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Michigan State Basketball: Is it finally time to panic after Illinois loss?

By Connor Muldowney

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Kenny Goins #25 of the Michigan State Spartans chase down the ball during the first half of the game at State Farm Center on February 5, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Kenny Goins #25 of the Michigan State Spartans chase down the ball during the first half of the game at State Farm Center on February 5, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Is it time for Michigan State basketball fans to panic after dropping three straight games, the latest coming at Illinois?

Three straight. That number of losses in order hadn’t happened for Michigan State since Cassius Winston and Nick Ward were freshmen, and they looked like just that on Tuesday night in Illinois.

The Fighting Illini forced 24 Michigan State turnovers and the No. 9 Spartans were shocked on the road in Champaign, being handed their third straight loss — this one the most embarrassing of the bunch as it came against a 7-15 squad.

Credit Illinois for being the more aggressive team and stepping up defensively, but the Spartans didn’t play their own game, yet again, which led to the defeat.

How do you lose on the road against a team you probably should have beaten by double-digits? You pass to the wrong-colored jersey and fail to rebound the ball on the defensive end. Illinois had plenty of fast-break points, points off turnovers and second-chance buckets, giving the Spartans all they could handle and wearing them down.

After yet another tough loss, is it time for this team to press the panic button?

In my opinion, it’s definitely time to be weary, but panic is a strong word. Three losses in the big scheme of things is minimal and it’s better to get them out of the way now, but the way this team has been losing is the worst part. They’ll show fight for small bursts, but the Spartans haven’t put together a full 40 minutes since their win against Maryland at home — yes, I’m including the win at Iowa in that because they were down big there.

This team can turn things around if it extends the bench, cuts the turnovers and sloppy play and keeps opponents off the offensive glass. That quest to get back on track starts this weekend against Minnesota.

We will learn a lot about this team from what it shows against the Golden Gophers. Will the Spartans play uninspired ball for the fourth straight game or will they come out angry and put Minnesota away before halftime?

Panic? Not so fast, my friends. But don’t get comfortable anymore. This team has yet to prove it can overcome adversity, and it’s facing that for the first time this year.

Next. MSU basketball: Game-by-game predictions for February. dark

Michigan State has lost three straight before and still ended the regular season strong — just ask Denzel Valentine and Co. Hopefully this squad has better NCAA Tournament luck.

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