Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from embarrassing Purdue loss

1. This one is on Tom Izzo

You can be a Hall of Fame coach and still make some incredibly poor decisions that lead to one of the most inexcusable losses in years.

For the second time in four games, Michigan State lost a game in embarrassing fashion. For the fourth time to start Big Ten play in just six contests, Michigan State already has four losses. This one might just hurt the most because of what a win may have done for the Spartans.

Just because you’ve made eight Final Fours, have won a national title and are coming off back-to-back-to-back regular season Big Ten titles doesn’t make you immune to criticism or blame. Tom Izzo knows that. He knows he deserves blame for what happened in the second half on Friday night.

Izzo knows he probably should have played more Marcus Bingham Jr. and Mady Sissoko in the second half on Trevion Williams. He knows they played well against him in the first half, holding him to just two points. Instead, he kept Joey Hauser on him and Williams ate his lunch.

Izzo knows that he has to get the right lineups in there in key situations. He didn’t do that in the second half when the offense desperately needed a spark.

This loss is just as much on Izzo — if not more — as it is on the poor offense in the final 20 minutes.