Michigan State Loses to Ohio State, Falls to 2-6 in Big Ten Play

The Spartans are 2-6 in conference play, the worst start in Tom Izzo's career, and with a trip to Iowa on Tuesday, there's no end in sight.

Michigan State fans saw something familiar on the Spartans opening possession: a turnover (although it didn't count), but then they scored three buckets in a row leading to an early 6-6 tie against Ohio State.

It was a better start for MSU, and after looking lost in a 30-point blowout at Rutgers, Michigan State managed to limit turnovers and get to the free-throw line while allowing Joey Hauser to shoot more.

But outside of Hauser, the Spartan offense remained inconsistent, shooting 32% from the field (17-for-53) and 21% from beyond the arc (5-for-24).

Michigan State also struggled to contain E.J. Liddell, a sophomore forward, who scored nine first-half points and grabbed three boards (20 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, two steals).

Not to mention a litany of fouls committed by the Spartans (24 total), which put multiple players on the bench, including Aaron Henry, Joshua Langford, Marcus Bingham Jr., Julius Marble, and Thomas Kithier.

Even so, MSU pulled within six points (34-28) before embarking on a scoring drought lasting over 4-minutes while missing its last five shots.

As a result, Ohio State strung together an 8-0 run before halftime, giving itself a 12-point cushion.

In the final 20-minutes, Michigan State is tasked with keeping pace, protecting the basketball, and trading buckets with OSU.

Can they do it?

The short answer? No.

It was a bit of a rough start for both schools in the second half as each team scored four points in the initial five minutes.

Ohio State shot 1-for-4, turned it over three times, and committed four fouls, yet due to its inefficient offense, MSU was unable to take advantage, trailing 46-34 with 15:50 left.

The opportunity was there; Michigan State just didn't capitalize, as the Spartans couldn't find their shooting touch.

At one point, MSU missed eight of its last nine attempts and watched Duane Washington's three-pointer glide through the net with 9:40 to go, giving Ohio State its largest lead of the day, 59-41.

Langford and Rocket Watts drained back-to-back three-pointers; unfortunately for Michigan State, they were losing by 20 when those went down.

However, MSU fought back, trimming the Buckeye lead to 11 on some well-earned free throws by Marble, then to nine on Henry's steal and layup. 

But it was too late. 

As the Spartans have proven repeatedly, MSU doesn't have the shooters to keep up with Big Ten opponents, nor do they have a post presence that allows them to look elsewhere, putting them in a nearly impossible position.

Michigan State is now 2-6 in conference play, the worst start in Tom Izzo's career, and with a trip to Iowa on Tuesday, there's no end in sight.  

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