. Dawson was also named the Big Ten’s Most Entertaining Player and a preseason third-team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy’s College Basketball Magazine.

This season, draftexpress.com has Dawson as the sixth best junior in the nation. He’s on the second best team in the nation according to the coaches poll. If Michigan State wants to make it past the Sweet 16 this year, they will need a better Branden Dawson. He had a disappointing showing in the NCAA Tournament, averaging four points and 4.7 rebounds per game. This was another big factor in Dawson’s decision not to go to the NBA. His poor performance in the postseason hurt his draft stock.

Michigan State’s roster is star-studded, with three players almost guaranteed to make the NBA, not including Dawson. With so much talent on the court with him, he could fly under the radar of opposing defenses and explode for huge nights. Don’t be surprised to see Dawson post a couple double-doubles this season.

This year, there will be a new Branden Dawson. He’s hungry to prove that he is ready for the next level. He wants to prove that he’s back. The knee injury is just a thing of the past. This will be a more confident, high-flying Branden Dawson who will dunk on you without a second thought. He is Michigan State’s X-factor.

-Original link to article: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/02/opinion-branden-dawson-is-the-spartans-x-factor/#sthash.fxGeapUx.dpuf