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Mar 6, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks with guard Jase Richardson (11) during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
1. Testy second half riles up MSU in time to win outright Big Ten title
IOWA CITY, Iowa — If the Spartans had played the start of this game with the fire they showed when things got testy in the second half, they probably would have beaten Iowa comfortably Thursday night.
But what fun would that be?
A Michigan State team that has become known for its second halves and how it closes games took it to the extreme Thursday night — riding a 33-6 second-half run to a 91-84 win to clinch the outright Big Ten championship it had been marching toward for nearly three weeks.
When Iowa went up 58-48 and Tre Holloman was called for a phantom foul on a block at the basket, an MSU team already beginning to come to life found its edge, just as it appeared the Spartans were losing their poise.
Something needed to rile up this group after an uninspiring first half.
The beauty of a Big Ten title is that it’s a championship earned through a three-month, 20-game grind. Not all halves have to be inspiring — though parts of that second half from MSU certainly were.
And so MSU is the outright Big Ten champion, winning its first title in five seasons, 11 months after its coach said he’d either do this or die trying.
He’s alive. So is MSU’s team and program. What a season.
2. Another ode to Jase Richardson
Part of being a legitimate star in college basketball is being the one guy who’s still able to get buckets when nothing else is going right — to the point your team is able to hang around.
The knee Jase Richardson took to the groin a couple minutes before halftime pretty much summed up the Spartans’ entire first half. If not for his scoring and smooth and persistent offensive game, MSU might have been out of this thing by the break, or at least in real trouble…
[ad_2]Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/couch-3-quick-takes-michigan-032748732.html
Author : Lansing State Journal
Publish date : 2025-03-07 03:27:00
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