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Appling, Craft Set To Tussle

Keith Appling

Appling: "We are point guards for our team and the body goes as the head go."

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A huge game for MSU Saturday at Ohio State features the Big Ten's top defensive point guards in Keith Appling and OSU's Aaron Craft.

Dan Kilbridge

    • Dan Kilbridge said...

      http://michiganstate.247sports.com/Article/Appling-Craft-Set-To-Tussle-60804

      EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A huge game for MSU Saturday at Ohio State features the Big Ten's top defensive point guards in Keith Appling and OSU's Aaron Craft.

      I hope we don't rely on Keith to be the point a lot during this game. Offensively we need Keith to step up and be that scorer that we all know he is. I hope to see a lot of Trice at the point and Keith playing the off guard spot. I wouldn't mind seeing a starting five of Payne, Green, Dawson, Appling, and Trice. It's painfully obvious that Keith is pressing when he has the ball offensively. He did make that three towards the end of the Penn State game, so hopefully that gives him confidence moving forward.

      AStubbs7

    • AStubbs7 said...

      I hope we don't rely on Keith to be the point a lot during this game. Offensively we need Keith to step up and be that scorer that we all know he is. I hope to see a lot of Trice at the point and Keith playing the off guard spot. I wouldn't mind seeing a starting five of Payne, Green, Dawson, Appling, and Trice. It's painfully obvious that Keith is pressing when he has the ball offensively. He did make that three towards the end of the Penn State game, so hopefully that gives him confidence moving forward.

      Regarding his confidence and the late 3-pointer I wrote pretty much the same thing last night, but I'm not sure Keith has ever lacked confidence. I asked him about the jump shot coming around at practice today and he replied: "My shot never left. I might have gone through a little shooting slump but I still have confidence in my shot."

      It will be interesting to see Trice tested in another road environment, especially considering he's from Ohio, and I'll be writing much more on that in What To Watch For tomorrow. But I do think Appling and Craft defending each other is a huge key for this game.

      Dan Kilbridge

    • Brandon Wood is going to need to step up too. He was much quieter against PSU than against the chUMps. MSU really needs him now to step up.

      This post was edited by One Eyed Jack on 2/9/2012 at 8:44 PM

      One Eyed Jack

    • AStubbs7 said...

      I hope we don't rely on Keith to be the point a lot during this game. Offensively we need Keith to step up and be that scorer that we all know he is. I hope to see a lot of Trice at the point and Keith playing the off guard spot. I wouldn't mind seeing a starting five of Payne, Green, Dawson, Appling, and Trice. It's painfully obvious that Keith is pressing when he has the ball offensively. He did make that three towards the end of the Penn State game, so hopefully that gives him confidence moving forward.

      seriously? Trice is in over his head in this game. Newsflash to fans who only like jump shots, but Trice hasn't been very good for a month, especially defensively. Appling's defense on Craft's penetration is key to this game and the wings have to guard 6'6" guys. I wouldn't be surprised if Trice gets only 5 min in this one. Thornton, Wood, and Dawson are critical in this one.

      Buzzer Beater ●

    • Buzzer Beater said...

      seriously? Trice is in over his head in this game. Newsflash to fans who only like jump shots, but Trice hasn't been very good for a month, especially defensively. Appling's defense on Craft's penetration is key to this game and the wings have to guard 6'6" guys. I wouldn't be surprised if Trice gets only 5 min in this one. Thornton, Wood, and Dawson are critical in this one.

      Well, he was injured, even missed a game, and has looked better the last game and a half. He's getting more than 5 mins, be serious. However, to the other posters comments....he's not going to start at the 1 this season. That's keiths spot and rightfully so.

      Stubarino

    • Stubarino said...

      Well, he was injured, even missed a game, and has looked better the last game and a half. He's getting more than 5 mins, be serious. However, to the other posters comments....he's not going to start at the 1 this season. That's keiths spot and rightfully so.

      Be that as it may...Keith can't be a 1 right now. He is a scoring machine and needs to be given freedom to do so. I am pretty sure Izzo wants Keith to find some sort of balance between passing/scoring and doesn't mind if he looks to score first sometimes. Keith can handle the offense fine. My issue with him playing point has nothing to do with his ability to run the show, but he needs to be a viable scoring option, which he hasn't been lately.

      AStubbs7

    • AStubbs7 said...

      Be that as it may...Keith can't be a 1 right now. He is a scoring machine and needs to be given freedom to do so. I am pretty sure Izzo wants Keith to find some sort of balance between passing/scoring and doesn't mind if he looks to score first sometimes. Keith can handle the offense fine. My issue with him playing point has nothing to do with his ability to run the show, but he needs to be a viable scoring option, which he hasn't been lately.

      /\ next year Valentine will fix that!

      Valentine (guard wing) - Appling/Trice
      Appling (guard pg) - Harris/Kearney
      Harris (guard wing) - Dawson/Byrd
      Dawson - Costello/Kaminski
      Payne - Nix/Gauna

      This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by Applingbyrd on 2/10/2012 at 8:53 AM

      Applingbyrd

    • AStubbs7 said...

      Keith can't be a 1 right now.

      (facepalm)

      red_cedar

    • Tough game for Trice. Craft will manhandle him and Travis doesn't have anyone else to check due to OSU's size.

      I expect to see draymond initiating the offense due to crafts ability to disrupt an offensive plan. Pound it inside and hope the bigs finish layups.

      greenfever ●

    • greenfever said...

      Tough game for Trice. Craft will manhandle him and Travis doesn't have anyone else to check due to OSU's size.

      I expect to see draymond initiating the offense due to crafts ability to disrupt an offensive plan. Pound it inside and hope the bigs finish layups.

      If Thomas is on Green, we should be throwing the ball to Draymond in the post every possession.

      Sullinger guarding Payne/Nix
      Thomas guarding Green
      Buford on Dawson
      Smith on Wood
      Craft on Appling

      Get the ball inside to any of the three forwards, that is where our advantage is.

      Buzzer Beater ●

    • Wasn't Craft caught cheating with Tennessee a few years ago during his recruitment? Appling is a far superior athlete than Craft and it will show on Saturday.

      This post was edited by Izzomsu on 2/10/2012 at 9:18 AM

      Izzomsu

    • Izzomsu said...

      Wasn't Craft caught cheating with Tennessee a few years ago during his recruitment? Appling is a far superior athlete than Craft and it will show on Saturday.

      In what way is Appling superior? Not sure there are quicker feet in the country then Craft. I am not expecting a lot out of Appling. 1.5 years of shut-down defense is a pretty good sample size to predict how tough it will be for Keith. That being said Craft can expect the same thing on the other end.

      I think these two will cancel each other out. Pound it inside on offense and close out on Buford and we have a good shot.

      And it was Bruce Pearl who was caught cheating. Not sure you can blame a 17-year old kid for going to a BBQ when invited by a big-time coach. He may have known the rules but I doubt it.

      greenfever ●

    • Appling is far more athletic than Craft. Craft defense is similar to the Wisconsin synchronize dancing team of flops. The only way OSU wins this game is by flopping. We need to pound green pound and be conscious of the officiating especially if Burr is doing the game. We have a far superior interior game and should take advantage of the inside out game. Craft defense is a joke. Appling by far is the best defensive player in the Big Ten.

      Izzomsu

    • Yes Craft is a phenomenal defender but he isn't half the offensive player that Keith is. Craft is the guy who teams double off of and I doubt he's ever had a game with more than 15 points so I wouldn't worry about Trice getting manhandled defensively. I agree with the idea though to let the offense be run through the person that isn't guarded by Craft because his on ball pressure is great.

      GoState3

    • GoState3 said...

      Yes Craft is a phenomenal defender but he isn't half the offensive player that Keith is. Craft is the guy who teams double off of and I doubt he's ever had a game with more than 15 points so I wouldn't worry about Trice getting manhandled defensively. I agree with the idea though to let the offense be run through the person that isn't guarded by Craft because his on ball pressure is great.

      We can have Keith and Trice out there at the same time. This should help us offensively and allow Trice some open shots. Also this has got to be a fun game for people like Trice and Payne who get a shot at Ohio State for both being Ohio natives. I can see Payne and Trice lighting it up. I think we are a match up nightmare for Ohio State because of Nix, Payne, and Green. Throw in Dawson who is an offensive rebounding machine..we will pound the bucknuts into oblivion. Also I look to see Draymond possibly bringing the ball up a few timescto throw their defense off.

      Izzomsu

    • Izzomsu said...

      We can have Keith and Trice out there at the same time. This should help us offensively and allow Trice some open shots. Also this has got to be a fun game for people like Trice and Payne who get a shot at Ohio State for both being Ohio natives. I can see Payne and Trice lighting it up. I think we are a match up nightmare for Ohio State because of Nix, Payne, and Green. Throw in Dawson who is an offensive rebounding machine..we will pound the bucknuts into oblivion. Also I look to see Draymond possibly bringing the ball up a few timescto throw their defense off.

      I worded my first post on this topic from last night poorly, but Trice and Appling in the game together plays right into OSU's strengths. We absolutely should not do this. Our advantage is size/strength/athleticism at the forward positions and depth at the Center position. OSU's advantage is height and physicality of the guards. Wood and Appling can play big and physical for their size, but Trice isn't there yet. Thornton and Dawson will need a lot of minutes in this one.

      Buzzer Beater ●

    • Izzomsu said...

      Appling is far more athletic than Craft. Craft defense is similar to the Wisconsin synchronize dancing team of flops. The only way OSU wins this game is by flopping. We need to pound green pound and be conscious of the officiating especially if Burr is doing the game. We have a far superior interior game and should take advantage of the inside out game. Craft defense is a joke. Appling by far is the best defensive player in the Big Ten.

      I think Appling is a better offensive player than Craft and they are a wash on defense. We'll see what the B10 coaches think of Craft's defense when they vote for the post-season awards. What you will see is that they know he and Appling are two of the best defensive players in the country. The coaches and experts realize this but if you think he's a flopper that is fine.

      I think the PG's are even, MSU has the advantage inside, and OSU has the home cooking. To me the key is Buford and whether, Dawson/Wood can contain him.

      greenfever ●

    • AStubbs7 said...

      Be that as it may...Keith can't be a 1 right now. He is a scoring machine and needs to be given freedom to do so. I am pretty sure Izzo wants Keith to find some sort of balance between passing/scoring and doesn't mind if he looks to score first sometimes. Keith can handle the offense fine. My issue with him playing point has nothing to do with his ability to run the show, but he needs to be a viable scoring option, which he hasn't been lately.

      Keith can and will play the 1 spot. It's stupid to suggest otherwise.

      duffy munn ●

    • Izzomsu said...

      Craft defense is a joke.

      Craft is forcing turnovers on about 7.5% of opponent's possessions. No joke.

      From:
      http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/luke_winn/02/09/Power.Rankings/index.html

      attachment

      red_cedar

    • red_cedar said...

      Craft is forcing turnovers on about 7.5% of opponent's possessions. No joke.

      From: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/luke_winn/02/09/Power.Rankings/index.html

      Good stat here and Craft is the real deal, folks. He's not an overpowering offensive threat but can definitely do some things on that end with his quickness. Defensively he can be overpowering at times and gave Trey Burke all sorts of problems when OSU played U-M in Columbus.Exciting player to watch and I can't wait to see how he and Appling match up Saturday.

      Dan Kilbridge

    • AStubbs7 said...

      I hope we don't rely on Keith to be the point a lot during this game. Offensively we need Keith to step up and be that scorer that we all know he is. I hope to see a lot of Trice at the point and Keith playing the off guard spot. I wouldn't mind seeing a starting five of Payne, Green, Dawson, Appling, and Trice. It's painfully obvious that Keith is pressing when he has the ball offensively. He did make that three towards the end of the Penn State game, so hopefully that gives him confidence moving forward.

      no Appling is one of the top PGs in the league and you want to move him out of the way for an undersized, unseasoned Freshman at OSU?

      SD Spartan

    • Dan Kilbridge said...

      Good stat here and Craft is the real deal, folks. He's not an overpowering offensive threat but can definitely do some things on that end with his quickness. Defensively he can be overpowering at times and gave Trey Burke all sorts of problems when OSU played U-M in Columbus.Exciting player to watch and I can't wait to see how he and Appling match up Saturday.

      Am I the only one in here that thinks Appling is better than Craft?

      Izzomsu

    • Izzomsu said...

      We can have Keith and Trice out there at the same time. This should help us offensively and allow Trice some open shots. Also this has got to be a fun game for people like Trice and Payne who get a shot at Ohio State for both being Ohio natives. I can see Payne and Trice lighting it up. I think we are a match up nightmare for Ohio State because of Nix, Payne, and Green. Throw in Dawson who is an offensive rebounding machine..we will pound the bucknuts into oblivion. Also I look to see Draymond possibly bringing the ball up a few timescto throw their defense off.

      That's a terrible match up for us with 2 6' Guards against Buford and Craft. Trice can't guard either one of them.

      SD Spartan

    • Applingbyrd said...

      /\ next year Valentine will fix that!

      Valentine (guard wing) - Appling/Trice
      Appling (guard pg) - Harris/Kearney
      Harris (guard wing) - Dawson/Byrd
      Dawson - Costello/Kaminski
      Payne - Nix/Gauna

      Perhaps at times, but that line-up will not start. With Payne, Nix, Costello, Kaminski, Gauna, and Byrd, there is no way that Dawson starts at the 4. None.

      Also, to everyone else, Appling is a much better PG than he's getting credit for. Leave the kid alone. He handles PG duties and guards the other team's best player- and he's doing this for a top 10 team in the country.

      MSU_Lew ●

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