Survive and advance is the theme of this time of year and the Spartans embraced that on Sunday afternoon. The Ohio State vs Michigan State basketball game wasn’t exactly pretty, but the Spartans found a way to win 66-60.
Michigan State had to claw its way back into the game after trailing for a good chunk and then the Spartans took a 47-45 lead and never looked back.
Ohio State made it interesting at the end, storming back from down 10 with under two minutes left to pull within three and fortunately Bruce Thornton missed a three that would’ve made it a one-point game and that was curtains for the Buckeyes.
A win’s a win, I guess.
What’d we learn from Michigan State’s ugly win over Ohio State?
1. Jeremy Fears got his “clunker” out of the way
Jeremy Fears hadn’t had a “bad” game in a month, but he got his one ”clunker” out of the way — he was due. It’s good that he got his worst game in weeks out of the way before it really matters. The rest of the regular season is pretty much just for Big Ten and NCAA Tournament seeding, so he has plenty of time to shake this one off and get back on track.
If an 11-point, eight-assist performance is his worst game for the rest of the season, Michigan State will be in good shape in the NCAA Tournament.
Fears was 2-for-7 from the floor which wasn’t his usual effective self. If anyone can bounce back from a bad game, it’a Fears.
2. Michigan State doesn’t win without Carson Cooper
Michigan State played poorly as a team, but Carson Cooper quietly had one of his best games as a Spartan. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three turnovers on 7-of-10 shooting. Cooper was confident with the ball in his hands and he was hitting some big shots down the stretch to help put the Buckeyes away.
Cooper was also 6-for-6 from the line. The improvement there has been fantastic.
We can give everyone a hard time for playing poorly outside of a few guys, and Cooper was the star. Michigan State doesn’t win this game without him which is something I never thought I’d say 2-3 years ago.
3. Can’t let this kill the good vibes from the UCLA win
Michigan State had so many good vibes after that UCLA win. The team looked much more polished and confident against the Bruins, shaking off the Wisconsin blowout loss just days early with a 23-point win. The vibes were high, but those vibes were in jeopardy for a while on Sunday.
The win was ugly and it was a disappointing overall performance, but this is the first back-to-back win this month and it just needs to carry over into the Purdue game. The team can’t let this kill any confidence.
Fortunately leaders like Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr, Fears, and Carson Cooper won’t let this season spiral out of control.