EAST LANSING, Mich. – Earlier this week, Big Ten basketball history could have been made in a region of the country it has never inhabited before this season.
With two wins, the Michigan State Spartans could have made Tom Izzo the winningest head coach in the conference’s history but instead flew back to East Lansing with their first losing streak of the season.
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The Spartans lost by six at the hands of USC on Saturday (Feb. 1), and after rallying from down 11 points in the second half, were defeated by UCLA in the final moments of Tuesday night’s contest.
“To beat good teams on the road, you have to play hard enough, and you have to play smart enough,” said Izzo after his Spartans shot just 37% from the field against the Bruins.
--> UCLA edges No. 9 Michigan State 63-61 on Dailey’s basket with 7 seconds left
Three days earlier, against the USC Trojans, MSU didn’t manage much better, shooting just 42%. This means that their second and third worst shooting performances of the campaign came on the same road trip.
Michigan State is the latest Big Ten team to fall victim to traveling across the country only to lose to opponents they haven’t faced in years.
Out of the newest schools added to the Big Ten this basketball season, USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington have a combined record of 5-9 when traveling to play the pre-existing teams.
The Spartans' first crack at the West Coast swing cost them their 13-game winning streak, but Izzo isn’t blaming it on the change of scenery.
“The road trip is the road trip. It isn’t as easy as I thought it would be, and yet it was great. It’s a long time on the road for college guys, and I thought we handled it pretty well. We got beat by you could call them the hottest team in the league right now and deservedly so.”
The Trojans and the Bruins exposed many of MSU’s weaknesses.
The Trojans and the Bruins exposed many of MSU’s weaknesses. The last-place team in the Big Ten when it comes to three-point shooting struggled once again, failing to eclipse more than 65 points in each of the two losses.
--> Claude, Yates III lead USC to 70-64 upset of No. 7 Michigan State and snap Spartans' 13-game streak
The turnover discrepancy was glaring about the Spartans’ defeats, specifically in the UCLA game, where they managed to force just three to the Bruins’ 16.
The Spartans’ defeats were glaringly marked by a turnover discrepancy, specifically in the UCLA game, where they managed to force just three to the Bruins’ 16.
Turnovers have been a theme for Izzo teams in recent memory. They have given the ball to the opposition nine times or more in every game but one this year and average the third most in the conference at 12.2 a contest.
“We should have gave helmets to some of the people in the front row because the ball was just kind of flying over there, and it’s B.S.,” said Izzo after his squad’s 63-61 loss to UCLA.
While it is unfortunate for those close to the MSU program, it is fortunate for fans of college basketball that we get to hear some humorous quotes from the Hall of Fame coach after his team puts up a stinker such as this one.
“You’ve heard of ‘in the zone.’ Usually, a pro guy has to hit six in a row to be in the zone. My guy hits one or two, and they think they’re in the zone. Sometimes the zone is the o-zone, and so we got to get in a better zone,” Izzo said.
Up next for the Spartans is yet another new Big Ten team, as the Oregon Ducks will be in East Lansing on Saturday. ,
The Ducks are in the middle of their own road trip. They just lost an 80-76 game to the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, a game in which the box score was strikingly similar.
Each team recorded the same amount of three-pointers (9), rebounds (38), and assists (14).
The stats from that game that most pertain to Michigan State’s scouting report are fast break points and minutes played.
Strength in numbers has become a motto for the Spartans this season who give 10 different players their fair share of playing time each game.
Oregon, on the other hand, rides their starters early and often. Each of their starters currently averages at or around 25 minutes per contest.,
MSU will look to capitalize on any possible jet lag the Ducks may have by getting out and running during the fast break. This has also become their calling card in 2025, as it often has under Izzo.
On Wednesday night, Oregon topped the Wolverines 15-to-4 in that category.