COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the other team's game plan is
to sag off of you, encouraging you to shoot, it can be a little insulting.
Michigan State sophomore guard Keith Appling must have wondered if he had bad
breath the way no opposing player wanted to get near him when he had the ball
on the perimeter.
That's what happens when you're shooting 24 percent from 3-point range for the
season.
Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus, one of the great minds in college basketball,
dared Appling to shoot Sunday afternoon in a NCAA tournament game at Nationwide
Arena.
And Appling got the last laugh.
He scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, including a 3-point
dagger to put the Spartans up by seven with 1:34 remaining.
The ball bounced around the rim before rolling through to help send the
top-seeded Michigan State to a 65-61 victory over the No. 9-seed Billikens in a
West Region third-round game.
It moves the Spartans into the Sweet 16 for the 10th time in the last 15 years
under coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State will play No. 4 seed Louisville on Thursday
night in the regional semifinals in Phoenix.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino might have to show a little more respect for
Appling's shooting ability, even if it opens up some other things for the
Spartans.
"At first it was kind of surprising," Appling said of the defensive
strategy. "They had pretty much been begging me to shoot the ball."
"I was begging him to shoot, too," teammate Draymond Green said.
During a late timeout, Green did just that. He reminded Appling that he was a
41-percent three-point shooter last season as a freshman.
Part of the reason Appling's shot has regressed is that he is playing primarily
at the point and has to focus his attention more to running the offense.
"Shoot the ball," Green told Appling during the final, crucial stages
of Sunday's game.
The play was designed for Green, but he was concerned about getting called for
a charge when he drove the lane against a collapsing defense.
Knowing that Appling should be feeling good about himself after making a couple
recent shots, Green delivered a pass right on the money to Appling deep on the
baseline.
"I didn't try to get the rebound," Green said. "I just kept
running down the court. I knew it was going in."
"As soon as it came off my hand, it felt good," said Appling, who
made seven of his game-high 14 shots. "Once I saw it go through the hoop,
I was all smiles."
Majerus admitted he was "a little" surprised with some of the shots
Appling knocked down, especially that clinching 3-pointer.
The Saint Louis coach chose to have Appling's defender help off of the MSU
point guard to try to contain other scorers, including Green.
Majerus used a baseball analogy — and a quote from former St. Louis Cardinals
manager Tony La Russa — to explain the way Appling came through under the
circumstances.
"He has a good line about you walk that batter intentionally who is like a
.350 hitter, and then that .260 hitter behind him becomes a .300 hitter,"
Majerus said of La Russa. "I think with Appling, Izzo played it really
smart, told him to shoot."
Izzo wasn't certain Appling had the confidence to take and make the shots that
he did, but Izzo indeed did tell Appling to shoot.
Izzo didn't want him to take the bait and simply start firing up shots because
no one was guarding him, though. He still wanted Appling to wait for a shot
that he could step into with good rhythm.
Wide-open perimeter shots might look easy, but they can be more difficult
mentally because the player has so much time to think about it.
"Keith Appling can shoot the ball," Izzo said. "I told Keith
he's got to be patient with it. I just said to him ‘Make the shots inside-out
shots,' (not) where you're sitting there off the dribble and you're thinking
about it.
"I like the way he let the game come to him. That is hard when somebody is
backing off you if you're not ready for it. That's like a technical where nobody's
there. He'll be ready for it if somebody else wants to try it.
"To step up at the end and hit the big shots shows you a little bit about
his toughness. I think he's mentally and physically very tough."
While Appling delivered unexpectedly, Green did what he's been doing every game
lately. A little bit of everything.
He finished four assists short of recording back-to-back triple-doubles with 16
points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
It was Green who took over after Saint Louis (26-8) cut an 11-point lead with
13 minutes left to 53-51, leading to a Michigan State timeout with 2:54 left.
Green came out and immediately hit a jumper and then forced a missed shot by
the Billikens before setting up Appling for the shot that put the game away.
"Draymond Green does what great players do," Majerus said. "He
creates his own shot and makes it.
"I think he's the best player in the country. Is he the best potential
player? No, I'd take the kid probably from Kentucky (Anthony Davis). But if I
had to take a kid right now to win the national championship, I'd take Draymond
Green."
Majerus added, "He should be able to cut down the Final Four nets."
The Spartans (29-7) are still four victories from that, but there's no denying
that Green looks as if he's going to accept nothing less than a national title
to complete his career.
With the way this team is playing defense, holding Saint Louis to 23.8 percent
shooting in the first half and 35.3 percent for the game, the dream is becoming
more and more realistic.
If Appling starts making perimeter shots the way he did Sunday, that just might
be the final piece to the puzzle for the Spartans.
GAME OF EMOTIONS
Michigan State freshman Brandan Kearney was in tears and had to be consoled by
teammates during an emotional breakdown on the bench late in the game.
It came after he made some defensive lapses, including getting called for a
foul when he bit on a pump fake. Kearney came to the sideline and got an earful
from his coach.
"I can't tell you everything I said," Izzo said. "I can tell you
what I said in your language, I can't tell you what I said in mine.
"I think everything kind of got to him a little bit. He struggled a little
bit."
Izzo said that some of the Spartans' young players "showed their
youth."
"I bet it's going to be one of the best learning experiences he has in his
life," Izzo added of Kearney. "I'd be shocked if he doesn't bounce
back because he has been a very intelligent player and very good defensive
player.
"It's just part of being a young guy that's going to learn what it's like.
And it will be good. It will be good for him. He'll be a better player next
week."
POSTGAME EMOTIONS
Saint Louis senior Brian Conklin, who played his final collegiate game, sobbed
uncontrollably during a news conference while describing his relationship with
Majerus.
"I couldn't imagine playing for a better coach, better person,"
Conklin said. "He doesn't just teach you about basketball, it's about
life."
Majerus also had to fight back tears, saying, "You get attached to
kids."
As for the loss, Majerus said, "We fought our guts out. I think we got the
tight shorts a little bit. They were nervous. They tried too hard."
