http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3212556By: Andy Katz
Did Michigan State's Drew Neitzel fix his shooting problem by making five 3s at Minnesota on Jan. 20?
Did he even have a problem in the first place?
Icon SMI
Drew Neitzel admits opposing teams have played him differently this season.
Neitzel would debate whether he has been off this season, since his 3-point shooting percentage is actually slightly better now than it was last season (43.6 to 41.2).
But it is hard to deny that Neitzel -- a preseason All-American guard -- is no longer the go-to player for the Spartans, the one guy they need to carry them to a potential Big Ten title and deep into the NCAA Tournament. His scoring average is down almost five points from last season (18.1 to 13.
, and the Spartans are less reliant on his shooting.
But for the Spartans to make a Final Four run, that may be the best thing.
"Last year, if we were in a drought, I took the big shot and came on at the end of the game, and it was my time to take over," Neitzel said. "Coach said I'm getting the same amount of looks. It's not coach's fault. I've just got to be more aggressive. Teams are keying on me, and it's opening up for guys like Kalin. We've got more options."
In a way, this is what was supposed to happen this season, with more production coming from Raymar Morgan and the addition of freshman Kalin Lucas. But that didn't change the fact that Neitzel still felt he had to carry the Spartans.
"I do think the weight of the world was on his shoulders," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "Basketball is so important to that kid. He gets to be a senior, and then he starts to wonder, 'Am I good enough to play somewhere?'"
Neitzel's senior season was delayed when he was hit with a flu bug during the Guardians Classic in Kansas City and couldn't start against UCLA in the final, which ended with a 68-63 loss as the Bruins came back without injured point guard Darren Collison. Neitzel still played 25 minutes and scored 13 points on 4-for-11 shooting (2-for-7 on 3s).
Neitzel has scored in double figures in 17 of the team's 19 games, but what has been missing is those games in which Neitzel takes over and shoots the Spartans to a win.
"I'm not struggling," he said. "I'm not getting as many shots as I did and teams are playing me differently. They double me and so I try to get my teammates involved. Texas played me a box-and-one most of the game. I'm just trying to stay aggressive."
Neitzel started Big Ten play this month with a 2-for-11 shooting effort against Minnesota, a 3-for-8 game against Purdue and a 4-for-14 night against Iowa.
But in the next three games -- wins over Ohio State, Minnesota and Northwestern -- he was a combined 17-for-33 from the field and 14-of-26 on 3s.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Tom Izzo would like Neitzel to be more aggressive and take more shots.
Still, Izzo said Neitzel wasn't waiting for his shot to come back. In the days leading up to the Big Ten opener against Minnesota, Neitzel was in the gym at 10 a.m. and early on game day to work on his shot.
While Neitzel hasn't had as many monster nights this season, he is taking three fewer shots per game compared to last season.
"We're a different team," Izzo said. "We do a better job of getting him the ball now than three weeks ago.
"But he's got to do a better job of not passing up shots. … Last year, he came in to an average team and became somebody. Teams didn't have a game plan until later in the year."
Izzo's last theory on why the perception exists that Neitzel is having a down year is this: He's not taking late shot-clock shots, the last-second scramble plays with which he thrived.
"We were in so many last year where he had to put it up [to beat the clock]," Izzo said. "This year, we've hardly had 10 shot-clock situations in a month. What I told him is he has to come off [a screen] and shoot it the same way as if he was beating the shot clock. Just catch and be ready to shoot."
Izzo's breakdown of Neitzel's approach to shooting and his role on the team is just a way of tweaking what has so far been a stellar season for the Spartans.
Michigan State enters this weekend with a 17-2 record (5-1 Big Ten) and has plenty of balance; Morgan (16.8 ppg), Neitzel (13.
, Lucas (9.5) and Goran Suton (8.
are all having productive seasons.
"We've got all the confidence in the world [in] what we can do," Neitzel said. "The goals we can achieve are still there. We can control our own destiny."
MSU did lose at Iowa, but the Spartans still play Indiana twice and Wisconsin once (both rivals are 6-0 in Big Ten play, tied for first).