Michigan State Basketball: 3 positives from tough loss at No. 8 Iowa

Feb 2, 2021; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Joshua Langford (L) and forward Aaron Henry (0) defend the shot of Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tony Perkins (11) during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 2, 2021; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Rocket Watts (2) shoots the ball over Iowa Hawkeyes guard Joe Wieskamp (10) during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The Spartans finally made some shots

The offense finally woke up on Tuesday night and I had a feeling that facing Iowa would have that effect on the Spartans. They don’t exactly have a stingy offense and with solid passing, the Spartans found the open man around the perimeter early and often, finishing with 12 makes from deep on 29 attempts — that’s over 40 percent.

Michigan State made their first six shots from 3-point range on the night which led to a double-digit lead in the first half but the Spartans eventually cooled off.

They did finish shooting over 41 percent from deep which was a huge positive considering they couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat against Purdue, Rutgers and Ohio State. This was a much better offensive showing, but there were still some points left on the board.

A perfect example of points being left on the board would be in the final minute when Josh Langford missed a mid-range jumper which would have tied the game, but it rimmed in and out.

This improvement from 3-point range was a positive and it shows that if they can shoot the way they’re capable, they can hang with — or beat — anyone. Not having Gabe Brown in a game like this definitely hurt.

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