Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from big win at Ohio State
1. Spartans made second-half adjustments, exuded toughness
A year ago, Michigan State doesn’t win a game like this when its toughness is tested on the road. The Spartans did finished 30-3 — the best record in school history — but they seemed to struggle when teams punched them in the mouth and many wins were ugly because it forced a comeback effort or holding off another team’s furious run.
This season, Tom Izzo is making the right adjustments at halftime and the Ohio State win is a prime example of just how much this team has molded into a contender since the beginning of the year.
In the season-opener, Izzo and the Spartans were trailing Kansas big at the half, but had a surge in the second half to make things interesting. The same happened a few weeks later against Texas in the Las Vegas Invitational where the Spartans were trailing big, but Izzo made the right adjustments and they came back to win by 10.
During a late run in the first half, it looked like this team might crumble on the road in a harsh environment after the Buckeyes made a decent run to lead by seven at the break, but Izzo didn’t let that crush his team. He made the right adjustments in the locker room and the Spartans snagged the lead back within the first five minutes of the second half.
Next. 5 takeaways from MSU loss to Oregon in Redbox Bowl. dark
A combination of perfect halftime adjustments and increased toughness have made this year’s team potentially scarier than last year’s.