Michigan State Falls Short in B1G Tourney, Still in NCAA Tournament Field
For the first time since 2010, Michigan State lost its opening-round game of the Big Ten Tournament.
The good news is, MSU didn't need to win; the Spartans already locked up another NCAA tournament bid following a victory over Michigan.
However, Michigan State played uninspired basketball, and while the officiating played a role, it wasn't the reason they lost.
The Spartans were no longer a desperate team – it's impossible to fake urgency, and in the last three weeks, MSU fought for every inch. But after a hot start and some questionable calls, Michigan State lost its poise and possibly its spirit.
"I let the officiating get to me in the first half … that should never happen," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said in the postgame presser. "That's totally my fault. Not for the technical, just for the entire situation. I did a poor job."
There's no avoiding it; Michigan State entered Lucas Oil Stadium 0-5 in Big Ten play in contests officiated by Bo Boroski (now 0-6).
Maryland shot 7-of-22 in the first half but led 34-30 thanks to 16 free-throw attempts and 15 makes.
Overall, the crew led by Rob Riley, Steve McJunkins, and Boroski called 44 personal fouls, including two technicals issued to each bench. It made the game unwatchable, but again, the Spartans do accept some blame for the loss.
MSU made a single field goal in over 16 minutes; they turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 27 points for the Terps, and missed 9-of-18 free-throws.
When Maryland figured out how the game was being called, they relentlessly drove to the hoop while MSU went 0-for-9 from deep in the same span, once again, settling for jumpers.
I understand it was bad officiating and entirely frustrating, but Izzo and the Spartans let it get out of hand. Michigan State should have found ways to feed the whistle, like UMD; instead, MSU let it affect their psyche.
"When you first start off and see the game is kind of tight – you have to learn; see what you can do and what you can't do," sophomore forward Malik Hall said. "I think we struggled making those adjustments after that first 10-minutes.
"We just couldn't follow the scout that they gave us, and it cost us in the long run ... we let all the stops, them going on a little run and getting calls; missed shots, we started missing shots. We let it all get to us."
On the positive side, the Spartans won't be a 9-seed in the tournament, meaning MSU avoids Gonzaga or Baylor in the second round.
Yet, there's no guarantee this version of Michigan State makes it out of the first.
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