Michigan State 73, Illinois 63
1/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo
Opening comments...
Well we went in with a game plan of trying to take some things away from [Mike] Tisdale and I think foul trouble did some of that for us. We were concerned about [Demetri] McCamey, definitely early, and he gets off five points in the first minute. They had some guys that I thought missed some good shots and we had some guys that I thought missed some good shots. I thought [D.J.] Richardson and Brandon Paul missed some good ones. They had a couple of guys that played well that we didn't expect. [Tyler] Griffey was great. [Dominique] Keller brings some energy to that team and those are some big lifts. Delvon Roe today was very, very good. Raymar Morgan really bounced back and I thought after the first eight or 10 minutes, Kalin Lucas played awfully well. He should have had more assists, we missed some open shots, but so did they. Our defense was pretty good. The difference in the game was the first eight minutes again. It wasn't that they out-rebounded us, they out-hustled us. They got every loose ball. I don't know why we started out that way. I felt bad for both Chris [Allen] and Durrell [Summers] because they shot the ball so well, especially Durrell, yesterday and today in practice and he just couldn't buy a shot. At times in the second half I thought our break was really good and our defense was pretty steady. But as we always say, part of defense is finishing the job and getting the rebound. We didn't do that early, we did late. It was a good win for us against a very well-coached, good team. Bruce [Weber] has done a heck of a job with this team, I really mean that. He's getting more play out of more guys. People thought they were going to be a little down but they're going to be a contender before it's over.
On the play of Raymar Morgan and bringing him off the bench...
I really don't like bringing him off the bench. Raymar has had a rough week. He's had some personal things that he's had to go through back home. His mind has been everywhere and it's been a little tough on him. I give him credit because he bounced back and got a little rest and understood what he's got to do. I thought he played under control within himself. We put him in some situations where he was able to put it on the floor. He did a great job going left and making some shots that way. His defense was very good. Raymar Morgan is still one of our best players, we just need to get him playing like that every game.
On the stretch of play running from the end of the first half to the start of the second half...
We had a stretch in there where Kalin was pushing it and we were running and moving it and we really looked like a good basketball team. Those stretches aren't long enough yet, but they are getting more common and I really can't worry about those missed shots. We should have been four or five more against a team that Bruce doesn't think is as good as some he's had, but they still play awfully hard. I think that's a plus for us.
On Delvon Roe's wrist and his play...
He hurt his wrist on his right hand, thank God, in the last game. There is no problem. It's just stiff, store or sprained. Give Delvon credit on his free-throw shooting, too, because that makes a big difference in the game. He went and got some balls. If there is one thing everybody should learn from Draymond Green it's that you don't have to have plays called for you to be a great player. In fact, the greatest players are probably the ones that get it done without that. I think we ran two plays for Draymond today. Delvon did a better job, too. He posted better, he took it to the basket and he made himself available. He was active on the offensive glass and so he consequently gets to line more.
On Kalin Lucas bouncing back from a slow start...
When he came over I said that he wasn't playing very well and he knew it. That's what makes it easy to coach guys. All they have to say is, "yeah, I know." It's when people fight you that it's different. Everybody in the building knew he wasn't playing well and it's not always his fault. He sat down for a minute and I said that he just needed to regroup. Some of it wasn't his fault. In other words, I'm looking for him to get all those loose ball long rebounds. Illinois got them all, we didn't get any of them. He started using the ball screens better, he started hitting guys in the roll. I thought in some ways it was one of his best games because he did things that great point guards have to do. The one thing he did do all night when I could keep him on McCamey, he did a decent job on him. I thought his defense was the steadiest of all our guards.
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Opening statement...
You know we just didn't play very well and obviously the two stretches at the end of the half and the start of the second half was the difference in the game. You can't let good teams like that have runs like that. We had to have somebody step up and make a couple plays and hoping it wouldn't get out of reach and we just couldn't do that; a lot of careless turnovers and questionable shot selection, and to their credit they have great quickness. They play hard and made their free throws and a couple of them aren't the best free-throw shooters but they made them today. We have to learn from it. Our freshmen struggled but our upperclassmen also struggled so that's a problem playing against a team like this. I would say the one positive is Tyler Griffey, our freshman got an opportunity and took advantage of it and played pretty well and probably deserves a little extra time next outing.
On Kalin Lucas' play in the first and second half...
You know I think Tom pulled him out there, (Kalin) settled down, and they got going in transition. He cuts hard, he pushes the transition hard, he's so versatile and I think the biggest thing is the big guys know what they're supposed to do, get him open, get Allen open, get open Lucious, and they take so much pride in that, and they're crashing the glass. I thought we did a good job in the first half on the rebounding, and the second half kind of took a toll on us. Lucas played at a high level today and he can score in so many ways, at the point he's pushing it and using his dribble, and they put Lucious in and he (Kalin) goes to the two and you have to chase him around, he's got such great quickness coming off those screens.
On the three key freshmen not producing...
You know we just need some consistency out of them and I think that's the key, I mentioned the freshmen have their struggles, but we got to know what we are getting each time from the upperclassmen and you may not make shots but you've got to do all the other stuff. I thought we had some turnovers, hustle plays, and it makes a big difference, you know, we don't get guys to put the ball in the hoop and the big other thing is to have Tisdale in the game, and sometimes I'll be honest I wonder what post defense is, and Mike's got to learn to deal with it but if they're just going to let them push and shove from behind the whole time it makes it really tough on him.
On defending Morgan and Green in the first half...
You know I think they have eight starters, Tom was probably a little disgruntled with Morgan, you sit him a minute and obviously he comes back and plays his butt off, 14 (points), double-double. Green is a valuable guy. I think he might be the key to the team. He plays with emotion, he does all the little things, he plays his butt off, he understands the game and he's a big difference maker right now for them. I think their best thing is I would say they have eight starters and everyday someone's giving them something special.
