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

No. 14 Michigan State put together another strong second half, this time to defeat No. 13 Purdue, 75-66, at home. Our Aidan Champion recaps the contest on this latest postgame edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast.

Michigan State's Jaden Akins celebrates after drawing Purdue foul during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 14 Michigan State is playing its best basketball at a time it matters most.

That was evident on Tuesday when the Spartans vanquished No. 13 Purdue at the Breslin Center, 75-66.

Michigan State outscored Purdue in both halves, but it was the second half when the Spartans made their statement. They went up by as many as 13 and were able to hold off the Boilermakers late.

Michigan State won thanks to another all-around scoring effort, to limited turnovers, solid defense, efficient shooting and stellar transition offense.

Our Aidan Champion recaps the contest on this latest episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast. You can watch the episode below:

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo addressed the media after the game. Below is a transcript from his opening statement:

Izzo: "Well, these teams take a lot out of you. It was a hell of a game. It was like [Gene] Keady and [Jud] Heathcote. I mean, it was -- both teams only got 48 shots up. They shot 51 [percent], we shot 58 [percent], which is odd. There weren't a lot of rebounds to be had when you shoot that well. Uncharacteristically, we shot poor from the free-throw line, but 20 assists on 28 baskets, eight turnovers, those are ingredients that help you win games. And I thought so many of our guys -- I mean, our bench was 15-of-21 and did an unbelievable job. Frankie Fidler came back and did some things. Tre Holloman was dynamite. Coop [Carson Cooper] and Coen, Coen Carr did a yeoman's job, and our starters -- Jeremy Fears, he had to -- we did a hell of a job on [Braden] Smith because he's a hell of a player. And we didn't do a hell of a job on Kaufman [Trey Kaufman-Renn], but he's even a better player, I think. And we tried to double a little bit; he made some good shots, some good plays. But in general, we outrebounded them by a couple, the turnovers are a big thing, we had 10 steals, and they had four. And I'm going to stay on this: this team has owned us, they really have. Last few years, they've owned us. And it's because they're well-coached. They got a good team. The guys were classy after the game, and I felt like these two programs kind of mirror each other in a lot of ways. And I feel fortunate and good to win a game like that."

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