Sunday’s win over Ohio State didn’t quite please Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo. He was visibly frustrated after the game, saying that sometimes you play poorly and win, sometimes you play great and lose, but Michigan State played horrible and won. Harsh, but true, words from the Hall of Famer.
There wasn’t exactly a lot to like from the win, but there was a lot to dislike.
Here’s what I borderline hated from Michigan State’s ugly win over Ohio State.
1. The quick whistle on Jaxon Kohler
Sure, this might be a knock on the officiating, but only in this regard. I thought the quick whistle on Jaxon Kohler was a little unwarranted and it ruined his second-to-last game at the Breslin Center.
Kohler was whistled for two fouls before the under-16 timeout in the first half and then picked up a third right after he was inserted into the lineup near the end of the first. Then he picked up No. 4 relatively early on in the second half and played only 17 minutes. A couple of the fouls were legit, but he was playing clean defense on the others. He got way too quick of a whistle.
Luckily this wasn’t senior day.
2. The defense on Bruce Thornton
Fortunately this didn’t end up being an upset loss, but if Ohio State was able to pull off the win, Bruce Thornton would go down in Spartan lore as one of those guys whose names shall not be mentioned. He was this close to being on that list with Boo Buie, Hunter Dickinson, and Giddy Potts.
Thornton had an incredible game against Michigan State’s usually-stingy defense, scoring 32 of Ohio State’s 60 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the floor. He was borderline unstoppable no matter who was guarding him. He had his way with Michigan State’s top defenders.
That was obviously one of the most infuriating aspects of this ugly win.
3. Half-court offense
This has been an ongoing struggle for Michigan State for weeks, and it’s getting old. The Spartans’ half-court offense has been good three times over the past month against Maryland, Illinois, and UCLA — that’s just not consistent enough.
Michigan State’s half-court offense has yielded mediocre results for weeks now and that needs to change before the NCAA Tournament begins.
Also, when Jeremy Fears isn’t on the floor, it looks like the team just runs around like chickens with their heads cut off. It’s an ugly sight that needs fixing.