1. Well, we played as well as we could’ve played against a top team, maybe our best game of the year, but we just didn’t have enough, and we wilted in the last 10 minutes after taking a 12-point lead. We had a FG drought from 4:45 of the 2nd half to 46.8 second of the OT — about 9 minutes of game time — and meanwhile Jeremy Fears was absolutely murdering us on dribble penetration off of multiple screens. Fears scored a whopping 27 points in the 2nd half and OT after only scoring 2 in the first half. He is the second coming of Braden Smith the way he handles and dishes and scores like a magician.
2. Jamichael Davis played a terrific game with 15 points, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers, but his two missed FTs down the stretch of regulation (going 1-2 on successive trips to the line) allowed MSU the chance to tie, which they did on a late three. What a shame. If he hits just one of those misses, we likely win.
3. One of the reasons we were able to take the lead was hitting 3-pointers. But I said in the game thread that our 5-10 start from deep was Fool’s Gold, and indeed we only hit 5 of our next 17 threes. The 10-27 overall was still one of our best outputs of the season.
4. Pike generally did a good job with rotations tonight. Ogbole and Dortch both got in foul trouble — on several questionable ticky tack fouls — so Pike played small ball with Grant and Buchanan at the forward spots, Zrno at the wing, and JMike and Francis at guard. They played admirably, although we got murdered on the boards 45-22.
5. We played very good defense in the first 30 minutes of the game, but then Fears took over. MSU does so much screening, not just simple 2-man pick and roll, but rather screening with two and sometimes three guys, and eventually the seas would part for Fears to get downhill and either get directly to the tin or simply feed someone else for an easy layup. The other factor was that the size difference up front started to wear on our team. We would play good defense for 25 or 30 seconds, force a tough shot, but then they would get the offensive rebound.
6. Tariq Francis led us to the 12-point lead midway through the 2nd half. He was lights out in the first half and the first ten minutes of the second half, and at one point he was 6-12 with 19 points. But he missed his last five shots and only scored 4 points the rest of the way on FTs. MSU made him work, and his shot was off.
7. Special shout out to Harun Zrno tonight. I’ve been very critical of him because he only seems to hit threes in blowouts. But tonight he was the other reason (aside from Francis) that we were able to build a lead. He scored 16 points on 6-10 shooting, including 4-8 from 3-pt range. Every time MSU was seemingly getting back into the game in the first 30 minutes, it seemed like Zrno was hitting a three to hold them at bay. But Izzo must’ve switched up the defense, because I think Zrno was only able to get off 2 threes in the second half.
8. Not much else to say. We got a C effort from MSU tonight, and we had them on the ropes, but ultimately our lack of offense came back to haunt us, and our inability to defend pick and roll and protect the rim on those dribble drives was the nail in the coffin. Our B+ effort was simply not good enough against a way more talented team (that has one of the best guards in the country) even when that team gives a C effort.
2. Jamichael Davis played a terrific game with 15 points, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers, but his two missed FTs down the stretch of regulation (going 1-2 on successive trips to the line) allowed MSU the chance to tie, which they did on a late three. What a shame. If he hits just one of those misses, we likely win.
3. One of the reasons we were able to take the lead was hitting 3-pointers. But I said in the game thread that our 5-10 start from deep was Fool’s Gold, and indeed we only hit 5 of our next 17 threes. The 10-27 overall was still one of our best outputs of the season.
4. Pike generally did a good job with rotations tonight. Ogbole and Dortch both got in foul trouble — on several questionable ticky tack fouls — so Pike played small ball with Grant and Buchanan at the forward spots, Zrno at the wing, and JMike and Francis at guard. They played admirably, although we got murdered on the boards 45-22.
5. We played very good defense in the first 30 minutes of the game, but then Fears took over. MSU does so much screening, not just simple 2-man pick and roll, but rather screening with two and sometimes three guys, and eventually the seas would part for Fears to get downhill and either get directly to the tin or simply feed someone else for an easy layup. The other factor was that the size difference up front started to wear on our team. We would play good defense for 25 or 30 seconds, force a tough shot, but then they would get the offensive rebound.
6. Tariq Francis led us to the 12-point lead midway through the 2nd half. He was lights out in the first half and the first ten minutes of the second half, and at one point he was 6-12 with 19 points. But he missed his last five shots and only scored 4 points the rest of the way on FTs. MSU made him work, and his shot was off.
7. Special shout out to Harun Zrno tonight. I’ve been very critical of him because he only seems to hit threes in blowouts. But tonight he was the other reason (aside from Francis) that we were able to build a lead. He scored 16 points on 6-10 shooting, including 4-8 from 3-pt range. Every time MSU was seemingly getting back into the game in the first 30 minutes, it seemed like Zrno was hitting a three to hold them at bay. But Izzo must’ve switched up the defense, because I think Zrno was only able to get off 2 threes in the second half.
8. Not much else to say. We got a C effort from MSU tonight, and we had them on the ropes, but ultimately our lack of offense came back to haunt us, and our inability to defend pick and roll and protect the rim on those dribble drives was the nail in the coffin. Our B+ effort was simply not good enough against a way more talented team (that has one of the best guards in the country) even when that team gives a C effort.
