BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Head coach Tom Izzo was frank and visibly distressed after Saturday’s loss to Indiana.
The Spartans (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten) came close against the Hoosiers (14-6, 4-3 Big Ten), but were ultimately outshot and out-rebounded for another road loss in conference play. MSU trailed by as much as 20 points in the early parts of the second half, with the help of a 33-point performance from junior guard James Blackmon Jr., tying a career-high.
“I was so disappointed in our effort defensively in the first half, but I was so impressed with Indiana on the other side of it,” Izzo said in his opening remarks following the 82-75 loss to Indiana. “They just dribble-drawn us, bullied us, posted us, they did a good job. Boys against men.”
After what had the hints of a blowout loss in the early stages, MSU was unable to stop the tandem of Blackmon and junior guard Robert Johnson, who combined for 50 of Indiana’s 82 points. None of MSU’s guards had an answer for the Hoosier guard or wing. In the first half alone, the Hoosiers gained their first six shots from 3-point range and hit seven triples prior to halftime.
Izzo said during the week he was looking for more production from his shooting guards and expecting the upperclassmen to step up. Fifth-year senior Eron Harris was the only wing to do so, finishing with a team-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting with two rebounds and two assists.
“That’s part of the problem we have,” Izzo said. “We all know Eron (Harris) played well, but other than that our upperclassmen didn’t play as well. … When we guarded better, they didn’t get all those threes. When we guarded, we got some breakouts, we put some shots up.”
Freshmen guards Josh Langford and Cassius Winston were held to five points each. Sophomore Matt McQuaid had three turnovers in the first half and senior Alvin Ellis III finished with one field goal on two shots. Winston, however, was able to fuel the late second half comeback for MSU with quick passing plays, screens and assists.
“In the second half I stepped up to the challenge,” Winston said. “I still had some lapses and things like that, still a lot of stuff I had to fix. The beginning of the game I have to be ready. I’m not the best defender. It hurts this team a lot of times, so I have to be ready. I’ve got to stay solid. I might not be the best defender but I have to stay solid. Hold my yard, keep my man in front of me and things like that. I’m doing a disservice to this team right now and I have to fix that.”
Even though Harris carried the Spartans to a near-comeback with his work in the front court, Harris couldn’t put a hold on Blackmon.
“As a competitor, I’m just so mad right now,” Harris said after the game. “If I could take it back, he wouldn’t have made some of the buckets that he got and in the beginning of the game, some guys wouldn’t have had some of the buckets they got. They won that game because of how they started in the game.”
Harris took the loss personally but had advice for the team moving forward, getting the team mentally tough to play a whole game without any problems, as the team continues the Big Ten season.
“Just get more cerebral,” Harris said. “We got to be ready to almost die for this because I think that’s the point we don’t want to get to … this game was like a wake-up call for us. We’ve got people on this team that want to win. I don’t think we’re going to falter, we’re not going to go down. We’re not going to go down like this, we’re going to fight because that’s what we do.”
Defending shots from behind the arc was a point of concern for the Spartans for the second-straight game. MSU will end the two-game road trip winless after allowing 21-for-47 3-point attempts in contrast to the 25 triples given up in the prior five games to kick off conference play.
After the loss, MSU has dropped two straight and fallen into the thick of the Big Ten standings. MSU will host No. 21 Purdue on Tuesday, in dire need of finding new life before the quick turnaround. Despite now being 1-3 in conference games away from the Breslin, MSU is 3-0 at home and will to continue to look for its consistency against the Boilermakers.
“You have to be able to play both ends,” Izzo said to end his presser. “Sometimes you get two and you’re giving up three and it doesn’t work.”
