Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball went 1-1 last week, falling to 2-3 over the past five games with tough losses to UCLA, USC, and Indiana. All three of those games probably should've been wins, but this February lull happens to pretty much every contending Michigan State team.
This team is no different.
The Spartans probably should be 21-4 or 22-3 at the very worst, but those losses to UCLA and Indiana could end up haunting them for the rest of the season -- hopefully they're not the difference between a mid-level seed and no Big Ten title and a top seed and a conference crown.
While it's been a little bit of a rough patch, the second halves against Oregon and Illinois (out-scored Oregon by 26 in the second half and Illinois by 18) showed that the Spartans may be turning a corner.
This week could further prove that and give Michigan State a leg up in the Big Ten title race. A 2-0 week would not only give Michigan State a spot atop the standings with three weeks left but it could vault the Spartans back into the top 10 again and on track for a 2/3-seed.
Purdue comes to East Lansing on Tuesday and Michigan State has a chance to deliver the final blow to the Boilermakers' Big Ten title hopes with a win. That would give the Boilermakers five conference losses with four games left which means they'll have to win out to have a legit shot. Then Michigan State goes to Ann Arbor on Friday night to face the top team in the Big Ten, Michigan. A win there would give Michigan State the top spot in the standings again with four games left.
A 2-0 week would be massive for Michigan State's Big Ten title hopes as the final four games are not going to get any easier with Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan (again) looming.
This could be the start of a legendary run or a continuation of the clunker that has been the past three weeks.