Kebler carves defensive niche

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Travis Walton and Mike Kebler stayed up late Friday night watching film, the narcotic of hoops-addicted defensive specialists everywhere.

During Michigan State's 65-54 win here Saturday over Penn State, they sat next to each other on the bench, watching Talor Battle's every move. They noticed a trend - every time Battle started to attack with a right-handed dribble, he pulled up for a jumper.

Every time he used his left, he ended up driving. Walton and Kebler were sold on the tendency when Battle came off a screen going left, but still used a right-handed dribble before firing the shot.

"That was the giveaway," Kebler said.

It's those little, subtle things that can make a big difference in a game. It's those seemingly little games that can make a big difference in a season.

Just imagine where the Spartans might be right now if Kebler, the walk-on junior and former Okemos High standout, hadn't delivered 13 minutes of airtight defense on Battle - who scored 30, but just two of the 30 (a tough, leaning jumper) on Kebler.

A loss to the last-place Nittany Lions and we're talking about an MSU team on a four-game losing streak, essentially out of the Big Ten race and with locker-room issues. Instead we're talking about a program that might have just found its next Tim Bograkos.

Is it crazy to think Kebler can have some kind of impact on the floor for the rest of the season?

"Not crazy at all," Tom Izzo said. "Because he can play a role, and right now I need some guys that can play a role."

Door opens

The weekend began with more adversity for a team that has been swimming in it lately. Sophomore point guard Korie Lucious was left home.

This after Izzo benched junior guard Durrell Summers for the second half of Tuesday's home loss to Purdue. That was based on basketball effort. Lucious' punishment was based on classroom effort.

"To be very blunt about it, he didn't meet some academic restrictions that I have," Izzo said of Lucious. "And it was kind of the second time or more. ... There's no eligibility issues, in fact he's a good student. But there is an understanding-of-what-you've-got-to-do issue. And so right now we just decided not to take him on this trip, and I see no reason why he won't be back the next game.

"But the interesting part about sports is, somebody's problems are somebody else's gains. And now he's got a dogfight, if you ask me, to get back where he needs to get. So we just ratcheted up things a little bit."

In other words, Kebler is coming after Lucious' minutes.

And believe it or not, Kebler is good enough to get some minutes. He is a solid 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. He can shoot. He can pass - the lob he threw to Summers on Saturday was delivered on the fly and with precision.

He's athletic, enough so to put down powerful dunks with ease in practice.

"He's a great athlete," Izzo said.

Most importantly, he has lateral quickness. That's what earned Bograkos, the former walk-on from Flint, key minutes for MSU from 2001 to 2005.

And frankly, MSU's coaching staff didn't realize Kebler's was so good until they watched him drape Illinois' Demetri McCamey a week ago.

Assistant coach Dwayne Stephens approached Kebler after that game.

"He said, 'I didn't know you could play defense like that,' " Kebler recalled. "I said, 'Well, I've been guarding Kalin (Lucas) for three years, there's no one as quick as he is.' "

Bench comes alive

Lucas was the star of Saturday's win, playing arguably the best game of his career on a still-sore right ankle.

The MSU bench may not have been more alive this season, though, than it was after Kebler hounded Battle through a series of moves and finally forced a 25-foot airball during MSU's decisive run.

"Talk about chemistry, did you see our bench?" Izzo said. "Every time he made a stop, they were into it. I mean, every single guy from Draymond Green to Kalin Lucas. Durrell Summers, I mean he hardly gets excited about anything, and he was excited. ... If anything, our team had a little chemistry this afternoon."

And that's exactly what we'd be questioning today, had MSU lost this game. Losses exaggerate the negatives, wins exaggerate the positives.

Maybe Kebler's afternoon will end up being more of an aberration than a turning point. Hometown kid lends a hand, nice little story, and he's back to the bench.

I'm guessing not. I'm guessing we'll see Kebler in the next game and beyond, giving MSU a defensive lift here and there.

There's no guessing, though, in this statement: The Spartans need Lucious, on the floor and playing well, to go where they want to go.

Joe Rexrode covers Michigan State basketball for the Lansing State Journal.