I hope you don’t ruin your Valentine’s Day weekend with Friday night’s Michigan State basketball game, because that’s a tough game against Wisconsin.
The Spartans were blown away in the 13th minute of the first half and ultimately lost to Wisconsin 92-71, suffering their most embarrassing defeat of the season. For the first time this season, it felt like Michigan State had no chance in the early minutes of the second half, an eye-opening and disappointing loss.
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Wisconsin shot the ball well in the win, going 8 of 13 from 3-point range at one point to build a significant lead. The Badgers would cool down as time went on, but a quick start and consistent strong play would be too much for the Spartans.
With the loss, Michigan State dropped to 20-5 overall and 10-4 in the Big Ten. The Spartans have lost three of their past four games.
Here are three takeaways from the Spartans’ disappointing performance at Wisconsin on Friday:
Why can’t MSU get off the bus?
It’s become an honest question to me that I simply can’t answer, but why was Michigan State so bad in the first half? Do they like being behind by double digits at the start of a game and want to make things more challenging for themselves? Do they skip warm-ups and need to wake up 10 to 20 minutes before a game? Maybe their alarm clock wakes up just 10 minutes later than usual on game day? I’m open to everyone and any suggestions because I really don’t know anymore.
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Obviously, there’s a lot of irony in the opening picture, and I’m sure the scheme and coaching have something on it, but this issue clearly isn’t going away and will continue to eliminate any ceiling for the Spartans in the long run. We’ve now seen them get off to slow starts in three of their last four games, and you could say the Illinois game was a slow start as well, if you will, and I wouldn’t counter that too much. This has become a recent trend and has cost the Spartans a few times recently, and if they don’t address this issue, they will lose their season in March.
A poor start once again proved to be a killer for the Spartans, and unlike their other recent opponents, Wisconsin hit them hard in defeating them. This is what can happen in March and you find your season is over in the blink of an eye.
Cohen Carr is the only bright spot
If you’re looking for a glimmer of joy in this brutal show, I give you Cohen Carr.
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Carr was one of the few bright spots in a tough loss, scoring 19 points for the Spartans. What impressed me was that he started looking for shots early and hit some timely jumpers before the game got out of hand.
Carr has been a key factor in the Spartans’ resounding success this season, and while his performance tonight has no impact on the final outcome, it could have an impact in mid-to-late March. If Michigan State is going to continue playing in March, they’re going to need more of what they got from Carr on Friday.
No chance at Big Ten title, fight for seeding
Well, there won’t be a Big Ten championship banner hanging in the Breslin Center. A loss to Wisconsin all but sealed that fate, so now it’s time to focus on the NCAA Tournament.
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In theory, of course, Michigan State could win, while the Wolverines, who currently have a firm grip on the Big Ten, have three other potential losses. However, after tonight’s performance and recent poor performance, I would be shocked if we saw Michigan State win their last six games or even put themselves in a position to win the conference. So, in my opinion, this loss ultimately ends their chances of winning the Big Ten and now it’s just about finishing the season strong and maintaining a solid seed in the Big Dance.
According to most bracket experts, Michigan State entered the night as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, and a road loss to Wisconsin wouldn’t change much. If they can protect their home court and beat Indiana, Purdue or Michigan State on the road, they should be firmly in the seeding row. Now it’s no longer about conference play, but it’s time to focus on piling up wins and improving your tournament resume. Ultimately, it’s not the worst thing in the world.
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This article originally appeared on The Spartan Wire: Three takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s upset loss at Wisconsin
