Michigan State basketball: Everyone else can see what Tom Izzo can’t

After another excruciating Michigan State basketball loss, it’s clear that the team has a budding star but Tom Izzo doesn’t see it.

This was not what I expected to be writing when I woke up on Sunday morning. At no point during the day did I allow myself to even consider Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball were losing to Ohio State. Even in a tight game with four minutes left, I wasn’t worried. Even when Tyson Walker had two free throw attempts with six seconds to go, I was confident.

But as Dale Bonner’s last second heave found the bottom of the net to secure a Buckeye victory, I found myself emotionless with what I’d just witnessed. I kept thinking back to the fake Mark Twain quote from the movie “The Big Short”.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

For as frustrating as this season has been, we all still had hope. It’s not our fault. For years, Tom Izzo has found the formula with his team to win games late in the season. The greatest coach in Michigan State athletics history was still on the sidelines. He’s resurrected teams far worse than this one. You can never count out Michigan State basketball with Izzo. That was what we knew for sure.

But as we saw last week, that just ain’t so.

Michigan State fans have been patient. After struggles in 2021, we blamed the pandemic for a strange year that affected everyone differently. In 2022, we realized the roster may not have been as talented as we thought. We slept easily at night knowing that Izzo probably maximized what that group was capable of. Last season was saved by a Sweet 16 run that covered up another unremarkable regular season.

Still, this was the year it was all supposed to come together. One of the most experienced teams in college basketball was complemented by one of the best recruiting classes the school had ever seen. Three years of patience was going to be repaid in full.

This roster, of course, was still dependent on the head coach pulling the right strings. College basketball is littered with talented rosters that fell short because of coaching. But, again, we put trust in Tom Izzo to figure it out.

On Sunday, it appeared as if that unwavering trust was starting to pay off. MSU needed something out of its center position. While flawed, freshman Xavier Booker offered untapped potential that could raise MSU’s ceiling. He got his first start and did more good than bad. His impact had the feeling of a professional team filling a need at the trade deadline. Booker’s play looked like it could be the start of something special.

As it turns out, Izzo was just teasing us. He showed us what he really felt with his actions. Because when the rubber met the road in a tight game, Booker was nowhere to be found. As a result, Michigan State’s offense became stagnant, Ohio State found rhythm in the paint, and the Spartans turtled at home.

No, Booker’s absence wasn’t the only reason Michigan State lost. Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins went cold. Michigan State got beat up on the boards. But it’s been clear to everyone but Izzo for some time now that MSU needs to turn to Booker. He’s young, inexperienced, and still learning. But time and time again, he does things that nobody else at his position can do.

Even Ohio State coach Jake Diebler saw it. After the game, he cited Ohio State’s ability to get the ball “deeper in the paint” over the last 10 minutes as a key to their comeback.

Diebler was able to see in 30 minutes of game action what fans and media members have seen for weeks. Unfortunately for MSU, the guy in charge is still not seeing it. Booker did not check back into the game after exiting with more than 15 minutes to play. Michigan State scored seven points over the final 11 minutes.

Now, the Spartans find themselves squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament. There is no margin for error, and they are running out of games to pad their resume. Their own fault, certainly. And the fashion in which this latest loss occurred feels like a fitting chapter in what has been a disappointing season.

It feels as unlikely as ever that this group can right the ship and make memories in the month of March. Part of that is the roster. But as we saw on Sunday, the bigger problem might be the head coach. No, that doesn’t mean Izzo is “washed” and he doesn’t need to draft his retirement papers tomorrow morning. But as far as this team is concerned, he’s not seeing it. It’s a problem that’s crept up before. I distinctly remember a round of 32 game against Syracuse in 2018 where Jaren Jackson Jr. played 15 minutes to Ben Carter’s 23.

For as bitter of a pill as the loss on Sunday was, there was still “progress” with Booker. He scored seven points in 17 very solid minutes. But it appears as if the next hurdle for him to clear is Izzo’s trust hurdle. Only Tom knows when that will happen. But if it hasn’t happened yet, will it ever?