3 Takeaways from MSU's Enormous Win at Purdue
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sports can be funny sometimes. One week you’re on the road getting manhandled by Minnesota, another you’re getting crushed by Wisconsin, and another you’re taking down No. 8 Purdue.
No. 13 Michigan State got its most impressive victory of the season on Thursday night, taking down those Boilermakers, 76-74. It’s the Spartans first win at Mackey Arena in 12 years, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Purdue in West Lafayette.
This game is significant for so many reasons. Firstly, it’s a top-10 win on the road in the most hostile environment the Big Ten has to offer. Sometimes, that’s enough said, but it also puts MSU in a position to maybe grab a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a triple-bye to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals with just three regular season games left.
Tom Izzo called this his program’s biggest road victory in a couple of years. That type of statement feels like saying the sky is blue. From Mackey, here are a couple takeaways from the Spartans’ massive win:
Balanced Offensive Attack
What immediately stands out is the balance Michigan State had in this one. There was no one clear MVP from this game. Everyone just seemed to do a little bit of something to contribute to this final result.
Four different players scored at least 10 points in this one, but Carson Cooper had the most at only 15. The other three players who also scored had either exactly eight or nine points.
This is a different story than what we’ve seen during the team’s seemingly annual early “February lull.” There was a stretch of about five games where it seemed like Jeremy Fears Jr. needed to do everything, and the foot injury to Divine Ugochukwu seemed like the type of thing that would exacerbate the problem.
Fears played well in this game — 12 points and six assists to one turnover is always a solid day at the office. But that statline would’ve gotten MSU blown out two weeks ago in Madison (it did: Fears had 14 points and 12 assists that day). He only ended up getting six of the team’s 15 assists on Thursday, which is probably the lowest percentage of assists to Fears in some time. Other guys are stepping up and making plays now.
Mackey First-Timers Step Up
Mackey Arena is not for the mentally weak. The atmosphere, as somebody who just saw it for the first time, is truly elite. The massive “Paint Crew” student sections, the bleachers that pack everybody in, and the low ceiling of the arena basically makes the place a powder keg whenever a Boilermakers’ shot goes up, just waiting to explode if it finds nylon. There is a reason Michigan State had not won in this building for 12 years. Just the nature of the building, which somehow also feels darker than other Big Ten arenas, is intimidating.
“Everybody says, ‘Well, you haven’t won there very often,’” Izzo said. “I’ve got news for you: who the hell has?”
Experience sometimes matters when playing in a place like this. Cooper showed it with his 15 points and six boards, but several other first-timers also had really important games.
Fears hadn’t played here before. Kur Teng hadn’t played here before. Jordan Scott hadn’t played here before. Cam Ward hadn’t played here before. All four of those guys were instrumental in the final result, with Fears leading the way at point guard, Teng hitting some big threes, Scott continuing to be a jolt of energy, and Ward playing some nice defense. That’s impressive focus during a novel experience for these guys.
Unorthodox Path to Victory
Some different parts of this box score don’t scream “Victory for MSU” at you. Izzo has talked a few times about how his team has a narrow path to victory, especially during games like these. Michigan State strayed off that path in a few ways during this one, but still won the game.
Firstly, the Spartans got outrebounded by two. Purdue is a top-25 rebounding margin team in the country with plenty of length, but MSU is supposed to be one of the most dominant rebounding teams in the country — Michigan State is third nationally in average rebound margin (plus-12.1) after this one.
What also stands out is the offensive glass. The Boilermakers had eight o-boards to the Spartans’ six, but second-chance points were 16-6 in favor of Purdue. That type of stuff is normally deadly in these types of games.
The perimeter defense also wasn’t great. Purdue hit some nice shots, but if you told Vegas that the Boilermakers would go 12-for-25 from three in this one, the books would probably move the spread a couple more points. Michigan State found a way to overcome all of that and beat a really, really good Purdue team that still might end up getting a 2 seed in March Madness.
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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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