“Well, I guess credit goes to Ohio State,” head coach Tom Izzo said to open the postgame press conference. “I did not think they’d shoot like that, I’ll be very honest with you. They haven’t shown that all year. I did think they’d play hard. … That’s what happens when your back’s against the wall.”

As for the Spartans, freshman forward Miles Bridges was the only player to score in double-figures, matching a career-best with a game-high 24 points, but turned the ball over six times while the team tallied 17 turnovers.

Bridges said it was difficult for the Spartans to stay competitive in the game between mental mistakes and lapses in concentration.

“We didn’t have the intensity,” Bridges said. “I blame the bigs, myself — we were up on ball screens. We need to help Tum (Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr.) out, and we didn’t get that done. We weren’t communicating a lot, so that’s what happens when you don’t focus.”

Nairn, a junior point guard, and freshman forward Nick Ward both finished with four fouls, limiting their action on the floor against an Ohio State team that outsized the Spartans. Even with the size advantage, however, freshman guard Josh Langford said it’s no excuse in close-game situations.

“It’s not like I really realized how much bigger they were than us because I feel like we played against teams that had that size, even bigger,” Langford said. “I just think it’s a matter of who wants it more. At the end of the day they can be taller than us, they can have five 7-footers, it’s about who wants it more and and I feel like they outworked us today.”

Langford finished shooting 3-for-8 from the field with eight points in 25 minutes one game after a 13-point performance against Minnesota.

The Spartans had a rhythm early in the game, taking a 15-7 lead in the first four minutes of regulation, but quickly lost tempo after a 9-0 run from the Buckeyes to take the lead — a lead Ohio State kept until midway through the second half.

“I felt like we had a great rhythm going,” Langford said. “But we just couldn’t sustain — that’s our biggest problem is sustaining. Once we figure that out, I feel like we’re going to be a great team.”

Finding consistency is the next step in the right direction, especially on the road, Langford said. MSU is now 1-2 in conference games on the road, including a loss to Penn State at the Palestra.

“I think we have to make sure we keep focusing,” Langford said. “Like I said, be consistent in everything we do. Of course being at home it’s different, you’re away and you’ve got a lot of things against you. So you kind of get caught up in all that, but the best thing to do is make sure you come together as a team and keep reminding each other and stay communicating.”

The Spartans will take a six-day hiatus before heading to Bloomington, Ind. to take on Indiana University at Assembly Hall on Saturday with tipoff set for 4 p.m. Langford said beating the Hoosiers will be no easy task for MSU, but the team wants to get back on track.

“It was just a matter of who wanted it more, and I feel like Ohio State beat us out," Langford said.