Michigan State basketball's first step to Big Ten tournament prep? Getting some rest
Tom Izzo gave Michigan State basketball Monday off, a chance for his players to exhale after a wild end of the regular season. Even he and his assistants knocked off early.
“For one of the few times in my life,” Izzo said Tuesday, “I'd say it was good rest for everybody. Including the coaching staff.”
Because as arduous as the past three weeks have been — with seven games in 16 days to hopefully do enough to earn an NCAA tournament berth that once seemed improbable — it’s now one-and-done time.
The ninth-seeded Spartans head to Indianapolis to face No. 8 seed Maryland at 11:30 a.m. Thursday in their first game of the Big Ten tournament. It will be longest time off between games for MSU since losing to Purdue on Feb. 16 and beginning its 5-2 stretch run with a win at Indiana four days later.
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“It's prepared us to understand kind of what that tournament atmosphere is gonna be like,” junior Aaron Henry said. “A lot of teams are going to be in the same city, and the games are gonna be back to back to back. The small amount of time we've had for preparation for games has been pivotal for our next movement going forward. It shows that we can do it — we can compete at a high level with short preparation time.”
MSU (15-11, 9-11 Big Ten) beat three top-five teams at the time in that closing kick, including Michigan on Sunday, 70-64. All three of those opponents remain in the top 10, with the Wolverines at No. 4, Illinois at No. 3 and Ohio State at No. 10.
U-M also beat the Spartans on Thursday, and the other loss during that stretch came on the road against the Terrapins (15-12, 9-11), 73-65 on Feb. 28. Maryland then lost its final two, to Northwestern last Wednesday and Penn State on Sunday.
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“It'll be a big challenge, one I'm looking forward to. Hopefully a little revenge,” Izzo said. “But maybe more importantly, I think we're playing a little better when we went out there. … I think revenge means they played better than us and our character has to step up and we have to take on a challenge.”
Izzo gave fifth-year senior Joshua Langford an extra day off Tuesday as a precaution. The rest of the Spartans were back to work, getting the chance to actually practice a few times rather than being limited to walk-through, film study and games as it has been much of the past three weeks.
“We played good the past couple of weeks, but I'll deflate at the end of the season when everything's over — hopefully with a couple championships and some goals achieved.” Henry said. “But physically, it's good to get off your feet for a little bit I guess.”
Henry honored
Henry was named third-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media and to the league’s all-defensive team Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6 forward, who pulled his name out of the NBA draft last summer to return for his third season, leads the Spartans with 15.5 points and 32.0 minutes a game, adding 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He also has a team-leading 33 steals and is second with 34 blocks in 26 games.
“We're happy for Aaron that he got recognized,” Izzo said. “In a year when there's so many players, I think if we would have won a few more games, he would have even moved up. Our conference is maybe the best in the country this year and getting recognized on any of the three teams is a phenomenal honor.”
It was the first time since 1997 MSU did not have a player named the first- or second-team All-Big Ten.
Road to nowhere
Izzo said the Spartans will remain in Indianapolis regardless of when (or if) they lose in the Big Ten tournament. That is part of the NCAA’s decision to create a bubble for anyone that might be part of the upcoming 68-team field in Indianapolis that MSU likely earned a berth into with the win over U-M on Sunday.
The selection show will be revealed after the Big Ten tournament title game. The NCAA tournament opens March 18, with First Four games at Purdue’s Mackey Arena and Indiana’s Assembly Hall. First-round games are March 19-20 at those two arenas, along with Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse and Indiana Farmers Coliseum, home to IUPUI’s men’s team. The two Big Ten venues won’t be used for second-round games March 21-22.
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Izzo said if the Spartans make the field they will then be moved to a designated hotel Monday and ordered to quarantine for 24 hours without being allowed out of their rooms. Practices will begin Tuesday, and Izzo said there are 12 basketball courts set up at the Indiana Convention Center next to Lucas Oil Stadium, where there also will be areas set up for film sessions.
“And other than that, we'll be in our rooms,” Izzo said. “Every player is in his own room. It gets ratcheted up. I think they looked at the NBA protocol and stole some things from it, and rightfully so. So it's gonna be different.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball enjoys brief rest before Big Ten tournament
