Couch: 3 quick takes (from afar) on Michigan State basketball’s 63-61 loss at UCLA

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Feb 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Xavier Booker (34) and guard Tre Holloman (5) blocks a shot by UCLA Bruins guard Sebastian Mack (12) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

1. UCLA is good, but MSU also didn’t look like a Big Ten champion

Michigan State spent December and January racing out to a lead in the Big Ten standings. It was a charmed two months, aided by the schedule, but also earned with their consistency, versatility and grit, home and away.

The Spartans looked like they had a little something to them on their way to 9-0 in conference play. At 9-2, we’re going to find out if that’s true.

Two games into February, the Big Ten lead is gone after a 63-61 loss at UCLA Tuesday night, and the Spartans are facing their first credible doubts of the season. Are they good enough to win the Big Ten? They didn’t play like it over two games in Los Angeles.

Yes, the story would be different if Jaden Akins’ last-second 3-pointer hadn’t hit the rim. Same perhaps if Jaxon Kohler’s hook shot a possession earlier hadn’t also been short. Or if a few of MSU’s sometimes ridiculous turnovers had instead found their target. Or if a number of open, in-rhythm 3s had fallen.

MSU showed plenty mettle in the final 10 minutes of Tuesday night’s game — once Frankie Fidler checked in and Jaden Akins got going. Before that, at no point after UCLA took control of the game late in the first half did it seem like MSU was going to win this thing.

This one will sting the Spartans for several reasons — the turnovers, the looseness with the ball, a few missed opened shots at key times, a couple bad sequences, the shot-clock violations in big moments, the mid-game struggles with ball-screen defense and in-bounds plays, the coaching staff not finding the right answers for matchups in the ways they have all season.

This will also be painful because of what it followed — MSU lost a game…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/couch-3-quick-takes-afar-064926532.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-05 06:49:00

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