EAST LANSING — Michigan basketball can have as much fun as it did in 2018.
The Wolverines took the lead less than a minute into the game on Friday, January 30, in front of a bustling Breslin Center and led by 18 points just 18 minutes into the game. The Spartans surged all the way, shooting a 29-13 burst, and even led by two points at one point. The whole process lasted only 24 seconds.
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The two sides maintained a dominant lead on possession for the next four minutes, but with Michigan up by one, Maurice Johnson Jr. hit a slam dunk and on the next possession, Elliott Caddo hit a 3-pointer for a six-point lead as Michigan went on to beat MSU 83-69.
It was the Wolverines’ first win in East Lansing since 2018 and the last time Michigan won a national championship.
Michigan State (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) now has a half-game lead to move into first place in the Big Ten and ties the best start in program history at 21 games. Michigan State (19-3, 9-2 Big Ten) now has a tough time defending its Big Ten title.
Here are the winners and losers from this matchup:
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Winner
Maurice Johnson Jr.
Johnson didn’t have 12 points and four rebounds on the stat sheet, but he was a threat defensively. He was beautiful in transition, sometimes guarding Jackson Koehler, sometimes Jeremy Fiers Jr., and always bothering anyone he drew. On one possession, he forced Fiers into two fakes and then passed the ball to the top of the key. Next, Fiers tried to fire on him, and he changed course and forced a fly ball. Later in the half, he blocked Jordan Scott’s three-point attempt, then rushed down the court to catch Adai Mara’s shot. He then helped out from the weak side and blocked Kohler’s layup attempt. With Michigan leading by one with 5:50 left in the game, Johnson hit two free throws to push Michigan’s lead to three and then threw a poster to Jaxon Kohler to make it three. Last but not least, he ended the game with a layup with 1:27 left to lead by 8 points.
Game story: Michigan basketball team defeats Michigan State 83-71
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Axel Lundborg
Lundborg made six of his final 37 3-pointers in Friday’s game. Naturally, he canned his first one. His five points in two seconds changed the entire game, and he was active on the boards all night. Lundborg’s 22 points were his most since scoring 29 nearly seven weeks ago, while his 12 rebounds represented his fourth double-double of the year (first since November) and tied a season high. Michigan State scored its first six points of the second half and looked strong before Lundborg hit a 3-pointer from Fiers and then got a pass down the court for a dunk. Five minutes later, Lundborg got an offensive rebound and made a shot to go ahead, and Michigan State narrowed the gap to 3 points. After Michigan State took its first lead of the game, Lundborg hit two free throws to tie the score at 7:19. Finally, he made a layup with 2:33 left in the game to put the score up by 6 points, and got an offensive rebound with 1:50 left, laying the foundation for Johnson’s dagger layup.
Jeremy Firth
Even in a loss, MSU’s point guard continues to play his part as an All-American, and Friday was another example of that as he finished with a game-high 31 points and seven assists. Fiers did what he’s known for, using his body to force Michigan into multiple fouls and going 12-for-14 from the free throw line. He was the spark plug for MSU’s comeback, driving in transition whenever possible, with a steal and coast-to-coast layup giving the Spartans their first 57-55 lead all night. With Michigan State trailing by three, he fired a lob to Cooper to pull within one point, 64-63. On the next possession, he grabbed an offensive rebound, but Kohler missed a three-pointer. From there, MSU ran out of steam, even though Fiers had a big night.
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loser
Carson Cooper
The Michigan State senior picked up two early fouls, making his first half largely meaningless as he scored two points in nine minutes but failed to grab a rebound. His offensive foul on a moving screen with 11:52 left in the second half also halted MSU’s momentum as MSU clawed back within five minutes. Cooper couldn’t compete with Michigan’s big men, who totaled 42 points, and he ended up with just 6 points and 2 rebounds.
michigan state university shooting
The Spartans shot just 36.7 percent (22 of 60) from the field, and despite shooting 44.1 percent in the second half, they were highlighted by their 7-of-26 shooting in the first 20 minutes. The real issue is three-point shooting. The Spartans made 4 of 22 three-pointers and only made 2 in the first and second half. There were many three-point opportunities in the second half, but only one fell through. Kohler made a long pass to tie the score at 55-55.
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michigan veterans
There’s no need to apologize for a win, but if the Wolverines can get anything out of the four players who have played at Breslin before, they could have easily won this one. Nimari Burnett, Will Cutter, Roddy Gale Jr. and LJ Carson combined to score 10 points on just 3-of-9 shooting. While six of those points were important (Carson and Chet each hit threes midway through the second half), the veterans were too quiet for too long. That said, anyone wearing maize and blue won’t lose sleep over it.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines news writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: MSU Basketball Shooting Losers vs. Michigan
