Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from resilient win over Michigan

Michigan State basketball was off a short rest and in action on Tuesday night, making the hour-long drive to Ann Arbor. The Spartans squared off against the Wolverines as the top two teams in the conference slugged it out.

Michigan entered with extra motivation, as their head coach Dusty May had just signed an extension to stay with the Wolverines. Meanwhile, Tom Izzo entered into an arena that he has won at in all eight of his Final Four trips but has not made a Final Four after a loss in Ann Arbor.

Have I mentioned that this game could make or break either team’s hopes of a Big Ten regular season title, by the way?

1. Michigan State basketball is resilient

The first word that comes to mind for me when thinking about the Spartans is the word “resilient”. Michigan State basketball entered the second half of their schedule with the main critique being that they have not faced adversity. In their last four victories, the Spartans have been down at least seven points in all of them, including being down 16 against Illinois and down eight on Friday night.

The Spartans had to weather a Michigan 15-0 run after the Spartans jumped to a 16-8 advantage. Shockingly, Tom Izzo did not call a timeout, letting his team fight through the adversity. While head-scratching at the time, it was the right decision. The Spartans clawed their way back to a manageable deficit by halftime.

Even heading into half was not met without adversity. The Spartans had just cut the game to a three-point advantage for the Wolverines with Michigan having five seconds to reply. Instead of letting them get a shot off, Jeremy Fears Jr. fouled, putting the Wolverines at the stripe for two shots with Michigan in the double bonus. An inexplicable play from the starting guard, but one that did not come back to bite them.

The Spartans rallied together at the half and came out playing excellent defense and shooting well. They shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second and held the Wolverines to 24 points in the second half.

It was a nearly identical game to the Spartan contest against Oregon but with less of a halftime deficit.

2. The Spartans made threes?!

Michigan State basketball has struggled from beyond the arc this year, as anyone who has read my articles in the last four months can confirm. It is a routine point to mention the Spartans’ shooting woes whether it is a win or loss. On Friday, for what feels like the first time, I can write about the Spartans making shots. As mentioned above, the Spartans shot 50 percent from three-point land in the second half, with five of the six makes coming from Tre Holloman and… Jeremy Fears Jr.?!

The junior captain making threes is not a big surprise. He was mired in a 0-for-13 slump from three over his last few games heading into the night but was a 42 percent shooter from the arc last season. It was a matter of time. However, seeing Tre with a back-to-back-to-back sequence of threes for the second time this season was more than welcome.

Meanwhile, Fears drilling threes was shocking. Fears has faced a lot of criticism in recent games, with his seeming unwillingness to shoot leading teams to completely back away from the freshman guard. On Friday, we saw a glimpse at what could be, with Fears setting a new career high with his pair of threes. His last three was a banked shot off the glass, and that seemed to deflate the Wolverines’ hopes.

Also, a shoutout to Jase Richardson for making a pair of threes as well. More on him for my next point.

Jaden Akins and Xavier Booker also made first-half threes to help the Spartans claw back from the Wolverines’ first-half run. Akins was out of sorts, struggling multiple times with turnovers and lapses, but was able to slam home a dunk at the end of the night to give him an 11-point outing in his last game at the Crisler Center.

3. Jase Richardson stepped up, again

Following his 29-point outing against Oregon, I had mentioned that Richardson was the go-to scoring option for the Spartans. Purdue head coach Matt Painter had said that the Spartans did not have a go-to option, but Richardson offered the most upside as a player and prospect. Against Michigan, we saw Richardson be the go-to guy as well as his high upside. Richardson surpassed 20 points again, finishing with 21 points on only 12 shots.

From the beginning, it was clear Richardson was molded into the game plan. On the opening Spartan possession of the game, Richardson drilled a three in his first shot of the rivalry. When the rest of the team struggled against the Wolverine zone designed to slow them down, Richardson thrived. He refused to let the Michigan game turn into another Indiana game for MSU.

Richardson added another three to help propel the Spartans to a hot start out of the locker room in the second half, too. The first play of the second half was yet another Richardson three. He added another 10 points on seven shots in the second, with the lone “bad miss” being an uncharacteristic missed free throw.

As mentioned above, Richardson added a 20-plus-point outing on less than 13 shots. What amazes me about this freshman is his efficiency. Richardson has yet to attempt 14 shots in a game, despite being the best scoring option for MSU. The freshman does not take the bad shot or force himself into the role of volume shooter, which is why the Spartans have been so successful this year. Personally, I would love to see an extra shot or two a night from Richardson, but I also do not want any tinkering with what has been a winning formula for the Spartans.

Also, in a stat recap, Richardson had the first 20-point outing for the Richardson family against Michigan. His dad, former Spartan and NBA great Jason (in case you did not know), recorded 17 points in his best outing against the Wolverines. Richardson also beat his dad’s marks in rebounds, steals, and the least number of fouls in his debut against the biggest Michigan State basketball rival. Granted, these statistics are a bit skewed as the elder Richardson never played more than 25 minutes against the Wolverines, compared to Jase’s 33 minutes.

Big Ten title update

Michigan State basketball has moved into first place in the Big Ten, now a half-game ahead of the Wolverines. This will balance out in the next week, with Michigan playing three games to the Spartans’ two. Unfortunately, the Spartans do not have a cakewalk, as they still need to win out to ensure a Big Ten title. However, a 3-1 mark with victories against Maryland, Michigan, and Wisconsin also guarantee the title. Anything less becomes dicey, as Wisconsin’s hardest opponent left is the Spartans, and after that, their schedule is Big Ten cellar dwellers and Oregon.

Michigan remains in the hunt as well, and the return trip to the Breslin to end the season may decide the title. The Wolverines also have to fight through Illinois and Maryland, though. They face a very similar situation as the Spartans.

Maryland is also in the hunt, as is Purdue, but both squads need a lot of help.

In summary, if you are bored and see Michigan, Wisconsin, or Michigan State basketball on the television, flip over to it. These squads are all in a dogfight.

What’s next?

The Spartans, after celebrating the night away at Fieldhouse, have a few days before their next contest, coming on Wednesday at Maryland. That tips at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The Spartans’ next in-state contest is on Sunday, March 2, playing in the Breslin Center against Wisconsin at 1:30 p.m. ET.