Team needs Morgan to be successful

Before hopping a plane to Disney World for the Old Spice Classic, MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo was looking for answers about his fifth-ranked team.

After a three-game stretch that had more twists and turns than a roller coaster, he might have less answers, and even more questions.

There were times when the Spartans looked like a clear-cut favorite to make the Final Four, and others when they looked like a team destined for the NIT.

No player better typified the enigmatic nature of the team this weekend than junior forward Raymar Morgan. Morgan, a preseason second-team All-Big Ten selection and Wooden Award candidate, continued to frustrate Izzo with inconsistency — a plague that many thought he abandoned last season.

The junior went from scoring a season-low four points against Maryland to a season-high 29 points against Oklahoma State. He followed those outings up with a nine point performance against Wichita State.

If there’s anything that’s clear so far this season, it’s that the Spartans will go as far as Morgan takes them, because even though the Spartans have a roster brimming with capable scorers, no one boasts the multi-dimensional talents that can be found in Morgan’s arsenal.

Morgan is at his best when he’s aggressive. Against Idaho and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, his physical talents were best accentuated when he was slashing inside and drawing trips to the charity stripe. Far too many times during this tournament, he was camping outside on the perimeter and simply getting lost on the attack.

When MSU came back against Wichita State, it’s because Morgan scored six points (two layups and a dunk) in two minutes that tilted the momentum.

In order for MSU to defeat No. 1 North Carolina on Wednesday, Morgan will need to reinvent the style that made him such a nuisance against Idaho and IPFW. Granted, North Carolina is a different type of animal, but Morgan has got just as much talent as anyone who will step foot on that court.

Come Wednesday, he’ll have a chance to prove it.