3 MSU Observations from Women's OT Loss to Michigan
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The 11,635 people who were at the Breslin Center got as good of a show as they could've hoped for.
No. 13 Michigan State was right there with ninth-ranked Michigan, but ultimately dropped a hard-fought game, 94-91, in overtime in East Lansing on Sunday afternoon. The crowd at the game was the largest for a home game during the Robyn Fralick era at MSU, and the most since 12,434 showed up for another meeting with UM on Feb. 11, 2018.
Despite the loss, the Spartans are still 19-3 on the season and holding up just fine at 8-3 during Big Ten play. This is still the highest the program has been ranked since the end of the 2010-11 season. One tight loss to a really, really good Michigan squad doesn't change the upward trajectory of the program.
From the Breslin Center, here are three observations from Sunday's game:
Showcase for Women's Hoops
This game was a sign of what women's basketball can become in the state of Michigan. Both UM and MSU are headed in the right direction in the sport, and that's a positive thing. The crowd reflected that fact.
One nice thing was the level of participation from the crowd. People had their normal fun --- I had a girl who couldn't be older than 10 yelling at the referees the entire game right behind me --- but it didn't feel near-toxic, like Friday's men's game. It all felt a lot more positive and respectful.
Sunday was also just a high-level basketball game. Two of the issues women's basketball still has are the lack of parity and a large number of blowouts, but this game was as tight as it could be. UM's largest lead was eight, but most of the game was played with Michigan State only behind by one or two possessions.
The shot-making in this game was elite, too. Michigan shot 9-for-22 (40.9%) from deep, and MSU was 6-of-13 (46.3%) from beyond the arc. That doesn't even include all the mid-range jays that went down. It was truly good basketball.
Blair is MSU's Star in the Making
Keep an eye on Michigan State's Kennedy Blair for the future. She had an up-and-down effort against the Wolverines, the "down" part being seven turnovers, but Blair still had 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals in her effort on Sunday.
From Dearborn, Blair is a pretty good story. She was going to go to Bowling Green, Fralick's last stop, but chose to walk on at Michigan State instead after Fralick took the job in East Lansing. After missing her true freshman season with a foot injury and having a limited role last season, she's emerged as the team's star player this year. With two years of eligibility left after this year, Blair has a chance to leave a significant mark on this program.
Sotelo's Near-Miss
A basketball player's dream is to make a half-court shot for the win. Think about the reaction Tre Holloman's shot against Maryland drew during the men's team's last season. It's the scenario athletes rehearse for fun, knowing it'll probably never happen. It nearly became a reality for MSU center Ines Sotelo on Sunday.
Blair had just tied the game up with five seconds left. After Michigan called a timeout, MSU got a steal, and Sotelo had the ball. She let it loose just behind the half-court line at the plume of the Spartan logo at mid-court. If her shot had hit the glass one inch lower, it probably would've gone in for the win.
Oh my gosh. pic.twitter.com/pUnAzeEd1g
— Jacob Cotsonika (@jacobcotsonika) February 1, 2026
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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