Michigan State basketball: 3 quick thoughts from heartbreaking loss to Purdue

Michigan State basketball looked like it had what it took to beat Purdue, yet the Boilermakers squeaked out a win.

It was a heavyweight battle at the Breslin Center on Monday afternoon as Purdue and Michigan State basketball went down to the wire (which always seems to be the case when the two meet in East Lansing).

In the end, it was Purdue who got the last laugh, unlike last year when Tyson Walker hit the game-winner for the Spartans.

This one hurt.

The Spartans were down 13 early in the game before storming back to pull within two at halftime and then the two teams went back and forth all second half as each had an answer for everything.

Walker had a career game and did everything he could, but his last-second game-winning attempt fell short. No moral victories here as the Spartans were good enough to beat the No. 3 team in the nation even without Malik Hall but let the opportunity slip away.

Let’s dive into some quick thoughts.

1. This team isn’t far away from being really good

Michigan State had Illinois on the ropes on Friday and Purdue in the same position on Monday afternoon and came up 0-2 in that stretch. They’re a few big plays away from being 2-0 in that stretch and in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

But with a record of 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, it’s easy to look at them and say that they’re average. That’s just not the case.

While the record isn’t great, Michigan State probably should have beaten Illinois but completely melted down in the final 10 minutes and then let a win slip away against Purdue. The Spartans also only lost by nine to a really good Alabama team without Hall and Gonzaga by just one.

MSU should probably be at least 14-4 right now, but some big mistakes down the stretch (two missed free throws by AJ Hoggard and letting Zach Edey catch the ball deep in the post on Purdue’s final possession) have led to back-to-back losses against two of the best teams in the Big Ten.

2. Carson Cooper is growing up big-time

At the beginning of the season, every time Carson Cooper got into the game, he looked like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time. He just didn’t look comfortable on either end of the floor.

Boy, has that changed over the past couple of months.

Cooper gave some really good minutes against Illinois on Friday and followed that up with an impressive game against Purdue and Edey. He didn’t stuff the stat sheet, by any means, but he did enough to slow Edey down and make him work when Mady Sissoko was on the bench.

If Cooper can mold into a good post player this year or next, Michigan State is going to be scary.

3. Tyson Walker has serious takeover potential

We’ve seen it happen before, but Walker’s big day felt different against Purdue on Monday. He finished with 30 points to lead MSU and was 12-for-23 from the floor and 4-for-8 from deep. Walker also had two long twos with his toe on the line that would have potentially changed the outcome of this game.

Early on, he was struggling to hit his shots, and then he caught fire. And stayed on fire.

When Michigan State needed a bucket down the stretch, he was the guy. He was hitting step-back threes in Edey’s face, crossing defenders over, and blowing by defenders for buckets in the paint. Walker was that dude on Monday.

Tom Izzo would love to see more of this from Walker if the Spartans are going to bounce back and beat No. 23 Rutgers this week in East Lansing and push for a Big Ten title.