See You Next Year, Spartans!

Now that wasn't how Michigan State fans, Tom Izzo, his team and myself envisioned their Sweet Sixteen matchup last night against the Memphis Tigers. The game which ended 74-92 was basically over at halftime with the Spartans trailing by 30 points. Yeah, that hurts. It was basically no contest and the talented Tigers just dominated the game from the first minute on. But you know how it is, there are some nights when nothing is working for you and everything goes right for your opponent. It was a tough night for the Spartans, especially for seniors Drew Neitzel and Drew Naymick, who ended their college careers on a sour note. But there weren't just endings last night as the other Spartans begin their quest for greater heights next year right about now.

And with the preparation for the new season you also have to look at your shortcomings and weaknesses. Last night discovered a glaring problem of the Spartans in recent years, they not only struggle to score but they also have huge problems to operate outside of their systems. Kalin Lucas was basically the only player who constantly could create off the dribble and that just isn't enough. Next season though the Spartans will have a different look as they compliment their perimeter players with a true rock inside. Tom Izzo recruited one of the premier power forward prospects in the country in Delvon Roe and he will turn to a talented sophomore class to compensate for the losses of Neitzel and Naymick.

Next year's starting lineup will propably look like this: Kalin Lucas at point guard, Chris Allen at shooting guard, Raymar Morgan at small forward, Delvon Roe at power forward and senior Goran Suton at center. I'll take that for a start! Especially Allen and Morgan have to work on their games as they have to handle the ball better and create off the dribble for themselves. With Roe in the post the Spartans will once again be a true power team that will pride themselves on rebounding, inside game and defense. It's gonna be real interesting how the young guys around Lucas, Allen and Durrell Summers develop and if they can carry the load of the Spartans' perimeter offense. Their chances in the Big Ten seem to be pretty good with powers Indiana and Wisconsin losing quite a few talented seniors on their own. Izzo definitely has an exciting offseason in front of him and hopefully we will see positive results next year. One thing is for sure: The Spartans will be back!