After breaking out of a slump vs. Rutgers, Gabe Brown is the key to a Michigan State basketball bounce-back win over Wisconsin.
Seeing a barrage of 3-pointers hit the bottom of the net on Saturday had to feel good for Gabe Brown who had been in the midst of a month-long slump.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep Michigan State basketball afloat against a suddenly red-hot Rutgers team that shot 62 percent from the floor and out-scored the Spartans 34-16 to end the game after pulling within three in the second half. The game was 50-47 and it looked like the Spartans were going to outlast the Scarlet Knights but Rutgers scored on nearly every possession.
Gabe’s strong offensive game was a good sign that he figured things out with his shot but he can’t be the only one who plays well. He needs help from Malik Hall, Marcus Bingham Jr., Joey Hauser, the point guards, and Max Christie. It can’t be just Brown.
But that doesn’t mean Brown’s revival isn’t important for the team because it absolutely is. It’s what this team has needed for weeks.
It was just a disaster game all-around for the Spartans. They couldn’t make shots outside of Gabe and Rutgers wasn’t missing. One of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country got hot and shot about 50 percent from deep. It was just one of those days.
Gabe is still going to be the key to a bounce-back against Wisconsin. If the Spartans are going to bounce back and pull off a huge home win over the Badgers, Brown needs to maintain this momentum. He saw his shot drop (6-for-7 from three and 7-for-9 from the floor) at a high rate and that’s usually how slumps are ended. He got his confidence back.
If the senior wing can keep this momentum going on Tuesday against the pesky Badgers, the Breslin Center crowd will feed off his energy and help the Spartans pick up a much-needed win.
Saturday was a good sign for Gabe and I think it’ll carry over into Tuesday because Michigan State needs it to.