For just the third time in program history, Michigan State basketball is 19-2.
It took some scratching, crawling, and maybe a bloody lip and ripped jersey or two, but the Spartans were able to come from behind to beat Rutgers on the road in one of the sneakiest atmospheres in the Big Ten. The crowd in Piscataway didn’t care that their team was 9-11 entering the game, they were ready to witness one of the biggest upsets of the college basketball season.
Unfortunately for them, they watched a double-digit lead disappear in the final five minutes as the Spartans crawled out of a hole to beat the Scarlet Knights in overtime, 88-79.
It was ugly, the first half was almost disrespectful to the sport of basketball, and it was stressful, but as crazy as it sounds, Michigan State needed a game like this.
Michigan State needed one of those heavy adversity games where it feels like nothing goes its way, but the Spartans eventually find a way to grind out a tough win in a hostile environment. Michigan State’s toughness was tested in the final minutes, and Jeremy Fears and Co. answered the bell.
Fears and Jaxon Kohler got after Tom Izzo in some huddles — which the Hall of Famer loves — and they responded to the adversity with a nine-point overtime win
This is a game that’s going to help the Spartans down the line
Six straight Michigan State games leading into Tuesday night were decided by at least 10 points. The Spartans hadn’t had a tight game since the Nebraska loss, and you could tell that they learned from that one down the stretch against Rutgers. That loss helped Michigan State on Tuesday.
This near-loss is now going to help the team eventually down the line. The next time there’s adversity or Michigan State finds itself in a hole, it’ll remember what happened against Rutgers when everyone counted the Spartans out.
Teams can get “fat and sassy”, as Izzo often says, when they’re not tested and they’re on cruise control, but the Spartans found out on Tuesday night that they’re not unbeatable.
Call it a wake-up call, call it an ugly win, call it whatever you want. This game is going to pay off at some point.