Spartans Report: Notes, Quotes

--Draymond Green became the third player in Michigan State history to record a triple-double when he had 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 75-57 win over Penn State on Feb. 10 at Breslin Center. Green joined Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Charlie Bell as Spartans who achieved the statistical feat. (Johnson had eight of them in two years, by the way.) Kalin Lucas scored a game-high 24 points for the Spartans, who avenged an earlier loss at Penn State.

--Junior PG Korie Lucious is only officially dismissed for the rest of the season, but he's clearly looking elsewhere. Lucious recently visited Iowa State, which is now home to his former Michigan State teammate, Chris Allen. Tom Izzo kicked Allen out of the program in August. Allen will play next season as a senior, and Lucious wouldn't be eligible until 2012-13, but he cited his friendship with Allen as a possible factor in luring him to Ames, Iowa.

"If that's the case," Tom Izzo said of a possible transfer, "I'd be happy for him."

--The Spartans dealt with some fallout after their 20-point loss at last-place Iowa. Izzo called it the worst performance he's seen as head coach at Michigan State, and two days later said: "I accept responsibility that we embarrassed ourselves, the program and the players that played before us."

Sophomore C Derrick Nix said he was embarrassed to go to class. Junior F Draymond Green said he had trouble sleeping after the loss.

"It was just a lack of energy," Green said of the performance, "a lack of respect for the game and a lack of respect for the program."

--Tom Izzo promised changes after the Iowa game, and his biggest change will apparently be gearing most of practice to the program's staples -- defending, rebounding and running off it. Izzo said he spent an inordinate amount of time over winter break working on free throws and shooting, because those were the Spartans' issues in December. But after allowing five straight opponents to exceed 50 percent shooting, Izzo decided the Spartans needed to get back to basics. He also has worked on some zone defense, in hopes of possibly using bigger lineups more often and hiding Michigan State's lack of perimeter depth. Despite the emphasis, Wisconsin shot a blistering 59 percent from the floor against the Spartans on Feb. 6.

BY THE NUMBERS
1997 -- The last NCAA Tournament that didn't include Michigan State. The Spartans' 13-year streak is third in the nation behind the streaks of Duke and Kansas.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We can't blame Kalin and Durrell, it's a team effort, it's a team sport. If Kalin and Durrell were playing tennis or golf, you can blame them." -- Michigan State junior F Draymond Green, on Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers earning blame for the Spartans' struggles.

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