MSU's success bolstered by defensive resurgence

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo measures everything by toughness, especially his defense. So he's certainly going to be reluctant in mid-February to label this as his best defensive team ever, even after holding Ohio State nearly 30 points below its season average. "Back in the (Mateen) Cleaves' days, our cheerleaders were tough," Izzo said, referring to the 2000 national-championship season when Cleaves was the Spartans' lockdown defender. "We were the toughest team. We're not half as physical as we used to be. "But I think we're getting to be a ball-hawking, more of an aggressive team. We're trying to commit back to it." Michigan State, coming off a disappointing 19-15 season, has gone back to its roots. In the process, the seventh-ranked Spartans (20-5, 9-3) have emerged as a legitimate title contender, tied with Ohio State for first place in the Big Ten with six games remaining. Despite playing one of the nation's toughest schedules, Michigan State ranks No. 5 in opponents' field-goal percentage, No. 12 in opponents' three-point shooting and No. 15 in points allowed. "I've been surprised," Izzo said. Statistically, this is actually about as good as any defensive team that Izzo has coached, and he coached some good ones in leading the Spartans to six Final Four appearances over a 12-year period. Entering Thursday's game against another strong defensive team in Wisconsin, Michigan State is holding opponents to 37.4-percent shooting, the lowest in school history since the 1957-58 season (34.3 percent). The best during the Izzo era was 38.4 percent in 2006-07, when the offensively-inept Spartans got knocked out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by North Carolina. This would be the fifth time in Izzo's 17 years that MSU has held opponents below 40 percent for a season. Opponents are also scoring an average of only 58.6 points per game. That's second-best in the Izzo era behind the 57.2 points allowed by the '06-07 team. Defending the three-point line has become a crucial part of success in college basketball. Opponents are shooting just 28.9 percent behind the arc, the lowest allowed by MSU since the NCAA adopted a three-point line 25 years ago. Defense, defense, defense. "It all starts at the point," Izzo said. "Keith Appling is an incredible defender for us. What's surprised me is I think we've been very solid inside with both our bigs. One has size (Derrick Nix), one has athleticism (Adreian Payne). "The X factors have been (Branden) Dawson and (Brandon) Wood and (Austin) Thornton. They weren't very good defenders, but when you surround yourself by some good ones, you become part of that. "I've been most impressed with our overall defense. There's been a little bit of a commitment." Payne, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound sophomore with a 7-1 wingspan, shares time in the middle with 6-9, 270-pound junior Nix, whose big body helps clog up the lane. The Spartans are averaging 4.5 blocks and 7.8 steals, but those statistics aren't a major emphasis by Izzo. Never have been. Izzo's teams rely on tough, intelligent team defense where players help each other out whenever necessary. In this case, it's keyed by Appling's on-the-ball pressure and then limiting opponents to one shot on most possessions by controlling the boards. Known as Rebounding U. since Izzo took over, the Spartans rank No. 3 nationally with a plus-10.5 rebounding margin. Michigan State has outrebounded all but two opponents this season. Draymond Green, a 6-7 senior forward, leads the Big Ten in rebounding with a 10.5 average. To Izzo, that's the last, crucial piece of his defense. Without the rebound, everything else goes to waste. "Draymond Green, my leader, buys into it," Izzo said of the program's staples of defense and rebounding. "Even though at times, he's not the greatest (individual) defender, he sells it. He's probably one of the most intelligent players I've ever coached, has a great understanding of scouting reports." Six of Michigan State's opponents have scored fewer than 50 points in a game. That includes Ohio State, which scored 48 last Saturday when the Spartans put an end to the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak. With OSU missing perimeter shots, MSU's guards could dig down and help more and more inside on center Jared Sullinger, who committed 10 turnovers. "In following the game plan, it was one of the best (defensive performances) we've had in a long, long time," Izzo said. Only twice in 25 games has a team shot 50 percent against the Spartans - Northwestern and Michigan, both road losses for MSU last month. Eighteen opponents, meanwhile, have shot less than 40 percent, including 26.4 percent by Ohio State and Texas Southern. "If you've got energy on defense, that's going to carry over to the offensive end," Green said. Appling, a high-scoring guard in high school, has bought into this approach, too. "My thing is, you can always play defense, even if you're having a bad night (offensively)," Appling said. Some nights, that's the only way this Michigan State team can win. It's called winning ugly, and the Spartans are doing it as well as anyone these days.