face-up shooter, screener, and
rebounder who never needs the
ball to be effective. This year’s
frontcourt addition is the rare
McDonald’s All-American heading
to East Lansing, Deyonta Davis.
The 6’10’’ freshman still needs
to add bulk, but can face up and
shoot and will make an immediate
impact just by virtue of his length
and versatility. Chances are he
doesn’t start immediately, but
he could be sometime during
conference play. Also contributing
up front once he gets back from
a foot injury will be sophomore
Marvin Clark, a good rebounder
with 3-point range.
firepower. Before sitting out last
season, Harris averaged 17.2 PPG
for the Mountaineers, showing
the ability to hit from deep (42.2
percent on 6.4 attempts per game)
and get to the basket. Like Harris,
the sharpshooting Bryn Forbes can
hit from deep, averaging twice as
many 3-pointers as those inside the
arc. Running the show will be the
scrappy Lourawls Nairn, who may
not provide much in the way of
offense, but is careful with the ball
and a pest on defense.
Michigan State’s frontcourt will
be led by returnees Gavin Schilling
and Matt Costello. Schilling has
a developing offensive repertoire
and unique athleticism for a center,
but will need to be more consistent
on the boards to replace the
rebounding void left by the departed
Dawson. Costello is an excellent
The Spartans don’t do anything
fancy. They play sound basketball
with a focus on valuing each
possession, playing solid defense,
and constantly battling to outrebound their opponents. The
Spartans were one of the national
leaders last year in EFG% margin
(creating efficient offense, forcing
inefficient offense from opponents)
shooting 8.3 percent better than
their opponents, and rebounding
margin. With most of the team
back from last year, don’t expect
the core competency of this team
to change.
“No team makes a
tougher nonconference
schedule...”
While the Big Ten isn’t as strong
as recent seasons, there will still be
quality teams standing in the way
of Michigan State and a conference
championship. More importantly
though, this team seems wellequipped for anything that comes at
them. And if they’re not ready yet,
Coach Tom Izzo will make
sure they are soon enough.
Photo: Mike Carter - USA TODAY Sports
BBALLBREAKDOWN | 29