Michigan State Basketball Flattens the Fighting Irish
East Lansing, MI – Nothing would stop Michigan State basketball from leaving the Breslin Center without a victory.
Earlier this week, Tom Izzo stated, 'this could be one of our best defensive teams.'
He wasn't kidding.
The Spartans dismantled Notre Dame defensively on multiple levels beginning with seven minutes before halftime; MSU tore them down piece by piece – only it didn't happen in a typical college basketball environment.
It wasn't some momentum swing with the Izzone going crazy while the players feed off the crowd; no, this was an empty arena, and Michigan State took away key players, Prentiss Hubb and Cormac Ryan included.
It helped spark a 26-0 run ending in the first half and stretching to the second, essentially sucking the life out of the Fighting Irish.
"I thought we played awfully well," said Izzo. "That's a good basketball team that I think we held pretty much defensively other than the start and the finish."
With Aaron Henry, Rocket Watts, Langford, Gabe Brown, and Marcus Bingham Jr. all on the floor at once, they can suffocate opponents, something we saw on multiple occasions tonight.
Right now, Michigan State is long, athletic, and has too much experience for a team like Notre Dame – not to mention the twelve blocked shots MSU posted, four by Henry, and another four from Bingham.
"There wasn't a lot to get on the guys tonight as far as most of the night," Izzo said. "I bet you we played 30 really really really good minutes of basketball."
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