- Advertisement -
HomeBasketballNCAA BasketballDid Michigan State men's basketball peak too early?

Did Michigan State men’s basketball peak too early?

- Advertisement -

The Michigan State University men’s basketball team is one of the stories of the college basketball season so far.

The Spartans are 18-3, 9-1 in the Big Ten. MSU has won 13 of its last 14 games. It’s the first time under hall of fame coach Tom Izzo that MSU has gone undefeated in December and January.

It’s a fun time to be a Spartans fan. This is easily the best MSU team since the squad that got to the 2019 Final Four. The team plays hard on both ends of the floor. The defensive intensity is there most nights, although it slides a bit in second halves. Players like sophomore forward Coen Carr have taken the task of guarding the opposing team’s best player and have performed admirably.

The Spartans are trending toward a high seed in the NCAA tournament. It’d be a welcome change for a team that has been a middle of the road Big Ten team since the pandemic. The 9-1 start in Big Ten play is huge, even though the first half of MSU’s league schedule hasn’t been tough. MSU had a tough time in a loss at USC on Feb. 1. But they’ve taken care of business in a big way. Other contending teams have slipped against the bottom of the league.

Coaching, effort, intensity and execution can get the team to the Big Ten title and probably to the Sweet Sixteen. There are some similarities to that 2019 team that was led by Cassius Winston, Xavier Tillman, and Matt McQuaid. Both teams went 18-2 through their first 20 games, with a 9-0 start to league play. Both won 13 in a row after a 5-2 start. Both teams also fell to then-No. 1 Kansas early in November.

There’s one thing the 2019 team had that this year’s squad doesn’t — at least not yet.

Guard Cassius Winston was an all-conference player. He took and made a lot of big shots. Same for wing Matt McQuaid.

We don’t yet know who the go-to scorer is on this year’s team. Who’s the guy who can get his own shot when one of Izzo’s million sets breaks down? Who’s the guy willing to waive off a pick or ignore a call for a pass and make a big play?

MSU has done it by committee to this point. Only senior guard Jaden Akins scores in double figures for the Spartans. No player averages even 26 minutes per game. MSU is an awful 3-point shooting team — the lone Big Ten team shooting less than 30% from deep. The Spartans are seventh in the Big Ten in scoring, but 10th in the country in assists per game.

Can they keep this up? We’re gonna find out.

MSU’s February schedule started with the loss at USC. The Spartans are at UCLA tonight, against a team finding its way. Oregon, ranked in the top 10 earlier this season, comes to East Lansing on Saturday. Following a Feb. 11 home game against Indiana, MSU over five games has road games against Illinois, Michigan and Maryland, and home tilts with Purdue and Wisconsin. All five of those teams are ranked in the current top 25.

A 4-4 run this month keeps MSU in prime position to win the league. It’d be the Spartans first Big Ten title since they won three straight from 2018 to 2020. Izzo this week can also pass Bobby Knight as the all-time leader in conference wins. It’s a big month for MSU, in more ways than one.

Will any of the Spartans players show they’re the one to lead this team to new heights?

- Advertisement -
RELATED ARTICLES
- Advertisment -

Most Popular