Despite Victory, MSU Shows Concern for Postseason

Michigan State needs to play as well as it does in the second half all game to make a deep run.

Iowa guards Drew Thelwell (3) and Josh Dix (4) trap Michigan State guard Tre Holloman (5) during a Big Ten Conference game Thursday, March 6, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the NCAA Tournament approaching, March Madness is in the air, and it really showed in Thursday night's game between Michigan State and Iowa.

Michigan State struggled mightily in the first half with rebounding, turnovers and failure to get shots to fall. The Spartans were unable to defend the pick-and-roll, led by Iowa’s big men, who dominated the first half. If Michigan State has any hopes of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, it needs to figure out how to control a whole game and not just one half.

If the Spartans play a team like Auburn or Alabama in the late rounds, they will not be able to crawl back easily with a poor start.

Michigan State ended up shooting 9-of-27 from the 3-point line, which is better than it has done for most of the year. This number is very skewed from the second-half success following a miserable shooting performance in the first half.

Shock clock violations have also become a problem as of late for the Michigan State offense, with multiple turnovers and bad shots because of it. The Spartans need to figure out how to score fast and get back in transition defense come tournament time.

Freshman guard Jase Richardson, to no surprise, led the team with 22 points and continued his stretch of outstanding playmaking and effort. Since Tom Izzo put him into the starting lineup, it has been the best thing for the Spartans. He did his thing all night with his shooting finishing and strength at the rim. Richardson’s ability to get his own rebounds and put his shot back up is nothing short of amazing.

In all, Izzo’s Spartans are one of the hottest teams in college basketball right now. Come time for tournament play, fans should expect nothing less than what they’ve seen in these recent five games.

As a projected 2-seed and after becoming the outright Big Ten champions, teams better watch out for the Spartans. Izzo made a clear statement last year about "getting back to a deeper run." With his level of determination and skill, it would be no surprise if it happens.

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