Five Takeaways: Michigan State with back-to-back losses after falling to Wisconsin

Returning to the Breslin Center did not solve Michigan State's recent struggles

Having played four out of five games on the road, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo noted his happiness to return to the friendly confines of the Breslin Center earlier this week. Izzo, however, noted that home gyms do not win basketball games, teams do.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, Izzo's quote turn prophetic on Tuesday when No. 17 Michigan State fell to No. 14 Wisconsin, 70-62, in a game the Spartans never led. Izzo's club has now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Michigan State was dreadful offensively through the first 16 minutes. The Spartans shot 4-for-19 to start the game, with six turnovers, and trailed 21-13 with four minutes left in the first half. The only thing that kept Michigan State in the game at that point was its defense, which held the Badgers to 40 percent shooting from the floor, and 1-of-9 from the three-point arc.

The Spartans closed the half well, converting on four of their final six shot attempts, including a banked-in buzzer-beater by Marcus Bingham Jr., to cut their deficit to 29-23 as the teams hit the locker rooms.

Michigan State's offensive struggles continued in the second half, as the Spartans missed their first four shots of the second frame. As a result, Wisconsin stretched its lead to 35-25 with 16 minutes to play.

However, MSU started to chip away at their deficit from there. The Spartans hit on eight of their next 13 shot attempts, and outscored the Badgers 19-10 over the next seven minutes to close to within 45-44.

Michigan State would get no closer than that however, as turnovers on the offensive end and the inability to secure defensive rebounds hurt the Spartans down the stretch. 

1. Michigan State offense sputters

On Monday, Tom Izzo pointed to Michigan State's offensive efficiency, noting the Spartans led the Big Ten in three-point shooting and were third in the conference in overall shooting. But, tonight, Michigan State's offense was out of sorts for nearly the entirety of the contest. The Spartans shot 42 percent from the floor, and were just 3-of-12 from the three-point line. However, even those numbers feel too kind when describing how the Spartans looked at that end of the floor.

Michigan State also had 12 turnovers once again, but were fortunate that Wisconsin only turned those into four points. The bigger problem that came due to the giveaways was the Spartans' total shot attempts. Michigan State is last in the Big Ten in shot attempts per game, and that reared its ugly head again tonight. The Spartans had 53 shot attempts against the Badgers, and Izzo had said on Monday that number needed to be up over 60 per game. It's back to the drawing board for MSU's coaching staff.

2. Spartan backcourt still isn't good enough

A key factor in Michigan State's current slump has been the play of its backcourt. For the second consecutive game, the Spartan guards were severely out-played by their opposition. Tyson Walker took only three shot attempts, missing all of them, and finished with one point. He also had just one assist and two turnovers in an ineffective 14 minutes of game time. Backup point guard AJ Hoggard played 24 minutes, and the sophomore contributed seven assists against three turnovers. However, Hoggard shot just 2-of-8 from the floor and finished with seven points. Finally, Max Christie had another quiet night with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting. The freshman, inexplicably, did not attempt a three-pointer for the first time in his Spartan career. Simply put, Michigan State needs much more than this from its backcourt if they're going to turn things around.

2. Marcus Bingham Jr. starts fast, withers late

As Michigan State struggled to get anything going offensively in the first half, Marcus Bingham Jr. kept the Spartans head above water. The senior went 4-of-8 from the floor and scored 11 of the Spartan's 23 first half points. The rest of team was just 4-for-17 from the floor in the first frame. However, Bingham Jr. only attempts one shot and two free throws in the second half, finishing with 15 points. The senior was active on the defensive end with three steals, but Izzo is bound to be unhappy with his starting center only grabbing two rebounds. Bingham Jr. has not been as active on the glass in recent weeks, and that's a cause for concern.

4. Malik Hall's second half surge not enough

Malik Hall had three points on 1-of-3 shooting with one rebound and a turnover in the first half. But, in the second half, the junior was the engine that brought Michigan State's offense to life. Hall went 4-for-4 after halftime, including a pair of ferocious throwdowns at the rim, to finish with 12 points for the Spartans. Hall added four rebounds and an assist. In a way, Hall is a microcosm for Michigan State's season. When the junior is good, he's REALLY good, but Hall has struggled with consistency this season. Likewise, when the Spartans are clicking, this is a really good team, just ask these same Badgers that were beaten soundly in Madison three weeks ago. But we haven't seen that team since the second half against Michigan.

5. Michigan State loses ground in Big Ten standings

The Spartans have lost four of their last seven games, and are now cemented in fourth place in the Big Ten standings. Michigan State is now two games out of first place, and that number could grow to 2.5 games depending on the Illinois-Purdue outcome. The Spartans still have the chance to get back in the race for a league crown, with homes games against the Fighting Illini and Boilermakers, but they'll need to play much better than they have of late. Michigan State will host Indiana on Saturday, before a road trip to Penn State next Tuesday.