Spartan Hoopla: Korie Lucious Lifts Michigan State From Sweet To Elite

He did it again.

Michigan State's (27-8) Korie Lucious continued to prove his naysayers wrong Friday night with his steady-handed play.

Move over Chauncey Billups, there is another guy vying for the title of "Mr. Big Shot."

Lucious' pivot fade-away maneuver against Ali Farokhmanesh in the waning minutes (1:32) helped lift the Spartans to a 59-52 victory over Ben Jacobson's upset-minded Northern Iowa Panthers.

The Milwaukee native played a vital role in Sparty's transformation from "sweet" to "elite."

Tom Izzo's 5'11" point-guard scored just 10 points, but there were none bigger than his "shining moment bucket."

With Kalin Lucas sitting court-side, Lucious showed his predecessor that he has a little "Too Easy" in him.

Durrell Summers has been nothing short of reliable in March Madness. Summers scored a game-high 19 points and raked in seven boards in 37 minutes. He scored 26 against Maryland, and will be a force that Izzo will continue to count on to turn the wheels of his offense in Lucas' absence.

Michigan State's senior Raymar Morgan showed up too. Morgan has played like a man on a mission over the last three weeks, but he wasn't needed to put tallies on the scoreboard; his presence inside was enough. Morgan scored seven points, but more importantly went three-for-four from the stripe, which turned out to be crucial in the long run.

Delvon Roe showed off his aerial skills with a crowd-pleasing put-back jam off a missed shot from the perimeter. Roe's knee ailment didn't appear to hinder his play; he grabbed six boards and matched that total in points in a solid 27 minute effort.

The "Dancing Bear," Draymond Green, facilitated the ball to Summers and Chris Allen, which resulted in timely three-point daggers. He was aggressive on the boards, but only managed to collect five rebounds.

Coming into their match up with the Panthers, the Spartans knew that they were labeled with the tag of "underdog."

That didn't seem to bother Green in the least bit. Green said in last night's presser that he welcomed the challenge, and that "no one thinks we can do it." Well, everyone was wrong.

After knocking off the mighty Jayhawks, the Panthers ran into a roadblock named Izzo.

Never underestimate Mr. March during the NCAA Tournament—never.

The Izzo clan had problems on the boards. They knew that Jacobson's Panthers were a physical bunch, and they proved it. Northern Iowa out-hustled Sparty early on the glass, and made it difficult for MSU to convert on second chance opportunities. 

The Panthers are known to shoot threes, but Michigan State put the nix on that by tight defense. Northern Iowa shot just 4-for-16 from beyond the arc, and just didn't manufacture good looks at the rim.

The Spartans' athleticism and speed were just too much for the Missouri Valley Conference champions, but give credit where credit is due—the Panthers hung around for 39 minutes. Jacobson's crew went into the break with a seven-point advantage, 29-22, but couldn't regain momentum in the second frame.

A staple of Spartan basketball has been, and will continue to be, rebounding. There is work needed to be done before Sunday's duel with Bruce Pearl's Tennessee Volunteers, who beat Thad Matta's Buckeyes 76-73.

Transition baskets will be important against the Vols. Pearl's men aren't accustomed to the run-and-gun style of Michigan State, and that will be something Izzo can exploit when formulating his game plan for Sunday. However, don't put too much stock into Sparty's quicks department; the Vols are tight-fisted defensively.

Just one more win in St. Louis and Michigan State can pack its bags and head east to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

As seen on Barking Carnival's "Sparty On" blog.