Finally.
After a 3-game losing streak to their rivaled Wolverines, the Spartans came through with a victory at the Breslin Center last night, winning 64-54.
The Izzone was rockin’.
There was no way MSU was going to lose this game, Draymond Green guaranteed it. The Spartans (No. 9) were looking to redeem their three straight losses to the Wolverines (No. 23), and by outshooting the and demonstrating stronger leadership, they comfortably accomplished that goal.
Senior Draymond Green led the team with 14 points, and 16 rebounds, proving he is the epitome of a senior leader. Green sits in first place for the Spartans in points, rebounds, blocks and minutes played per game, and last night he boosted his stats, contributing heavily to the team’s victory.
The game started like a typical Big Ten game starts; no score for about 4 or 5 minutes. But soon enough the Spartans kicked off the show with the first basket, and their presence was announced. They would be victorious.
The Wolverines were cold shooting, and this year, their senior leaders have been in a slump. Stu Douglass, once a promising 3-point shooter has been struggling all season, often being replaced in the starting line-up by sophomore Evan Smotrycz. WIth Douglass off his A-game, and senior Zack Novak playing mediocre basketball, the Wolverines were reliant on freshman and sophomore team leaders, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to secure a victory.
You could say it was a match up of youth versus experience. But more so, it was a match up of leadership versus potential leadership.
U of M is historically a bad road team, so relying on Burke and Hardaway, even though they are arguably the best players, would prove unsuccessful. Their inexperience can’t match up against seniors like Green and Brandon Wood, and juniors like Derrick Nix.
Overall, the Spartans were victorious because they wanted it more, and they knew four consecutive losses to the Wolverines was not the way to send out their seniors.
Green took a risky prediction, a guaranteed victory, and turned it into a reality with experience and passion. He can now go out on a win over his rival when his time is up at MSU, and what a better way for a leader like Green to leave.
~Maddie Fetchiet, The Big Green
Maddie's Sports Talk 