Michigan State braces for challenge of ACC's 'Pack attack

EAST LANSING - This is usually how it goes with Tom Izzo. He's vocally concerned immediately after an uneven performance, then more measured and optimistic a day or two later, after dissecting said performance.

Moments after Saturday's 75-71 snoozer over Oakland, Izzo called his Spartans an "out-of-sync basketball team." Two days later, he clarified.

"Don't construe it wrong," he said, "it means sometimes a second off on a pass or a second off on a pick. ... It's real early to panic on things, especially with the number of young guys we have. I'm not displeased. I'm anxious to play better, because I know we can."

And he knows they must tonight. No. 10 MSU (4-1) hosts No. 24 N.C. State (4-1) as part of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolfpack bring in plenty of size and firepower, enough to threaten for a win at Breslin and an ACC title.

J.J. Hickson (18 points per game, 8 rebounds per game), a 6-foot-9 freshman reserve center, is getting a lot of attention, but coach Sidney Lowe has three other players who can score 25 points on a given night.

Brandon Costner (10.8 points), a 6-9 sophomore forward, put 30 on Duke and 28 on North Carolina in last season's ACC Tournament. He is a lefty who can produce inside and outside.

Courtney Fells (10.8) is a 6-5 junior shooting guard who scored 21 in Sunday's victory over Villanova. He's also the team's top defender and will attach himself to MSU's Drew Neitzel tonight.

Gavin Grant (10.8) is a 6-8 senior small forward who will match up with MSU's Raymar Morgan. Factor in 6-10 center Ben McCauley and 6-4 point guard Farnold Degand, and N.C. State's starting lineup averages taller than 6-7.

MSU's, by comparison, comes in at 6-5. The size mismatch between Fells, Grant, Degand and some of the perimeter Spartans who will be guarding them is why Izzo said this game "comes down to them."

From the MSU perspective, it also comes down to the Spartans simply playing better. Izzo has been spending time in the past couple days working on offensive execution, which has been disjointed for stretches.

Meanwhile, MSU's intent to play fast-break basketball has been stymied at times by the defense. Dribble penetration was part of the reason the Spartans gave up 42 offensive rebounds to UCLA and Oakland. MSU's big men have had to help out and take themselves out of position.

Strong perimeter defense leads to clean defensive rebounds, which lead to fast breaks.

"Honestly, I feel deep down that once we fix our game - fix our defense, fix our offensive execution - I really feel we can be a great team," MSU junior guard Travis Walton said. "We just have to fix some little things."

And the chemistry still isn't there for a team that is integrating talented freshmen Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers.

"It hasn't been the same as, say, the end of last year," MSU senior center Drew Naymick said. "We're introducing the freshmen, and the roles have been not as concrete, hammered-out, especially defensively. ... A chemistry thing like that is just something you've got to work out through repetitions and time - you can't just flip a switch."

The Spartans have been practicing together for less than six weeks. That does not, however, explain away MSU's turnovers. Giveaways were a problem last season, and these Spartans are averaging 16.8 a game so far.

"That's probably by far the biggest issue I have," Izzo said, "because the turnovers at times are of a ridiculous nature."

Many, Izzo said, are the result of players trying to do too much.

"I think we're trying to get home run plays," Morgan said, "when we need singles and bunts."

To beat the Wolfpack tonight, the Spartans will need it all - pitching, catching, defense and production one through nine.

Spartan Tipoff: No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 24 North Carolina State

• Where: Breslin Center

• When: 7 p.m. today

• TV/Radio: ESPN; Spartan Sports Network radio, including WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM

• Records: Both teams are 4-1.

• Series: N.C. State leads 5-1, including a 69-58 comeback win in the last meeting, in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament.

• Coaches: MSU - Tom Izzo is 282-122 in his 13th season, all with the Spartans. N.C. State - Sidney Lowe is 24-17 in his second season, both with the Wolfpack.

• Probable lineups:

MICHIGAN STATE

Pos. Name PPG

F (41) Marquise Gray (6-8) 6.8

C (14) Goran Suton (6-10) 9.0

F (2) Raymar Morgan (6-7) 17.4

G (1) Kalin Lucas (6-1) 6.2

G (11) Drew Neitzel (6-0) 14.6

NORTH CAROLINA STATE

F (11) Gavin Grant (6-9) 10.8

F (34) Ben McCauley (6-10) 5.2

F (33) Brandon Costner (6-9) 10.8

G (4) Courtney Fells (6-5) 10.8

G (12) Farnold Degand (6-4) 7.4

• MSU update: Gray (ankle) and Morgan (bruised hip) both practiced Tuesday and should be ready to go. Izzo made it clear Monday that MSU's big men "have to play better than they've played" or risk losing time with Morgan playing more power forward. Tonight's their chance to respond, because the Spartans will have to go with two big men against N.C. State. MSU likely will throw lots of bodies at stud freshman center J.J. Hickson, starting with Drew Naymick. Don't be surprised to see Idong Ibok and Tom Herzog in there as well. Izzo said Herzog "deserved to play" in the Oakland game because of the way he's been practicing, but it didn't happen. Rebounding is where MSU should be able to do some damage tonight. The Spartans have 72 offensive boards to their opponents' 71 defensive boards. N.C. State, meanwhile, gave up 60 offensive rebounds in three Old Spice Classic games, and the Wolfpack have a rebound margin of minus-1.2.

• N.C. State update: Lowe, the point guard for N.C. State's 1983 national title team and a longtime NBA player and assistant, expressed Tuesday his rebounding concern. "They really come after you and they're going to pound you on the boards," he said of MSU. "I think the main concern is their aggressiveness and how they play. Their talent level is a given." But Lowe's team has plenty of it as well. Grant and Fells are long, explosive athletes who can hit the 3-point shot. Hickson is a beast, Costner can score from anywhere, and McCauley is a role player who scored 10 Sunday against Villanova - driving their bigs to the basket. Degand was the big preseason question mark as the new starting point guard, but he has been solid. Two potential problems for N.C. State: One, the Wolfpack aren't deep, with just seven players averaging double-digit minutes. Two, they don't shoot free throws well - 67 percent overall, 45 percent from their point guard.

• Prediction: The home crowd and the foul line make the difference in what could be the best matchup of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

• Make it: MSU 72, N.C. State 70

- Joe Rexrode