Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from first-round win over Bucknell

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Xavier Tillman #23 and Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate during the second half against the Bucknell Bison in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans coaches during the second half against the Bucknell Bison in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Closing the door on opponents is still an issue

With an 18-point lead and just minutes to play, the Spartans should have been able to close the door and lock it on Bucknell. The Bison were dead in the water, but lackadaisical defense allowed them to get some open 3-pointers and make the final look much closer than it was.

Why does Michigan State have a tough time closing out opponents?

Like the football team, the Spartans have a tendency to take their foot off the gas, settling for jump shots with a big lead. The football team likes to run the ball in those late-game lead situations while the basketball team has taken a liking to hoisting up contested jumpers instead of pounding the paint.

This inability to put teams away for good has been the Spartans’ issue all season long and that didn’t change against the Bison. The Spartans watched an 18-point lead shrink to just four as the final buzzer sounded.

Sure, there were some miracle threes made, but Michigan State checked out when it held a 72-54 lead. Instead of just assuming a win is in the bag, the Spartans must continue to get the ball to their bigs and led them extend the lead.

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