While not pretty, Michigan State basketball was able to rally against one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten.
We’ve seen Michigan State basketball get off to hot starts this season before, specifically against Indiana. In that game in particular, the Spartans suddenly went ice cold, the Hoosiers became red hot, and Michigan State was run out of the building.
After scoring the game’s first 15 points on Tuesday night, MSU seemed to be falling into the same trap. Fueled by Maryland guard Jahmir Young, the Terrapins went on a 13-4 run to bring the game to within six with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
Maryland used a balanced attack throughout the second half to eventually take their first lead with 12 minutes left in the game. The Spartans countered with Joey Hauser and Tyson Walker shooting a combined 6-for-11 from deep and some supporting offense from Malik Hall, Jaden Akins, and A.J. Hoggard. Even with four Terps scoring in double figures, Michigan State leaned on the likes of Walker and Hauser once again to finish the game with a victory.
While it wasn’t pretty in what some would considered a must win, Michigan State was able to rally against one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten.
Here are the great, good, bad and ugly from Tuesday night’s victory.
Great: Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, Michigan State was carried offensively by Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser.
During the Spartans’ red hot start, the two were on fire, scoring the team’s first 10 points. As buckets became hard to come by and the entire team went cold, it seemed the only two that could stop the bleeding were Walker and Hauser. Joey would go on to lead both teams in scoring with 20, while Tyson was tied with Maryland’s Jahmir Young for second with 17.
We have seen both Tyson and Joey unguardable throughout this season. We have also seen the pair disappear and only attempt 2-3 shots. It is apparent which situation is the Spartans formula for success. If Michigan State is to put together this late season push for a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, Walker and Hauser must attempt 7-10 shots per game. They are the firepower in this offense.
Good: 3-point defense
Maryland came into the Breslin as one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, winners of four in a row, including against second place Indiana. While the Terrapins don’t light the world on fire from deep, they do have three players shooting over 30 percent from deep, and three others shooting just under.
On Tuesday night, the Spartans limited Maryland to just 13 percent from three. In a game in which Maryland already was putting together large scoring runs, adding some successful three point attempts could have buried the Spartans.
An ongoing storyline this season, Michigan State continued their strong defense around the perimeter and the final score is a direct link.
Over the last six games, Michigan State is 3-1 when holding their opponents to less than 20 percent from deep. While holding your opponent to poor 3-point shooting will equal success is not ground breaking, MSU has the ability to defend at this high rate. They must make it a constant moving forward.
Bad: Bench production
Other than Hall, Michigan State’s bench offense has left a lot to be desired. Hall, a likely starter if not for his continued injuries, accounted for all seven bench points against Maryland. Tre Holloman continued to showcase his lack of offensive confidence, Jaxon Kohler provided a few good post moves but came up short each time, and Pierre Brooks had both of his 3-point shots way off target, again.
Due to the streakiness of the Spartan starters, Michigan State must get more production from their bench players.
For reference, Indiana currently leads the league in bench scoring with 22.17 points per game. MSU sits at No. 327 nationally with just 13 points per game from their bench. Depth will be a necessity in the tournament and while Michigan State has the talent on the bench, they have not preformed thus far.
Ugly: Scoring droughts
Time and time again this season, Michigan State will go multiple minutes with not even a single basket. No matter how hot this team starts, going three-plus minutes without scoring will not get it done.
On Tuesday night, Michigan State had a 15-point cushion and not even that was safe when MSU went cold. Michigan State went six and a half minutes during the first half without scoring a field goal. Continuing their stretches of being held scoreless, the Spartans then had a three-minute drought in the second half, resulting in a 14-0 run by the Terrapins.
During these stretches, the Spartan possessions vary from turnovers, lack of movement, and even some open shots that come up short. Michigan State basketball must find a way to put a stop to these droughts before they get out of control or else it will be the end of them come March. It can start with better timeout usage by Izzo, but also falls on the veterans to take over and take what the defense is giving them at the time.
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