Illinois has no answer for MSU’s Lucas

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Kalin Lucas claims he’s still rehabilitating the Achilles’ tendon he ruptured last March.

While that might be true, there’s no doubt Lucas did two hours’ worth of rehab on his national reputation Saturday night.

At Illinois’ expense.

“We got a point guard playing as well as anybody in the country now,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. “Kalin Lucas has been as good as anybody I’ve seen on TV.”

The senior point guard scored 11 points in a row for the Spartans in the second half — and 15 of his team’s last 21 overall — to steer Michigan State to a 61-57 Big Ten victory before a sellout crowd at Breslin Center and a prime-time ESPN audience.

“He willed them to a win, basically,” said Illinois senior forward Mike Davis. “We couldn’t stop Kalin. He was the difference-maker in the game.”

Lucas delivered a game-high 25 points, and Michigan State (15-11, 7-7) needed all of them with center Delvon Roe hobbling on a bruised knee and forward Draymond Green out of the starting lineup with a nasty virus.

Roe and Green teamed for 13 points and 13 rebounds in 49 minutes to offset the 23 points and 8 rebounds compiled by Illinois’ Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale in 63 minutes.

“I’ve never been prouder of two guys as I am of those two guys,” Izzo said. “And Kalin Lucas, because I told him he’s got to be an iron man. I can’t take him out and he, too, was walking on his knees by the end.”

Everyone on both sides was dragging after the traditional rigorous clash between the Spartans and the Illini (17-10, 7-7).

Izzo referred to it as an old-fashioned Keady-Heathcote brawl — and the teams fought to a draw for the first 37-plus minutes.

But after Davis’ post jumper pulled the Illini into the game’s 10th tie with 2:49 to go, Michigan State scored the game’s next 9 points as Illinois dropped to 3-8 in games decided in the final minute.

First, Brandon Paul’s driving runner got rejected by Roe and led to a 35-second shot-clock violation.

Then D.J. Richardson, who had 1 shot attempt to that point, missed 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

If Paul hadn’t hit 2 unchallenged 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds, the Illini would have managed just 4 points in the final 6:30 for the second game in a row.

“I didn’t think down, at the gut-check part of the game, we played very smart,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.

That went for both ends of the court.

With Illinois clinging to its last lead, a 45-44 edge with less than nine minutes to go, Demetri McCamey gambled and failed to steal a pass directed at walk-on Mike Kebler.

Richardson raced over to stop Kebler at the top of the key, which left Lucas open for a 3-pointer.

“He came out and played like the Big Ten player of the year,” Tisdale said. “You’ve got to give him credit.”