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V-Cast: Michigan State squandered opportunity for growth in a lackluster win over Ohio State

On3 imageby: Paul Konyndyk4 hours agoPKonyndyk

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State won its second straight home game ahead of upcoming road games at Purdue and Indiana, but Sunday’s 66-60 win over Ohio State was a far cry from what Tom Izzo and his coaching staff hoped to see after a strong week of practice leading up to this game.

Afterward, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni sorted through the bad, the salvageable, and good in a narrow win over the Buckeyes in the latest V-Cast.

V-Cast Topics

Not much building: Michigan State came into this game looking to build upon a strong performance in a win over UCLA earlier this week. After three good days of practice, this was not what the Spartans were looking for. Michigan State struggled to make shots. The Spartans struggled defensively with ball-screen coverage. The Spartans struggled with turnovers in the first half. Michigan State struggled to keep a matinee crowd engaged in this game.

Carson Cooper: This was anything but a complete game for Cooper, who did not play up to his potential on defense. Cooper typically excels at ball-screen coverage. He fell short of his own standards in this game. He did, however, provide much-needed scoring for Michigan State with a career-high 20 points in the win. Cooper shot 7-for-10 overall against the Buckeyes while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Cooper led Michigan State in scoring in the second half with 14 points. Beyond scoring, the senior captain was the leading rebounder for Michigan State, totaling 11 rebounds to record his third double double of the season.

Jordan Scott: Michigan State freshman Jordan Scott had a strong all-around performance against the Buckeyes. Scott was one of three Spartans in double figures against Ohio State along with Cooper and Jeremy Fears. Scott scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting. He added four rebounds and three assists in the win. Scott did most of his scoring in the second half of this game. In the final 20 minutes of this game, Scott was perfect from the field, making all three of his shots. He also had three assists and a blocked shot during the second half for the Spartans. Beyond scoring, Scott showed some resilience in a difficult defensive match-up with Ohio State star Bruce Thornton.

NCAA Tournament seeding: Michigan State is currently projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a remaining schedule that includes Purdue, Indiana, Rutgers, and Michigan. Three of the Spartans’ remaining four regular-season games are on the road. Michigan State has struggled in road games this season. The Spartans have the worst road record of any of the five teams with 12 Big Ten wins or more at this stage of the season. Performing well on the road in the remaining games prior to the postseason will make a positive impression on the tournament selection committee.

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