For a second straight game and the second time since Thanksgiving, Michigan State basketball lost. That's right, the Spartans didn't lose a single game in December and January for the first time in program history and then the second the calendar turned to February, they lost twice.
The Spartans are now 9-2 in conference play, just a half-game behind Purdue at 10-2 and right there with Michigan. For now, it seems like it's a three-team race for the conference title, but Michigan State can't let this second straight loss lead to a third and a fourth, and so on.
I mean, all things considered, Michigan State should have beaten UCLA on Tuesday night, but missed opportunities down the stretch with the game tied or within one score were the difference.
What else went wrong on Tuesday night?
Poor half-court offense
The half-court offense was horrendous on Tuesday night as the Spartans couldn't seem to get anything going in that regard. When the plays were working and guys were sneaking open, the shots weren't falling. Everything felt disjointed in the half court as you could see by those 16 turnovers.
Turnovers
Speaking of turnovers, Michigan State finished with 16 to go along with just 13 assists. But it wasn't just the fact that the Spartans turned the ball over far too much, it was also not being able to make UCLA uncomfortable as the Bruins had just three mistakes all night.
3-point shooting
This one's obvious and doesn't require anything other than saying: it feels like only a matter of time before Michigan State catches fire from deep. Too many solid shooters are struggling. That continued against UCLA, shooting 5-for-22 from deep.
No "alpha"
We all joked that this could become an issue at some point this season, but it really hurt the Spartans on Tuesday night. With the Spartans down 63-61 and under 10 seconds left, Tom Izzo called a timeout and drew up a play. Who would get the ball? No one knew. Heck, Michigan State's own players didn't seem to know as it ended with a poor 3-point shot by Jaden Akins.
There was no alpha dog -- and that could become a major problem.
It's hurt the Spartans minimally this season but if Michigan State wants to make a run in March, someone has to step up in crunch time. Will it be Akins? Will it be Tre Holloman? Will it be Jase Richardson? it has to be someone.
Many other things contributed to this loss, but these were the main shortcomings for this team on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion.