Hoop Feed: Players dealing with mixed messages

EAST LANSING - Let’s face it, the foul calls and the issues with the foul calls from game to game in college basketball are going to continue to be an issue throughout the remainder of the season.

While Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has his frustrations about the way games are being called in terms of consistency, he was quick to point out on Thursday as the No. 8 Spartans prepared for Saturday’s 1 p.m. showdown with No. 22 Indiana that the onus is on the players in terms of adjusting to how games are being called.

A few weeks ago, MSU employed a drill during practice in which the players held towels over their heads on defense to try to reduce hand-to-body contact. MSU players succeeded in cutting down on hand-check fouls, but inconsistent interpretation of illegal screen violations remains an obstacle for players. Senior Denzel Valentine was whistled for a moving screen during overtime of MSU’s 1-point loss at Purdue, and later was pushed into a Purdue player by an illegal screen on a call that instead went against him and the Spartans - resiling in foul shots and the winning point.

Despite the one-point overtime loss at Purdue, Izzo was able to put the game in perspective despite the mixed messages his team and others are getting from officiating.

“What I come away with, now that I looked at the film and I realized some things, we’ve got to get more physical,’’ Izzo said. “My poor players are hearing, ‘Get physical, put towels behind your back, get physical, put handcuffs behind your back, don’t touch anybody, get more physical,’. . . That’s tough, tough. We’re sending them different messages but I think what I told them is that we’ve got to learn to adjust to the game the way the game is being called at that moment. We’ve got to do a better job.

“We got pushed around in there a little bit (at Purdue) but in the second half, we shot better, we executed better and we did a better job and we didn’t quit, and I think that’s a big deal right now because you’re going to have a bad game here and there. We still almost found a way to win and that was the encouraging part.’’

Valentine said he and his teammates have collectively decided that how the games are being called is not going to become a mental issue that weighs on the minds of the team.

“There’s nothing we can do. It is what it is,’’ Valentine said. “At the end of the day, it’s a game and I play and refs ref and that’s what it is.’’

The Spartans’ chances of earning a victory increase substantially when senior shooting guard Bryn Forbes is shooting a better percentage from beyond the arc. However, his 3-of-11 shooting performance at Purdue was a key shortcoming in defeat. He also shot well below his season average in losses to Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

“It’s important but he’s not going to carry us every game,’’ Izzo said. “He probably shot the worst he’s shot in a while (at Purdue) and we still had a chance to win the game and still should’ve in my mind and could’ve won the game.

“Bryn works on his shooting every day. I have no problems with that. I just felt bad because I thought he had some great looks. It’s just one of those deals. We just have to make sure our defense is a little better and we’ve got to make sure some of our bigs make layups inside. There was some tough calls down the stretch but I learned a lot.’’

The Big Ten is stocked full of quality guards, especially at the point and Saturday will pit a matchup of two of the best when the Hoosiers come to town with senior point guard Yogi Ferrell.

Ferrell will enter Saturday’s game against the Spartans averaging an impressive 17.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game before the Hoosiers beat Iowa on Thursday night.

“I like Melo Trimble (of Maryland) but to me, Yogi might be the best,’’ Izzo said. “He can shoot, he can pass, he’s got strength, he’s got quickness and I think the one thing he’s got over some of these other guys is, he defends. Sometimes they put him on the best player from the other team. So I’ve been impressed with Yogi.

“I think he’s having his best year and we’re going to have to guard him with an army and there’s going to have to be some help from our bigs. The problem is, the way they spread you out that’s a little more difficult. I’m sure Eron (Harris) will the first (chance to guard Yogi) but I wouldn’t be surprised if you see Denzel on him some. Zel can cover a lot of people and is kind of itching to cover as many as he can cover.

“So, we’ll have a variety of people, whether we play Tum (Lourawls Nairn Jr) or not. I guess I’ll see as the week goes on.’’

Alvin Ellis has not always been on Izzo’s good side but that seems to be changing.

Recently, with Nairn out with a foot injury, the 6-foot-4 junior guard has come of the bench to provide quality minutes for the Spartans.

In his last outing at Purdue, Ellis was just about as efficient as a player could be in a substitution role, coming off the bench to provide six points, an assists and block in just six minutes. His contributions keyed a run which enabled MSU to come back from an 18-point deficit to lead by four with less than five minutes to play.

It was the kind of production Izzo didn’t sound surprised about when asked abut Ellis’ recent contributions.

“We are getting some quality minutes out of Alvin. He’s playing better,’’ Izzo said. “When he just plays within himself, he’s playing better and then if he can guard somebody, he’s going to help us more because he is shooting the ball pretty well, he’s making good decisions. He made a couple of nice passes in the last game.

“Give Alvin credit. It’s no secret he’s been in a little bit of the doghouse and yet he hasn’t complained and worked his way out of it and all of the sudden maybe he’s coming around at the right time.’’

Ellis talked about his renewed comfort and commitment

“I’m just here to play basketball and win a National Championship,’’ he said. “Last year, I thought I was little overweight, so it was just about getting my body right and getting more focused on a mission.’’

The Spartans took some time out Wednesday to venture to the city of Flint and offer a little help and moral support to a city that’s been battling through a a crisis of trying to get clean water.

Izzo thought it was a tough but necessary lesson for his team.

“It’s sad to go up there and to see water bottles everywhere and see things we take for granted every day,” Izzo said. “But we got to spend some time with the kids, help them build bags and things for recyclables and you realize the other problems that they have. Now they’ve got more water but they’ve got more plastic bottles. So it was educational, interesting and fun to watch my guys because I think a lot of them spent a lot of time in a Boys and Girls Club and we had a great appreciation. So in that respect, it was good.

“It was just sad because I think we need a game plan (for the city of Flint). I don’t know what that is, but there has to be a game plan because it seems like so many people are just wanting to do something for them and nobody knows yet where to start. So, I guess that’s for the politicians and not the coach.’’