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Michigan State Basketball: Ohio State upset will benefit Spartans in long run

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 4: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Although Michigan State couldn’t figure out how to stop Ohio State on Sunday evening, the upset loss in Columbus will benefit the Spartans in the long run.

Everyone knew a trip to Columbus would be tough, but no one expected a blowout. The game was tight through the first 19, or so, minutes of the game, but Ohio State pulled away from Michigan State right before the half to take a 12-point lead into the locker room.

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How would Michigan State respond in the second half? Not well. The Spartans looked slow on defense and demoralized thanks to a plethora of makes by the Buckeyes which made it seem like the outcome was already decided.

The Spartans didn’t quit, however, as a saved loose ball by Nick Ward where he ran into the stands, flipped it to Miles Bridges who found Cassius Winston for a 3-pointer with about four minutes to go and MSU down 20 showed that this team wasn’t going to just give up.

Sure, the game was firmly in hand, but that’s the type of play that can give the Spartans momentum moving forward and bring these guys closer together as a team.

Ohio State was the better team on Sunday, mostly because Keita Bates-Diop couldn’t miss, and they went on to win by double-digits. That doesn’t mean Michigan State isn’t the best or most talented team in the country, though. That just means that the Spartans have plenty to work on and this is the wake-up call that the team needed.

No team in college basketball is perfect, but the Spartans are as well-rounded a team as there is. Not every game is going to be a give, especially on the road in the Big Ten. Upsets happen and bad games are part of the deal, but it’s how teams respond and work to get better after these losses that prove just how good they are.

Next: MSU Basketball: Game-by-game predictions for January

Michigan State isn’t going to be No. 1 in the polls anymore, but it’ll have plenty of time from now until the end of Big Ten play to prove that rankings at this point mean nothing.

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