Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: 3 things we learned from Purdue loss

By Connor Muldowney

Feb 18, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) talks to guard Eron Harris (14) who injured a knee as teammates gather around waiting for Harris to be taken out on a stretcher during a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeats Michigan State 80-63. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) talks to guard Eron Harris (14) who injured a knee as teammates gather around waiting for Harris to be taken out on a stretcher during a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Purdue defeats Michigan State 80-63. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Purdue took it to Michigan State basketball for the second time this season and here’s what we learned from the Spartans’ loss.

Michigan State had a chance to really cement itself in the NCAA Tournament field with a big win in West Lafayette Saturday over Purdue, but that just didn’t happen. The Boilermakers beat the Spartans for the second time on the year and made it look rather easy.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for month of February

The loss wasn’t the worst news for the Spartans on Saturday, though, as senior guard Eron Harris went down with a scary leg injury and was taken out on a stretcher. Tom Izzo later stated that it was a badly sprained knee but it was made public on Sunday that he would require season-ending knee surgery.

Purdue went on to win 80-63 and Michigan State will now head into Week 16 without Harris and looking to finish the regular season strongly.

1. Spartans need to replace Eron Harris’ production — now

This was the most obvious thing we learned from Saturday’s loss. Fortunately, the Spartans saw three players who may just fill the void that Harris left behind. Michigan State doesn’t have time to test guys out in the Harris role as one of the team’s go-to scorers, so guys like Alvin Ellis III, Josh Langford and Matt McQuaid will be important down the stretch. Those three combined for 29 points on Saturday.

2. Matt McQuaid’s improvement is crucial

On the same note of replacing Harris, McQuaid’s improvement over the next few weeks is crucial. OK, maybe it’s too far to call it improvement but rather regaining of confidence. The sophomore guard has had a poor season offensively and that has led to his failure to confidently shoot the ball like he did as a true freshman in 2015-16. He had 11 points against Purdue and made three big 3-pointers, which was a good sign. If he can continue that, Michigan State will be just fine.

Related Story: MSU Recruiting: Top 7 remaining 2018 basketball targets

3. Michigan State just can’t match up with ‘big’ teams

Let’s face it, Michigan State can’t match up with teams like Purdue. The Boilermakers just have too much size down low and that killed the Spartans throughout Saturday’s game. Kenny Goins was trying to match up with 7-foot-2 center Isaac Haas and that caused him to foul out even though he held his own. Nick Ward fouled out as well trying to guard Caleb Swanigan. Referees are tending to reward the bigger teams in the post and that will kill Michigan State in those matchups.

Home/Spartans Basketball