Michigan State need only look around the country to see the season isn't over ... yet

By now, you've surely heard -- Korie Lucious has been suspended for the remainder of the season by Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State announced the suspension late Tuesday night in a statement.

"Unfortunately, Korie Lucious displayed conduct detrimental to the program," Izzo said in the statement. "My focus is on this team for the remainder of the season."

"I didn't live up to the standards of the program," Lucious said. "Unfortunately, I let my teammates, my coaches, and myself down, and wish them the best for the rest of the season." Lucious also tweeted "Man did I really mess up this time...off 2 the gym I go!"

First, the specifics. The way that the suspension was worded -- the "remainder of the season" -- implies that Lucious could potentially return to the team next season if he can repay his debt to Izzo and the team. We all know how that worked out with Chris Allen this summer, who is now at Iowa State.

I'm not going to speculate on what it is that Lucious did, but if you remember, he was suspended for a game and an exhibition at the beginning of the season as a punishment for getting a DUI over the summer.

What does this mean for the Spartans? In terms of personnel, it means that Kalin Lucas will not be back to handling the point guard duties full-time with freshman Keith Appling providing him help in the back court. Lucious was struggling this season, but anyone that watched last year's tournament knows the kind of playmaking and clutch shooting this kid is capable of.

Michigan State has had their issues this season, both with their behavior off the court and their play on it. They are just 12-7 on the season and 4-3 in Big Ten play, losing just about every important game on their schedule.

But don't throw the season away yet, Spartan fans.

Memphis had Wesley Witherspoon get suspended for behavioral issues, and the Tigers have responded with three straight wins, including at Southern Miss and at UAB. Washington lost point guard Abdul Gaddy for the season, but with the ball in his hands and the team relying on his playmaking ability, Isaiah Thomas saw his season turnaround. He's now playing as well as any point guard in the country.

Can the same happen to the Spartans? I guess I should say again; if you remember, they rallied when Kalin Lucas went out with his achilles injury and made a run to the Final Four last season.

I've been expecting a turnaround from this team for a while. In hindsight, heaping this much expectation on Michigan State may have been unfair. They were a borderline top 20 team most of last season and made a fluke run to the Final Four without beating anyone higher than a four seed. This season, we expected Lucas to immediately be 100% despite the severity of his injury and counted on the consistently inconsistent Durrell Summers to put it all together.

That said, there is talent on this team. They have a legendary head coach.

Maybe this shake up was just the wake up call his team needed.

Then again, maybe the Spartans are already too far gone.

Me?

I'm still not ready to bet against the Spartans, but I would recommend you start hedging anything you bet on the Spartans.