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What happens when an undersized guard is responsible for one-third of your offense? Apparently very good things. In 2014 it was Shabazz Napier spearheading a seventh-seeded UConn Huskies team from tournament bubble to tournament champions. Now Travis Trice is doing much of the same for the Michigan State Spartans. The Napier 2.0 talk with Trice begins now.
The Spartans’ senior came to East Lansing as just another lever in Tom Izzo’s machine. He was just a role player injected into the lineup sparingly and asked not to mess up. But when 2015 rolled around and the Spartans appeared underwhelming at best, somebody had to answer the call. Trice picked up the phone, and hasn’t disconnected since.
Trice doubled his points per game in 2014-15, and dished almost three times as many dimes. The production had to come from somewhere, but did anyone expect Trice to be such a clutch factor in the NCAA tournament? A place where only Branden Dawson was expected to shine?
Once again, Izzo shows that he’s still “got it,” and knows way more than fans do about everything that’s college basketball. Allowing Trice to flourish and tapping the guard to step up is another example of Izzo’s inimitable March formula. Find the right players, put them in the right positions, and somehow achieve consistent, yet unexpected results.
Just a month ago, it wasn’t certain MSU would make the tournament. Now, the Spartans look more on task than any other team in the country. The big three of Denzel Valentine, Dawson and Trice appear to know each other better than family. And as March gets maddening, Izzo again knows exactly which strings to pull — even if it’s not always the longest ones.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.
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