Kalin Lucas

Michigan State has had a really good year; at 22-5 and a top 10 ranking, there’s no coach who treats the Spartans as any slouch–but yet my gut tells me that Tom Izzo doesn’t necessarily think that the Spartans are playing even close to the level they should be at–and with a Big Ten title still not locked up, the Spartans still have some work to do.

Remaining Conference games:

at Illinois   Loss

The MSU offense has struggled as of late, and in their win over Iowa, the Spartans looked plain lethargic at home. Going into the Lion’s Den in Champaign where the Illini have locked down opponents game in and game out, it doesn’t bode well.

at Indiana  Win

With the Spartans only needing 1 game to clinch at least a tie for the regular season title, the clincher will be here in Bloomington. Michigan State should be up by 20…within the first 10 minutes of the game.

vs. Purdue  Win

The Izzo factor will be every reason as to why the Spartans should win this game; he will rev up his troops and probably get Raymar Morgan out of his slump to overpower the Boilermakers in East Lansing.

Big Ten Tournament: Finals

Michigan State has always done well in this tournament, as has Illinois, so we could very well see another final featuring these two teams. The only stumbling block I believe the Spartans could have on their way to the finals would be Wisconsin, who could very well play the Spartans in the semis.

Postseason Outlook: NCAA

The Spartans should take at lowest a 4 seed, and if they win the Big Ten tournament, it could go to a 3. I would say that if Goran Suton and Morgan really up their game and Durrell Summers and Kalin Lucas continue to build upon their stellar guard play, Michigan State could very realistically make it to the Elite 8, and depending upon the draw there, may be in the Final Four.