It's time to stop propagating the myth that Drew Neitzel is in a shooting slump.

The senior guard caught fire Sunday, scoring 17 of his team-high 19 points in the second half to lead Michigan State to a 78-73 victory at Minnesota. For the season, he's shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point land, numbers in line with last year's breakout campaign (42.6 percent overall, 41.2 percent from 3-point land). So why does everyone think Neitzel's in a slump?

Fact is, Neitzel's the same player he was last year, he's just in a different role for the good of the team. Despite some November struggles, he's still MSU's best shooter and can't be left open coming off double screens or filling the wing in transition. Raymar Morgan has emerged as MSU's first offensive option because of the mismatches he creates and his ability to get to the free-throw line — neither of which is a Neitzel strong suit — and the Spartans are more complete when Kalin Lucas handles the ball.

That doesn't diminish Neitzel's role. His scoring average (from 18.1 to 13.5) and shot attempts (from 13.3 to 10.6) are down significantly, but he's one of the nation's best assist-to-turnover guys and he's crucial to MSU's Big Ten and NCAA title hopes going forward. He may not have but a handful more 19-point games in him this year, but teams must — AND DO — respect his role, and that's reason to believe MSU will play deep into March.