Free throws, whistles doom Spartans against Butler

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Indianapolis – They’re called free throws — emphasis on “free.”

The Spartans looked like they were overspending at the charity stripe in Saturday’s 52-50 loss to Butler in the national semifinals.
MSU went 10-for-18 from the free-throw line, including an ugly 5-for-12 performance in the second half.

“We started out the second half, miss four free throws, a couple layups,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.

“We had our chances to win the game, no matter what circumstances, how many injuries, how many guys we had in foul trouble.”
In Butler’s Elite Eight matchup with Kansas State, the Bulldogs were beneficiaries of a 7-for-14 free-throw shooting performance by Kansas State. The mental lapses at the line might have been to blame for MSU.

“You guys can look at missed free throws and missed shots. I think in the first half we had a couple of mental lapses and they were able to hit a couple of threes,” junior guard Durrell Summers said. “That’s not what we do. We get beat on defense but not on mental lapses.”

With the struggles MSU was having at the free-throw line, it wasn’t surprising the Spartans nearly were able to successfully execute an intentionally missed free throw late in the game.

Trailing by two with two seconds remaining, sophomore guard Korie Lucious missed the second of two free throws on purpose, in hopes that a Spartan could grab the rebound and get a tying shot attempt.

But Butler forward Gordon Hayward grabbed the rebound and clinched the victory for the Bulldogs, who went 17-for-24 from the free-throw line.

“We don’t practice missing free throws. We miss enough on our own so we just try to make all of ours,” Izzo said. “I just wanted to say, ‘Just make it,’ and figured it would clang off, but Korie did a good job on that. (Summers) did a good job trying to get to it but, the game, you shouldn’t have to get to that point.”

No foul called

With eight seconds remaining, MSU put the ball in the hands of sophomore forward Draymond Green.

With sharpshooters Lucious and Summers locked up for most of the game by Butler’s defense, Green was the only Spartan who was able to make a shot for himself, as evidenced by his nine field-goal attempts.

Green drove to the basket, went up for a jump shot but was defended by Hayward as Green’s shot fell short.

The Spartans bench exploded, looking for a foul call, which did not come.

“Maybe I did get smacked, but on my behalf, I have to go stronger,” said Green, who gives up three inches but has 30 pounds on Hayward. “I have to go up to finish the shot and get fouled.”

But if Green had been fouled, it’s questionable that he would have made the free throws, considering he was 4-for-8 for the game from the free-throw line.

Strong Summers

Despite an unrelenting Butler defense, Summers still turned in the fifth double-double in MSU Final Four history, leading the team with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Detroit native led the team in scoring in four of its five NCAA Tournament games, and Izzo is excited for Summers’ senior season.

“You talk about why the job is worth the job,” Izzo said. “When you see guys come from here and they get to there and they have another year left, those are good things. Those make it worthwhile.”

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