Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from emotional loss at Michigan

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Michigan State’s A.J. Hoggard, left, and Joey Hauser,r night, pressure Michigan’s Tarris Reed Jr. during the first half on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.230218 Msu Mich Bball 171a /

2. Second-chance points are killing this team

I feel like I’m saying this after each and every loss, but Michigan State has a habit of giving up second-chance points at a high rate and that’s killing this team.

There was one possession on Saturday night in which Michigan missed 5-6 shots and got the offensive board each time and then finished with a huge bucket to recapture momentum. The Wolverines ended up with 14 offensive rebounds and I’d be willing to bet that a good number of those ended up in second-chance baskets.

If Michigan State was able to even cut that number in half for Michigan, it would have picked up a road win on Saturday night. That would take away 6-10 points for the Wolverines and that six-point lead with about eight minutes left would have been a little more comfortable.

And, heck, that meltdown in the final couple of minutes would have never happened.

Second-chance points thanks to opposing offensive rebounds are killing Michigan State.

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