Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from scary BTT win over Maryland

A meltdown in the final minutes nearly led to a Michigan State basketball loss to Maryland to open the Big Ten Tournament. What’d we learn from this one?

It’s never easy anymore. Michigan State basketball built a 20-point second-half lead for the second straight game against Maryland and the Terrapins cut the huge lead to single-digits before it was all over. The Spartans struggled down the stretch to put Maryland away.

This was actually the third time this season in which Michigan State led Maryland by 15-plus in the second half only to watch that comfortable lead melt away.

Michigan State was up 20 with just over 10 minutes left and then watched as the full-court press led to a multitude of turnovers and Maryland cut it to two before finally winning thanks to some clutch free throws.

What’d we learn from this scary win?

3. Max Christie got his mojo back

From the start, it was clear that Max Christie had his shot going. He was comfortably finding open spots on the floor and he was making his threes which has been a struggle all season for him.

Christie led the team in scoring, putting up 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting, making all three of his 3-point attempts and 5-of-6 free throws, including two that put Maryland away for good late.

If Michigan State can get a confident Christie moving forward and avoid late-game meltdowns, the Spartans could be a factor in the NCAA Tournament. It was good to see him get his mojo back.