Michigan State basketball is connected better than it has been in years; proof is on court

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Ben Johnson could feel it. Feel the difference. The connectedness. The intensity. The buy-in.

No, not that Ben Johnson. This was the other Ben Johnson, the coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and he was talking about what it was like to stand on the court against Michigan State basketball and watch the Spartans up close.

What it was like to coach his team against wave after wave of players, against a squad that goes 10 deep, all of whom understand their role, none of whom worry about points or highlights or minutes.

Johnson had just lost to the Spartans at the Breslin Center, 73-51, and now he was marveling at Tom Izzo’s team, and its unselfishness, and its togetherness, and how apparent it was from the opposing bench.

So many players get caught up in the numbers, he was saying. They ask themselves: What’s in it for me? And they lose sight of the bigger picture.

“Of what you’re trying to get done,” Johnson said.

But not these Spartans. Not this season. Not so far at least.

Thirteen in a row?

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo shakes hands guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) as he walks off the bench during the second half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025.

That winning streak could easily grow — MSU visits USC on Saturday and UCLA on Tuesday; not easy games, but winnable games. After that, three of the Spartans’ next four games will be against ranked teams: No. 18 Oregon (at home), No. 20 Illinois (on the road) and No. 10 Purdue (at home) with struggling Indiana tossed in there.

It’s an NCAA tournament kind of stretch and they’ll need all of their depth — and their talent for finding a different hero every game, too. Chemistry should help.

At the same time, it’s reasonable to wonder how the all-in agenda holds up as the competition stiffens, and a loss or two comes, and Izzo and his staff must search for the right combination at the end of the game and the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-basketball-connected-better-130219922.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2025-01-31 13:02:00

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