“This is why I like football more than basketball,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “We go to Wisconsin and we can't make a shot, and the Badgers can't miss one, and we come here and we can't miss a shot and UCLA can't make one. But I thought what happened needed to happen. I thought our seniors were really good early. We did a lot of really good things, mostly defensively.”

UCLA has won the majority of its games this season on its ability to shoot the ball. Shooting just over 46% from the field this season via a heavy reliance on smart passing and shifty guard play, it’s become UCLA’s brand of basketball. Against MSU, that brand was taken away. 

The loss of this brand was not gradual, but instant, beginning with MSU’s ability to close out and defend the three-point shot. It was a topic of concern that Izzo wished to address, and on Tuesday, his Spartans did so without struggle. Following a game in which MSU gave up 15 three-pointers against Wisconsin, it allowed only eight.

The three-point defense was intentional, with greater emphasis placed on closing out. It wasn’t a game in which UCLA struggled to shoot, but one in which Spartan defenders stuck to their assignments, limiting open looks and contesting shooters. It was the opposite of what had been seen over the previous four games.

“That was the best we could play,” Izzo said. “We threatened our guys on [defending threes]. So we put a lot into that the last three days. And to [our players] credit, I think we did a pretty good job, because I don’t think UCLA had many open threes.”

UCLA’s inability to shoot from three affected the rest of its game. Without its most reliable weapon, the Bruins resorted to dribble drives and post play — both unsuccessful. MSU was bigger, stronger and more controlled inside. Whenever UCLA drove to the lane or fed the post, Spartan defenders met them with bodies, contesting shots and denying penetration. In essence, UCLA tried to out-physical a program that has thrived on physicality for more than 30 years. 

By halftime, UCLA’s offense was out of commission. It suffered from a lack of identity, resulting in an eight-minute scoreless drought in the first half that allowed MSU to extend its lead — one UCLA never recovered from. While Bruin forward Tyler Bilodeau’s offensive efforts in the second half improved the stat sheet, it was to no avail; from the moment MSU defended the three-point shot, the game was over.

Bilodeau would finish the game shooting 8-for-16 from the field with 22 points and six rebounds. Guard Skyy Clark would also do his best in his second game back from injury, shooting 5-for-11 with 12 points scored. 

Rallying around MSU’s suffocating defense was its blossoming offense. It didn’t come gradually; like its defense, it was instant and it remained constant throughout the game. 

This frontcourt success was highlighted by MSU’s ability to convert from beyond the arc. Good, smart shots fueled offensive runs that UCLA couldn’t stop. A three-pointer by sophomore guard Jeremy Fears sparked a 26-3 MSU run that lasted 10 minutes. During that stretch, MSU hit five three-pointers, piling on points until UCLA was well out of reach. The Spartans finished the night 14-for-27 from three-point range.

The leading catalyst for this three-point fest was Fears, who went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, scoring 16 points with ten assists. Freshman guard Jordan Scott also contributed, shooting 3-for-3 from beyond the arc with 11 points with three rebounds and two assists. Junior forward Coen Carr and sophomore guard Kur Teng also played their part, with Carr shooting 7-for-11 from the field with 16 points and Teng shooting 3-for-5 from beyond the arc with nine points. 

MSU’s shooting success was fueled by its passing. In most of the sets it ran, the sequence followed a pattern: Fears brought the ball up the court and made a pass to the wing. The wing fed the post, and the post kicked it back out. From there, the wing found a cutter or an open shooter, who converted on a shot UCLA couldn’t defend.

It was a game of hot potato — one quick pass led to another — leaving UCLA scrambling to guard a ball that moved with impressive speed.

Like any game, mistakes were still evident. MSU turned the ball over 14 times, and UCLA scored 17 points off those turnovers. MSU also gave up nine offensive rebounds, which helped UCLA score 20 in the paint. 

“We have some things we have to get better at,” Izzo said. “But in general, that was maybe as good as we played on both ends of the court.”

Despite the mistakes, the game was over by halftime. UCLA men’s basketball had traveled 2,000 miles east only to be drubbed by a pair of teams from the state of Michigan in a three-day span.

MSU will look to build on the victory and replicate that performance when Ohio State comes to town Sunday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m.