This game was a tale of two teams. Going into the half down 36-50, Michigan State basketball fans were rightfully shocked. One would only need to look to the rational people of X to see that. The team was being out-shot, the defense was sloppy, and it seemed like the Spartans couldn’t catch a break. T
hen the second half happened. Dr. Jekyll gave way to Mr. Hyde who came out swinging.
The Spartans proceeded to outscore the Ducks 50-24 in the second half to win 86-74. Let’s take a look at some of the key moments from this “special memory” to quote Tom Izzo.
1. Nate Bittle hits a 3-point shot at 19:16 in the first half (6-0 Oregon)
The first-half struggles came quickly for the Spartans. On their first two shots, the Ducks were able to hit two 3-pointers to take an early 6-0 start. Nate Bittle gave the Ducks a great starting position to take taper the Breslin crowd early. Were the Spartans out of it, no, but it can be demoralizing early on in a game when a team comes out punching that hard. Ducks coach Dana Altman in his presser commented on how “early on it seemed like we couldn’t miss.” That was the story early on for the Ducks and it allowed them to take momentum from the Spartans right at the start of the game.
2. Keeshawn Barthelemy hits a 3-point shot to end the first half (50-36 Oregon)
To add insult to injury in the first half, as much as the Spartans tried to claw back, the team was unable to. After the eight-minute mark, the Ducks continued to extend their lead and would not give much ground. The Ducks threw up a prayer 3-pointer at the buzzer that went in to give them a 14-point lead at halftime. This shot was able to suck the life out of the Breslin and put the nail in a very disappointing first half. Izzo mentioned later on that “we couldn’t stop anything and they were able to outwork us defensively.” He also mentioned that there was no inspirational halftime speech, he simply asked the players to go play their game.
3. Jase Richardson block at 8:15 in the second half (70-64 MSU)
This game feels as though it was really a welcome home for Jase Richardson. It felt like an official passing of the torch with his dad and his teammates from the 2000 national title team. After having already cemented that this game was a career day, Jase added one of its best moments. As Oregon is in the corner, a player begins to drive into the paint for a layup when Jase jumped and got a great block to deny the points. When asked after the game about the block Jase responded, “I haven’t jumped that high in a while.” A highlight reel defensive move that helped cement a stellar defensive performance from the Spartans in the 2nd half.
4. Jase Richardson splits defenders for a layup at 4:16 in second half (78-68 MSU)
There was nothing more important for the Spartans coming out of the half than punching back hard. That is exactly what the Spartans did. The team came out of the half and posted a 12-0 run in the first three minutes of the half to almost completely erase the 14-point deficit. One of the biggest assets in the second half was freshman Jase Richardson. In his first career start with Michigan State basketball, he just put up 29 points. While he had several impressive plays, one of the best was this drive to the hoop where he split two defenders. Jase went right into the paint and made the play to put MSU up 10. The moment solidified the offensive dominance of the Spartans in that second half.
5. Supreme Cook misses jumper at 3:37 in the second half (80-70 MSU)
When asked in the locker room when he felt the game was in hand, Richardson said that it was those late misses that sealed the game. What good luck or technique the Ducks had in the first half, disappeared late in the second. The team was scrambling to get any shots to go in and cut the deficit. The Spartan defense locked in though and prevented them from getting any baskets until the game was sealed. The shift on defense for the Spartans is nothing if not miraculous considering the difficulties during the first half. MSU’s defense made life extremely difficult late for the Oregon shooters and helped the offense get going and turn the tide in this game.
Overall thoughts
Outside of the first half, everything about this game was poetic. The championship team returns, the son of one of those players goes off in his first start, Izzo ties the Big Ten wins record — it was perfect. Izzo later said that this game was easily top five if not the best game he has coached at the Breslin. When you have been doing the job for over 30 years, that is saying something. Izzo gave a special speech to the crowd following the game and while he mentioned that they would celebrate this win, they still have more work to do. Records, win streaks, and accolades are nice, but this team has its eyes set on another prize. The statement comeback the team made on Saturday showed a great deal of what this team is all about.
Michigan State basketball will next take the court on Tuesday night against the Indiana Hoosiers. Tip-off will be at 9 p.m. ET from the Breslin Center and the game will be streaming on Peacock. Keep checking back for more great content on Michigan State basketball and all Spartan sports.
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