V-Cast: sorting through uninspired Michigan State loss at home to Iowa
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State is back to the drawing board on the basketball court after suffering disappointing home loss to Iowa. The Spartans came out flat in this game, squandering an opportunity to win its fourth straight.
After post-game interviews, SpartanMag staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk weighed through the issues that hurt the Spartans in this game in the latest V-Cast.
V-CAST TOPICS
Missed Opportunities: Michigan State missed lay-ups against a good, but not great Iowa defense. The Spartans, meanwhile, gave up too many point blank looks to the Hawkeyes. Iowa had 16 lay-ups and two dunks in this game. The Hawkeyes shot better than 50 percent. Much of what Michigan State gave up against Iowa was on basic defensive coverage.
Coming Out Flat: The Spartans came out flat in this game against Iowa team playing for its NCAA Tournament life. Iowa got the Quad 1 win it desperately needed. Michigan State players found themselves at a loss to explain how they were outworked, outhustled, and outexecuted by Iowa at the Breslin Center.
Center of Attention: Michigan State continues to struggled to attain consistency at the center position with the rotations of Mady Sissoko, Carson Cooper, and Jaxon Kohler. In this game, Kohler got the most minutes at the five with minimal returns. In 19 minutes, Kohler had two points and one rebound.
Cooper put up the best numbers among Michigan State’s big men with regard to what the Spartans need the most at the five. Despite grabbing seven boards in the first half, Cooper played just three minutes in the second half. Sissoko played a season low five minutes in the loss to Iowa. The Spartan starter has seen in minutes decrease in recent weeks.
AJ Hoggard: Michigan State point guard AJ Hoggard spearheaded some success on offense in the second against Iowa. The Spartans struggled, however to get stops on defense. As one of the team leaders for Michigan State, Hoggard needs to do a better job as a tone-setter for his entire team. The same is true for Malik Hall, who played much better in the second half than the first.
Ohio State: Michigan State looked tired against Iowa. Now, the Spartans will turn their attention to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming off an unlikely upset of the Big Ten leader in Purdue, so Ohio State will certainly have the attention of Tom Izzo’s ballclub.
