Watching MSU basketball has been like walking in the desert.
You’re walking for a long, excruciating amount of time, and your dehydrating body aches and yearns for a drink of water. You see something that vaguely looks like a lake, and you are overwhelmed with joy.
But it’s just a mirage.
MSU hoops has suffered aches and pains the whole season, and players and fans are desperate for a sign of positive things to come. We all watched a great second half against Iowa, and all of the sudden, MSU looked like it was back on the map. But it was just a mirage.
MSU has taken leaps and bounds towards becoming a better team than they were two, three or six weeks ago, but Sunday’s loss to Ohio State let everyone know they can’t be anointed as a team that is “back."
This team still has some serious work before they can be a postseason title contender.
The main player leading the hoopla train after Senior Night was senior guard Keith Appling. His 12 second-half points against Iowa had people thinking he was back to being a threat. It was the day Appling’s shot and confidence returned to him, finally.
However, Appling’s stat line on Sunday proves that he isn’t the player he was two months ago yet - emphasis on “yet.”
It’s also no question MSU struggled against OSU’s stifling defense, turning the ball over an abysmal 16 times. This isn’t anything new, as MSU has committed at least 16 turnovers in its last three games.
If you watched the game, you likely found yourself screaming at the television during some of MSU’s inbound plays. It didn’t help that OSU assigned 6-foot-11 center Amir Williams to cover the inbound, but it certainly didn’t help that there was a lack of communication on the floor for the Spartans.
The lack of communication could be pointed to the roster uncertainty through the last couple of months, but March doesn’t listen to excuses.
Perhaps the last area MSU still has to tweak before postseason play is making teams pay for their mistakes. In the last two minutes of the game, OSU shot 2-of-8 from the free throw line. The Buckeyes practically begged the Spartans to win the game.
The Spartans didn’t want their handouts, as they continued to commit turnovers and didn’t score in the final 4:30 of the game.
Cliché alert: Winning teams make winning plays. The Spartans had a handful of chances to crunch the Buckeyes, but just couldn’t do it.
If you know anything about March Madness, it’s that your team likely will see themselves in at least one close game. Luckily for MSU, they will have the Big Ten Tournament to fine-tune themselves before the Big Dance, where one loss means the end of a season.
And seeing the clock hit zero to end the season is no mirage.
Matt Sheehan is a State News basketball reporter. Reach him at msheehan@statenews.com.
