Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from emotional loss at Michigan

1. The Spartans let Michigan hang around too long

For a while, it looked like Michigan State just needed to get that one stop and the game would be in hand and all the Spartans would need to do is hang on for a big road win at Michigan.

After Joey Hauser hit a 3-pointer to put the Spartans up 63-57, it felt like that was the boost this team needed. Following the under-eight timeout moments later, Michigan State turned the ball over and it led to a quick Michigan State bucket and the Wolverines went on a bit of a run to take a lead, 65-63. Michigan State was then playing catch-up from that point on.

Earlier in the game, Michigan State was up 33-25 and had a chance to extend a comfortable lead right before halftime and then a turnover led to a Kobe Bufkin 3-pointer on the other end and Michigan scored six straight points to pull within two and really continue to hang around.

The entire game felt like Michigan State had opportunities to put this game away, but it could never seem to close the door. And that’s been a theme all year (Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, and Gonzaga all come to mind).

You just can’t let teams hang around for too long because they’ll end up striking.