Michigan State Basketball Beats OSU, but Demanding More of Themselves

On Sunday, Michigan State basketball was able to survive a late fight by an upset-minded Ohio State team, winning 66-60. The Spartans had to dig out of a hole, at one point being down eight to the Buckeyes while letting Bruce Thornton torch them to the tune of a 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting.

The Spartans dug out from behind by eight, but let a 10-point lead with 2:30 remaining dwindle to four points in the last 15 seconds. While OSU was not able to close any further, as Carson Cooper buried two free throws in the final three seconds to set the final margin, it was a scare for the green and white.

Regardless, the Spartans emerged victorious, and continued on their path, right? While true, that does not tell the whole story from East Lansing.

Michigan State basketball will not be complacent

The Spartans survived, but have not appeared to be the dominant and formidable opponent they have been previously. After decimating Maryland, the Spartans have dealt with slumps, injuries, foul trouble, and poor shots in the last month. While things appeared to be turning around against UCLA, Sunday proved that game was a mirage against a west coast team on jet lagged legs.

However, the players are well-aware of this problem. Simply surviving as the calendar approaches March is not cutting it for a program that prides itself on “the standard.”

Tom Izzo came into his press conference with some tongue-in-cheek remarks on how everything is perfect and he could not complain about a win, before expressing his disappointment with how the game transpired. Izzo was left grasping for where everything fell apart, as he felt like the three-practice stretch leading into the game was some of the best in his entire coaching tenure in East Lansing.

The Culture of Accountability Remains Despite the Win

The head coach put a lot on himself, saying that he did not prepare the team enough, much in the same way he did after the Spartans got outscored by Toledo in the second half of non-conference play. Izzo, however, did stand on the culture of accountability, by tasking the players to perform his first “scripted” play of the game better, where the Spartans started with an unforced turnover to begin an ominous day.

The culture of accountability stems from the top, as Izzo took himself to task multiple times, from misjudging the practice effort to listening to the analytical advice of playing Jaxon Kohler in the first half with two fouls as opposed to his own advice of sitting a player. As a result, Kohler picked up his third foul late in the first half, and spent most of the first eight minutes of the second half on the bench with Kur Teng and Cam Ward stepping up.

The culture of the program was apparent in the locker room. As opposed to some of the joyous highs that this year brought, the locker room was sullen afterwards. This season, there have been moments where a player poses as media, such as Cam Ward asking Carson Cooper questions about his first three while holding his phone out. There have been players talking about their moments with grins. Sunday, however, there was disbelief in the locker room, with the question being “where did it go wrong?” despite emerging victorious.

The locker room has not dealt with many losses in the last few years, but as a media member, it was reminiscent of the locker room after a loss to Iowa in 2024, where then-senior AJ Hoggard vowed for a “bring your hard hat to practice” day.

Much like Hoggard on that day in 2024, the seniors and leaders of this year’s team were preaching accountability. Carson Cooper, despite a career-high 20 points on a day where he got a double-double, was more focused on Sunday night’s upcoming team meeting that Tom Izzo revealed post-game.

Leadership Refusing to Rest on Wins

The center talked about the energy not being there from the team, himself included. The Spartans faced an Ohio State team down arguably their second-best player with illness, and nearly got beaten. If the Spartans did this on the road, Cooper said, Michigan State would be coming home with a loss. This was a situation where the core four of the Spartans (Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Coen Carr) all came out flat and it is something all four are holding themselves accountable for.

Jaxon Kohler finished with nine points and 10 rebounds despite only being on court for 16:30, and was not there to discuss fouls after some questionable calls ended his night early. Instead, he was talking about the team needing to look in the mirror and ask how they have to improve. All the players were in agreement about practice going well, but the lack of confidence or execution is something that Kohler wants to see improved, from himself to every member of the team.

Jeremy Fears Jr. was more subdued than usual, holding himself accountable during a four turnover night despite helping the Spartans down the stretch with a three-point shot and multiple big trips to the free throw line.

Fears was complimentary of the second half stops, but is still searching for the “why.” “Why does it keep happening? We cannot do this in March, during one-and-done time,” was what Fears said as both a rhetorical question and a warning.

The Spartans have the gauntlet laid out in front of them. They can easily improve their seeding with a strong end to the season, but they do not get any free passes.

What is next for Michigan State basketball?

Michigan State heads down to Purdue on Thursday, February 26, in their own personal “house of horrors,” based on years past. They head back down to the state of Indiana to face the Hoosiers next Sunday, March 1. Then, they return home for Senior Day on Thursday, March 5, against Rutgers. Michigan concludes both their own and MSU’s seasons in Ann Arbor with a battle on March 8.