Five takeaways: Michigan State falls to Purdue in Big Ten Tournament semifinals

The Spartans fought, but didn't have enough firepower to beat the Boilermakers

Michigan State's run through the Big Ten Tournament is over following a 75-70 loss to Purdue in the semifinal round. This was the first time in the history of the conference tournament that the Boilermakers have defeated the Spartans.

The teams played to an 11-11 tie through the first nine and a half minutes of play. Purdue seized control from there however, going on a 14-3 run over the next six minutes to take a 25-14 lead with five minutes left in the second half.

The Spartans locked in defensively from there to close to within 27-20 by halftime. Michigan State shot 30 percent from the floor, and was just 1-of-12 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.

The Boilermakers' lead grew to as many as 13 points, 43-30, through the first five and a half minutes of the second half. Michigan State went back to work however, cutting their deficit to 49-47 with 9:30 left on the clock.

The teams traded baskets from there, as MSU whittled Purdue's lead down to 57-56, before the Boilers immediately responded with back-to-back triples to extend the lead back to seven points with 4:15 left.

The Spartans were never able to recover from that, and there comeback efforts fell short.

1. Purdue's towering posts wreak havoc

Like every team that plays Purdue, the Spartans were at a size disadvantage in the post against 7-foor-4 Zach Edey. Boilermaker senior Trevion Williams is a load down low too, and the twin towers from West Lafayette wreaked havoc on the offensive glass against Michigan State. The Spartans surrendered 15 offensive rebounds, which led to a back-breaking 22 second chance points for Purdue. Michigan State played solid defense all game, limiting the Boilermakers to 44 percent from the floor, and 33 percent from three-point range, but all those second chances were too much for the Spartans to overcome.

Edey finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Williams had 15 points and seven rebounds. 

2. Foul trouble with Marcus Bingham Jr, Julius Marble 

Along with the troubles that come with boxing out Edey and Williams, Michigan State also struggled to defend them without fouling. Marcus Bingham Jr. got ogg to a nice start tonight, but had to sit extensive minutes due to foul trouble. He had four fouls for the game and finished with nine points, six rebounds, three blocks and a steal. 

Julius Marble wasn't able to make much of an impact tonight due to his own foul trouble. The big junior battled hard against Edey, but fouled out with 8:32 left in the game. Marble finished with four points and two rebounds in nine minutes of action. Joey Hauser also fouled out in the game's final minutes after a frustrating game. He went scoreless on four shot attempts, and MSU was minus-16 in his 21 minutes on the floor tonight.

3. AJ Hoggard shows his heart and grit

Early in the game, starting point guard Tyson Walker rolled an ankle pretty badly. He tried to return later in the game, but didn't last long. With that, AJ Hoggard was called upon to play heavy minutes and direct the Spartans offense. The sophomore turned his ankle on the very next play after Walker, but he gutted it out and put on an impressive performance. Hoggard finished with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and had 10 assists and zero turnovers. The sophomore was solid defensively as well, pulling down four rebounds and swiping two steals in a warrior's effort. Walker was only able to play three minutes today due to the injury, and his status is certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward. It's unfortunate that Hoggard's game today resulted in a loss.

4. Outside shooting eludes Spartans again

For the second straight game, the Spartans didn't shoot the ball well from three-point range. Michigan State went just 1-of-11 from deep in the win over Wisconsin, and were 7-for-25 today against Purdue. Joey Hauser, AJ Hoggard, Jaden Akins and Tyson Walker combined to go 0-for-7, while Marcus Bingham Jr. was 1-for-4 and Max Christie went 2-for-6.

It's worth noting that Gabe Brown shot the ball well, scoring 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from the perimeter.

5. All eyes turn to 'Selection Sunday'

While the loss is disappointing, Michigan State was able to accomplish a lot in their three games in the Big Ten Tournament. The wins over Maryland and Wisconsin likely moved MSU up to a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the Spartans have an outside shot at a 6-seed as well. More importantly, Michigan State played some of their best basketball of the season in these three games. Yes, the Spartans nearly blew a 20-point lead against the Terrapins, but Tom Izzo can use that as a losing experience heading into the Big Dance. Michigan State played their style of game against the Badgers and ground out a victory, and the Spartans went toe-to-toe with the Boilermakers today. If Michigan State brings the same energy to the NCAA Tournament, they will be a tough out for anybody.