Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Spartans' Win Over Oregon

No. 9 Michigan State improved to 19-4 on the year with a bounce-back win against Oregon on Saturday, downing the visiting Bruins, 86-74. Our Aidan Champion recaps the contest on this postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, smiles while talking with Jase Richardson during the game against Minnesota on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- After being down 14 at halftime, No. 9 Michigan State put together perhaps its best second half of the season in its 86-74 conquering of Oregon on Saturday, staying perfect at home and bouncing back admirably from a winless trip out west.

Michigan State was led by freshman guard Jase Richardson, who scored a career-high 29 points, 18 of which came in the second half.

The Spartans matched the Ducks' 50 first-half points in the second half, outscoring the visitors by 26 in the final 20 minutes.

Our Aidan Champion recaps the contest on this postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast:

You can watch the episode below:

Below is a partial transcript from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's opening statement of his postgame presser:

Izzo: "Well, part of me feels sorry for Dana [Altman]. They played so well the first half. Unbelievable; they hit nine or 10 3s in the first half and none in the second. Points off of turnovers were 21-2 in the first half. There was not any magical things said at halftime. I thought our players decided that they weren't guarding well enough. We were getting beat on dribble drives and everything else. And our crowd was unbelievable. And when that happens, get on a little run, we cut it down to single digits at the 16-minute mark. I think we were down to 2 at that time. That was a big difference. Tre [Holloman] didn't play very well the first half and starts out with that big 3 the second half and had one turnover and, I think, five assists. And first half, we had many turnovers and didn't play well. We got a lot of play out of a lot of different guys. And of course, Jase had a career night. When he got that block late, it was a hell of a block. And all the guys were sitting behind me, and I turned to Jason and said, 'Jason who?' It was Jase's night. And how exciting for him and for them and his family, but for us, too."

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