Defense takes over in 2nd half

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Indianapolis — Defense? Did somebody say defense?

A span of about 10 minutes in the MSU and Butler men’s basketball teams’ game Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium was a perfect microcosm of the two teams’ philosophies that they’ve built their programs on.

Defense, defense and more defense.

“They play great defensively,” sophomore forward Draymond Green said of the Bulldogs. “They get their hands on a lot of balls. When you think you got a lay-up, (Butler guard Ronald Nored) comes behind, makes a steal. … There wasn’t a lot of open lays. They were great help-side defensively. They had very active hands.”

Nored had three steals and was instrumental in pestering MSU’s backcourt.

Defense played such a key role in the game that it completely overshadowed scoring in the second half. In the final 12:18, Butler scored just one field goal. From that point until a basket from Green with 2:10 to go, there were just 13 points scored between the two teams.

“We’ve been through stretches like that all year,” Nored said. “It’s about overcoming those stretches. If we didn’t score again and they didn’t score again, we won the game. So it’s just about getting stops.”

For about two and a half minutes to start the game, it looked as though the game would be more about getting open looks than getting stops. Sophomore guard Korie Lucious opened with two straight 3-pointers and Butler guard-forward Gordon Hayward responded with two deep buckets of his own.

But after that, things slowed considerably and MSU became Butler’s fifth consecutive opponent to be held under 59 points.

“It was one of the more physical games we’ve been involved in,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “Playing in the Big Ten, that’s a lot to say.”

One more year?

With junior guard Durrell Summers playing some of the best basketball of his career and fellow junior backcourt mate Kalin Lucas on crutches, they faced the obligatory questions from the media about leaving a year early for the NBA.

“I don’t know yet,” Lucas said. “When coach and I sat down, that’s something he told me. I don’t really know what’s going on right now so it’s going to be whenever coach and my family sit down. We’re going to make sure we make the best decision for me.”

Lucas, last season’s Big Ten Player of the Year, is a two-time first team all-Big Ten selection. Before going down with a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Spartans’ second-round game against Maryland, he led the Spartans in points and minutes.

He had surgery Tuesday and made the trip to watch the Spartans on Saturday.

“It is a dream,” Lucas said of the NBA. “It is a goal that every college player wants, that is to go to the NBA. During the season, we didn’t really talk about it that much. We were just trying to make sure we win games and make it back to the Final Four.”

Summers has had a major breakout in the NCAA Tournament, posting double figures in eight straight tourney games dating back to last season. His 14 points and 10 rebounds Saturday accounted for the fifth double-double in MSU Final Four history.

He shot 52.7 percent from the field and averaged 16.1 points per game in the last five games after averaging 9.8 points per game in Big Ten play.

“I have no clue right now,” Summers said of his decision. “We just lost a game. I’m going to talk with coach and my family and deal with that later.”

ESPN NBA Insider reporter Chad Ford listed Summers as a “hot” player emerging during this year’s tournament and lists him as No. 51 in his Top 100. He has Lucas listed at No. 62.

Men down

If there was anyone who could sympathize with what Butler head coach Brad Stevens saw on Saturday night, it’s Izzo.

With MSU’s best player (Lucas) on crutches, its best backcourt defender (junior guard Chris Allen) limited by a torn ligament and one of his most skilled big men (sophomore guard Delvon Roe) playing “on one leg,” as Izzo put it, the head coach saw a few of Butler’s players miss time.

Center Matt Howard, who averages about 26 minutes per game, played just 15 and guard Shelvin Mack, who averages 31, played 25.

“I was told Mack was a little dehydrated,” Stevens said. “Howard bumped his head on one of the plays. We actually thought he was OK. He played for a couple minutes. Then he came over and said he wasn’t feeling good. We’ll know more tomorrow after our medical staff and trainers look at him. Hopefully those guys are available.”

Mack still finished with 14 points, while Howard had four.

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