http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20091129/GW0201/911290522/1023/GW ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Outside shooting will come and go for Michigan State. When it comes, most opponents will go home humbled. The Spartans, still stinging from Friday's upset loss to Florida in the Legends Classic semifinals, transferred the hurt to Massachusetts in the dreaded third-place game Saturday at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. MSU won 106-68, getting 14 3-pointers on 22 attempts, 18 points from Chris Allen, 17 from Raymar Morgan and making Tom Izzo the program's all-time wins leader with 341, one ahead of mentor Jud Heathcote. MSU fans held up "341" signs late in the game, and Izzo's players soaked him and presented him with a plaque congratulating him for "leaving a footprint in the sand," a favorite phrase of his. "I do feel like, because Jud has been so instrumental on my behalf and got me the job, that I'll just look at it as we have 681 wins between us," said a moist-eyed Izzo, whose plaque was the idea of equipment manager Dave Pruder. "And we'll count that as a record and we're still 300 behind Bobby Knight." A 30-3 run in the first half highlighted a performance the No. 2 Spartans (5-1) needed before their national championship game rematch. They'll travel Tuesday to North Carolina for the centerpiece of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. "This game can do nothing but help us going to North Carolina," said Kalin Lucas, who had 16 points and six assists. If the idea was to repair some confidence and put up some numbers, Saturday was a thorough success for the Spartans. The Minutemen (2-4) could do nothing to slow MSU's transition game or contest the Spartans' jump shots. Just about everyone in a green uniform had some degree of success. Korie Lucious had 13 points off the bench, and Delvon Roe scored 11. Lucious was 3 of 4 from long range, with Lucas going 4 of 5 and Allen 4 of 7. Morgan, who went scoreless in Friday's semifinals loss to Florida, hit 8 of 10 shots including his only 3-point try. He also had four assists and five rebounds. "I was so happy for Raymar, he's been through so much and he really did play well," Izzo said of Morgan, whose left ankle and right foot continue to heal. "I still say Raymar Morgan has got a chance be a great player. We've just got to keep him healthy." After turning the ball over 23 times against Florida, the Spartans had 27 assists and just 11 giveaways Saturday. MSU shot 58.6 percent from the field and got 52 points from its bench. Draymond Green stuffed the stat sheet with six points, six assists and a team-high seven rebounds. Izzo emptied that bench with more than four minutes remaining and the Spartans sitting on a 99-60 lead. Tom Herzog put MSU over the century mark with a putback layup. So although Saturday's game was as fast-paced as they come, he got some extra rest for his regulars before Tuesday, which will be MSU's third game in five days. The Spartans have been pointing to the North Carolina game since losing 89-72 to the Tar Heels in the national title game on April 6 in Detroit. UNC also beat MSU 98-63 in Detroit last season in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. "They beat the mess out of us twice last year," Allen said. "That's all we're thinking about right now, getting back at them. It's revenge time." The Tar Heels have won four straight in the series overall, including victories in the 2005 Final Four and 2007 NCAA Tournament. MSU's last win came in November of 2000 at Breslin Center. UNC lost Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington from last year's team, so this is not a classic revenge opportunity. It is a national statement opportunity. The No. 11 Tar Heels have already lost to Syracuse, so both teams have things to prove and discover. "It'll be a good early test to see what we've got to work on," Izzo said. "I learned some things (Friday) unfortunately the hard way. I'd like to learn some things in an easier way on Tuesday, but either way I'm gonna learn some things about my team."
