Michigan State basketball has to exhibit short-term memory vs. Nebraska

Losing in the fashion in which Michigan State basketball did on Saturday to Iowa can sometimes derail an entire season. The Spartans were up 11 with a minute left and lost to the Hawkeyes thanks to five straight Iowa threes.

That type of loss can deflate a team, especially when it was a Quad 1 win in the bag but it was ripped away after 39 minutes of domination.

Michigan State will still make the tourney, but this is one of those games that can demoralize the Spartans and rip away confidence moving forward. But Tom Izzo made a declaration that coaching will be better moving forward and it’s up to him to pick his team up off the mat.

With one final road trip approaching this week against Nebraska, the Spartans need to put that loss out of their minds.

Will Michigan State basketball shake this one off?

Michigan State suffered a tough loss at Michigan last week after leading by six late in the second half and then sitting there tied at 72-72 before giving up 12 straight points in the final two minutes and losing. The Spartans bounced back, exhibiting short-term memory against Indiana, winning by 15 points at home.

The same type of situation — maybe even more extreme — is developing this week. Michigan State just lost at Iowa after holding an 11-point lead with a minute left and the Spartans must now find a way to bounce back at Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers have been playing some really good basketball lately and winning in Lincoln will not be easy for this team, but if they can forget the Iowa loss, burn the tape and move on, I think the Spartans could have the same type of success that they had against Indiana following the Michigan defeat.

It might be tough, but it’s time to shake off the Iowa debacle and finish the season strong because this team is good enough to play with and beat just about anyone.