Michigan State surprised a lot of people on Friday night — in the worst possible way. The Spartans came out flat and put up a dud in a 12-point loss to Michigan in East Lansing, 83-71.
Panic is beginning to set in, but it’s one loss and there’s no reason for that.
The sky isn’t falling, despite what fans on social media tell you, and here’s why.
1. This team is full of “dawgs”
Toughness wasn’t exactly something anyone was worried about regarding Michigan State before the loss to Michigan, but that was an issue on Friday night.
Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Cam Ward, and Divine Ugochukwu are usually exuding toughness, but they didn’t exactly show that against the Wolverines which led to the double-digit loss in East Lansing.
I’m not worried because this team is full of Spartan “dawgs” and leaders who will right the ship and hold everyone accountable. If you think that this is going to spiral out of control with Kohler and Jeremy Fears, you haven’t watched the first three months of the season very closely.
2. This was an all-time bad shooting performance
While it’s fair to be worried about the team’s shooting after watching a 37 percent outing against Michigan, it’s not exactly a normal occurrence for this team. Sure, the Spartans could afford to be better in the half court, but shooting hasn’t been a problem all season.
Michigan State shot 37 percent from the floor and 17 percent from deep. They couldn’t hit open shots and were taking some really bad shots, too. That’s not going to win you many games.
But this isn’t an every-game thing. Let’s pump the breaks on the panic over recent shooting woes.
3. There’s so much season left
Michigan State falling to 9-2 in the Big Ten hurts because it puts the Spartans one game behind the Wolverines, but they still essentially control their own destiny. Sure, they will need Nebraska to lose a couple of times since they don’t play again, but if Michigan State can bounce back and go on a streak, they’ll have as much of a chance as anyone to win the league.
Plus, this will be used as a learning experience, and you know Izzo isn’t going to let his team come out flat in the Ann Arbor rematch.
There are nine games left, and Michigan State still has a chance to exact revenge.