This isn't where MSU head coach Tom Izzo saw his team 16 games into the season.
The Spartans (8-8 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) are out of the rankings and have been since mid-December. Their .500 record is a shock. MSU is 0-7 against teams ranked in the top 25 and 1-7 in games away from Breslin Center.
What hurts worse, the Spartans - who were tagged No. 3 in the preseason - are playing what Izzo has called their best basketball - and they still are losing.
The ninth-year coach refuses to get down on his team, especially since he is very optimistic about the rest of MSU's conference schedule.
"We're one game out of first," Izzo said. "I'm here and I think we can win every game on our schedule, I really, really do."
The Spartans arguably already have played two of the best teams in the conference on the road in Wisconsin and Purdue, and both teams will come to the Breslin Center late in the Big Ten season.
MSU finishes its three-game road trip on Wednesday at Minnesota, and the Golden Gophers (8-9, 0-5) are the Big Ten's doormat.
"We have the chance to go two out of three on this road trip, which I think you normally would take that," Izzo said. "We're playing our best basketball, we're shooting better that we've ever shot it - there are upsides to everything, it's just hard to see that when you losing."
Hilltopper
Junior guard Chris Hill finished the Purdue game with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, adding six assists with only one turnover.
The numbers were far less gaudy than his 34-point performance against Syracuse last season, one of his eight career 20-point games, or his nine-assist game against Syracuse earlier this season.
Still, Izzo called it Hill's best game in a Spartan uniform.
"I thought Chris did an unbelievable job," Izzo said. "To me, it's one of his best games at Michigan State.
"I just loved his whole demeanor in the huddles. He wasn't grabbing anyone or saying anything, he was just on top of things, telling me what he thought would work, what he didn't think would work. He was sharing information, which is something we need."
Overworked
With Sunday's 76-70 loss to No. 23 Purdue, the Spartans are now 0-2 in overtime games. MSU's other loss in extra time was an 80-77 setback to Oklahoma on Dec. 6, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Both games were vastly similar. Against Oklahoma, the Spartans trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half before staging a comeback to send the game in overtime.
MSU trailed Purdue by 10 points early in the second half before taking a six-point lead that eventually evaporated before overtime.
The Spartans also shot poorly in both overtimes, shooting 2-for-5 against Oklahoma and 3-for-11 against Purdue.
Determining digits
One way to predict the outcome of a Spartans game this season is to look at the halftime score. MSU is 0-8 when trailing at halftime. When the Spartans are tied or leading, they are 8-0.
