Spartans Put Together Best Defensive Performance of the Year Against Washington

The Michigan State Spartans were downright dominant on Thursday night as they beat down the Washington Huskies with a 34-point win. It was undoubtedly the best defensive performance from Tom Izzo's group all season.

Jan 9, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Washington Huskies center KC Ibekwe (24) looks for an opening against Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans (13-2) looked like one of the most dominant teams in the country on Thursday night. They took the Washington Huskies (10-6) to the cleaners at the Breslin Center, earning an 88-54 victory to extending their winning streak to eight games.

Besides a fabulous night shooting the basketball of over 50% from the field and 94.4% from the free-throw line, the Spartans had their best defensive performance of the season and have slowly proven to the rest of the conference that this team is a tenacious defensive unit.

Limiting the Huskies to just 54 points, the Spartans allowed their second-lowest total of the year behind the 52 points they gave up to Nebraska in early December. There was a significant difference in effort and attention to detail in this game and the Spartans had the upper hand.

Besides the Huskies shooting a brutal 18-55 from the field and 3-16 from three-point range, the Spartans did anything and everything to shut down a good Washington team. They forced 16 turnovers, totaled 10 steals and six blocks and outrebounding the Huskies by 10.

The defensive star of the night with by far freshman guard Jase Richardson. Coming off the bench with 23 total minutes of play, Richardson turned in five steals and two blocks to go along with his 12 points. It marks a career-high in both defensive stat categories for the young rising star.

With another impressive defensive performance, the Spartans are now the third-best defense in the Big Ten, allowing an average of 65.9 points per game. They are allowing the fourth-lowest 3-point percentage (29.2%) and are the third best in the conference in average blocks per game (5.1).

This Spartan team has the intangibles to be one of the dominant teams in the conference and possibly the entire nation. Strong defensive play coupled with the multitude of scorers they possess will make them such a dangerous team to play towards the end of the season when it all counts more.

Michigan State will be back in action this Sunday afternoon on the road, facing the Northwestern Wildcats (10-5). The Spartans should be able to take advantage of an opponent that scores the third-lowest number of average points in the Big Ten at 74.1 points per game, just ahead of Washington.

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