Spartans clawed back from a huge deficit, but late turnovers and missed shots sealed their heartbreaking rivalry loss to Michigan.
Birthday celebrations were spoiled, couches will remain unburnt, and East Lansing went home cold and sad Friday night.
The No. 7 Michigan State Spartans fell to the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines in an epic rivalry battle that got close late but was never truly in reach. Michigan improved to 20–1 (10–1), while the Spartans dropped to 19–3 (9–2).
Michigan State put its foot in its mouth early, digging a first-half hole so deep even Coen Carr couldn’t jump his way out of it. Eleven first-half turnovers paired with poor shooting left the Spartans staring at a 16-point halftime deficit.
The second half told a much different story. Michigan State surged behind Michigan’s turnover woes, erasing the deficit and briefly taking the lead. Breslin Center felt ready to explode — until that excitement gave way to the familiar pain and heartbreak.
Michigan looked like the more poised team, ready for anything. Michigan State looked lost at times, and without the heroic effort from Jeremy Fears, the Spartans may have been run out of their own building.
Shooting just 18% from three and committing 14 turnovers proved to be the Achilles’ heel for MSU — and the bane of my existence. The Spartans hit only four of 23 attempts from deep. Jaxon Kohler finished 2-for-7 from three, while Fears and Jordan Scott each went 1-for-5. Carr went 0-for-3. Carr and Kohler both missed massive late threes that would have sent the roof of the Breslin Center straight into orbit.
The crowd spent the entire night trying to bring the building down, but Dusty May’s team refused to let it happen. Michigan’s tough zone defense made it difficult for MSU to find any rhythm.
Now, it wouldn’t be a fair article if we didn’t mention the zebras. Michigan received some friendly help in the first half — enough that Tom Izzo called it out heading into halftime. There were some ticky-tack calls on MSU and a noticeable lack of whistles on the other end. Still, this is not a game you can pin on the refs. They may have helped dig the early hole, but once the game reset, the officials largely stayed hands-off — and that’s when MSU ran out of gas.
Tuesday’s overtime road game didn’t help either, forcing extra basketball before traveling home. That fatigue may have lingered, but excuses aren’t something we deal in around here.
Michigan State simply didn’t execute down the stretch, and Michigan — as they have all season — did.
Fears did everything he could, ripping off his uniform and putting on the Superman suit. He finished with 31 points and seven assists. Kohler added 12 points and five rebounds, while Carr chipped in 10. Off the bench, Jordan Scott led the way with 10 points, and Cam Ward pulled down six rebounds.
The rebounding battle was tight, with Michigan edging MSU 38–36. Turnovers were nearly even as well (MSU 14, Michigan 13). The stat that told the real story was shooting: Michigan State finished 22-of-60 from the field (37%), while Michigan shot 26-of-59 (44%).
Coming into the game, shooting needed to be on fire for MSU — and it simply wasn’t. Kohler started the season on a sick run but has been lackluster as of late. Fears continues to will this team forward night after night, but that load is getting exhausting, and it’s showing. If the Spartans want to avoid another early tournament exit, perimeter players must step up. There’s still time to find that rhythm, but it’s not what it was early in the season. February is here, and we all know what month follows.
Tom Izzo has to get this team to understand just how damaging those early turnovers are. Michigan State keeps throwing games away — literally — in the first half, only to rely on chaotic second-half comebacks to stay alive. That’s not a sustainable way to survive a season.
Ultimately, the No. 7 Spartans weren’t strong enough — or sharp enough — to take down the No. 3 Wolverines. After barely escaping Rutgers on Tuesday, MSU fell to a very good Michigan team on Friday. Expect a drop in the rankings. Michigan, meanwhile, took down the No. 5 and No. 7 teams this week and should move up to No. 1 or No. 2.
Michigan State heads back on the road Wednesday to face Minnesota.