Columbus, Ohio - The Spartans may be the best team in the nation at home but they’re no better than average on the road in the Big Ten.
MSU’s 64-55 loss to Ohio State (13-7 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) dropped its conference record to 5-2, 1-2 on the road.
“We have some young guys right now that just don’t understand what it’s like to win on the road in the Big Ten,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “No matter how much you preach it, it’s going to deaf ears right now.
“It’s tough to win on the road. We have to get people to understand that winning at home and winning on the road are two different things.”
Freshmen starters Marcus Taylor and Zach Randolph struggled all game, combining for just 11 points in 43 minutes.
Randolph was bothered by early foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the first half, while Taylor struggled with Buckeye pressure.
Izzo said after the game Ohio State’s pressure was responsible for many of MSU’s problems offensively.
“Ohio State got what they deserved,” he said. “We just didn’t execute on offense and that started with the pressure.”
Buckeye head coach Jim O’Brien, who’s in his fourth season, said MSU on the road or at home is still a tough game.
“Our guys just really stepped it up today,” he said. “They were every bit as tough as they’ve been since I’ve been here.”
Izzo said the Spartans (16-2, 5-2) didn’t play Michigan State basketball. He said MSU was beat-up and down the court from the start and that set the tone.
The Buckeyes opened with a 4-0 run, but MSU answered with an 11-2 run of its own.
After the early bursts by both teams, things slowed down. The Spartans held the 11-6 lead for the next five minutes as both teams displayed solid defensive efforts.
The drought ended with Ohio State forcing two turnovers that resulted in easy fastbreak layups.
Three Buckeye free-throws and a fast-break dunk put MSU down 15-11 and had the 19,200 fans at Value City Arena on their feet.
The Spartans took a timeout with 8:41 to play in the first half. Scoreless for eight minutes, the Spartans went to the hot hand of sophomore guard Jason Richardson straight out of the timeout.
Richardson ended the MSU dry spell with a three-pointer and finished the half with 11 points, 50 percent of the Spartans’ offensive output. However, he disappeared in the second half, fouling out with 2:32 to play.
The lead changed hands six times in the first half before the Buckeyes took a 26-22 lead into halftime.
Early foul trouble limited MSU’s options and forced Izzo to use 11 different players in the first half.
Izzo said the loss of senior forward Andre Hutson early with two fouls hurt the most. He said without Hutson, the Spartan’s fast-break disappeared.
Hutson finished the game as MSU’s leading scorer with 17 points.
The fouls also gave Ohio State a 28-to-14 advantage at the free-throw line for the game. The Buckeyes capitalized on the advantage by scoring 20 points off free-throws.
The second half started with a 12-2 Buckeye run, pushing the lead to 38-24.
Any Spartan attempt to close the gap was answered with one big Buckeye shot after another. Ohio State’s ability to penetrate and find the open man hurt the Spartans all night.
Leading the way for the Buckeyes was guard Brian Brown who had 25 points.
Hutson said MSU can’t get too caught up in the loss and the team’s troubles on the road. He said MSU just needs to get refocused and prepare for Michigan.
“We’re just going to focus on what we did (Saturday) and not look too far into the future,” he said.
