Michigan State basketball: 3rd loss in 4 games continues to expose Spartans’ shortcomings

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EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo spent the past two weeks attempting to sidestep talking about a record.

His priority concern was knowing the Big Ten race was about to tighten up. Not when or where he might pass Bob Knight for the most conference wins in league history.

“I think the road is gonna get tougher,” Izzo said Jan. 28 after beating Minnesota, a ninth win to open Big Ten play to extend the Spartans’ win streak to 13.

Fifteen days and three losses later, Izzo’s unease about Michigan State basketball then looks more and more prophetic.

With Mark Dantonio, Jonathan Smith and Steve Mariucci among the sellout Breslin Center crowd prepared to celebrate a milestone Tuesday night. Instead, No. 11 MSU battled foul trouble in the post, failed to hit shots from 3-point range and struggled to defend the interior as previously listless Indiana stunned the Spartans and spoiled the night.

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., right, goes after the ball after Indiana’s Malik Reneau, center, and MSU’s Frankie Fidler collide during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Leaving Izzo to retreat to his office to process a 71-67 defeat that left many wondering how things unraveled so quickly. And it showed the worries he expressed about his young team during its promising two-month stretch are turning into flaws opponents are exposing and exploiting as it March nears.

“We had an opportunity for a special night,” Izzo said Tuesday. “I don’t think the players played very well, and I don’t think the coaches coached very well. So that’s a bad combination against a team that was desperate. …

“I tried to explain when we were 9-0 what was going on. And I haven’t changed one bit. I told you four or five losses would win the league, and I haven’t changed on that any at all. We put ourselves in a hole now.”

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A third loss (by a combined 12 points)…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-basketball-3rd-loss-150519604.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-12 15:05:00

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