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Michigan State Basketball: 3 things we learned from Maryland loss

By Connor Muldowney

Feb 26, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball has had a tough end to the season, capped with a Maryland loss, and here’s what we learned.

How frustrating has this 2016-17 season been for Michigan State basketball? It’s definitely one of the most up-and-down years in recent memory and you can probably bet that the players (outside of the seniors) and coaches are looking forward to next year.

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

With a 63-60 heartbreaking loss to Maryland on Saturday afternoon, Michigan State fell to 18-13 on the season and just 10-8 in conference play. While it was a tough pill to swallow with a near-buzzer-beater from Melo Trimble, the Spartans still matched up well with the Terrapins and were a turnover away from maybe winning it.

Let’s take a look at three things we learned from the heartbreaking loss.

1. Tom Izzo is trimming the rotation

It’s pretty clear at this point that Tom Izzo is ensuring that he has a shorter, more cohesive, bench come NCAA Tournament time. The Spartans were dipping into the bench and playing guys like Matt Van Dyk 10-plus minutes per game, but not against Maryland. While Van Dyk did play, the trio of him, Kyle Ahrens and Kenny Goins played just 22 combined minutes. Matt McQuaid and Cassius Winston have become the two main components off the bench, playing 27 and 25 minutes, respectively.

2. Miles Bridges, Nick Ward can’t do it all

The dynamic freshman duo of Miles Bridges and Nick Ward went off for monster numbers on Saturday, but the Spartans still couldn’t overcome the Terrapins. The two combined for 40 of Michigan State’s 60 points as well as 24 rebounds and two blocks. If the rest of the team played average, the Spartans would have come away with a victory. However, everyone else combined for 20 points and the team shot just 37 percent from the floor. Those two can’t continue to carry this team, someone else has to step up.

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3. Maryland got away with a technical on the last play

Let’s face it, the game would have been a lot closer (yes, even slimmer than three points) if the referees correctly whistled the last play as a technical on Maryland. The Spartans didn’t lose because of the refs, let’s get that straight, it was the inability to make shots down the stretch, but having 11 Terrapins on the floor after Melo Trimble’s go-ahead shot with 1.1 seconds left is a cause for a technical nine times out of 10. Michigan State gets those two shots and the ball back and the game is completely different.

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