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The Spartans are in the hunt for a national championship this year, which means every single game matters, no matter how tough the opponent is expected to be or how much the game seems to matter.
This was the case last season as well, when the Spartans entered the Big Ten Tournament as one of the teams best suited to win the whole thing, and it didn't look like it would be the end of the world if they lost, because March Madness was right around the corner.
But at the end of the day, MSU lost to the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Tournament, which led to that loss repeating itself against a different team in the March Madness tournament, and it cannot happen again this year.
What Happened Against UCLA
- The Spartans entered the matchup as the higher seed and with every reasonable expectation that they would win, as in their regular-season match against the Bruins, they absolutely dominated and blew them out.
- But that led to an expected easy game, and UCLA came out swinging much harder than in their last meeting, and before anybody could see what was going on, the Bruins were suddenly commanding the game.
- The Spartans were able to make a comeback bid, but it was too little, too late, and they lost the game 88-84; however, it didn't seem like the end of the world because it was not the March Madness tournament, which mattered much more because of the national title on the line.
- But what UCLA did was exactly what would happen against the team that knocked MSU out of the tournament: UConn took a lead, especially at halftime, by being up eight.
- The Spartans tried to pull off a comeback, but it was once again too late, and history repeated itself as they lost by four points, 67-63.
How MSU Can Avoid It This Year
- It is not required that a team win its conference tournament in order to win March Madness, but what can be gleaned from these two losses last year is that MSU cannot afford to run out of steam.
- They have an incredibly deep roster with some stars possibly coming back, and this works to their advantage with a healthy rotation of veterans and freshmen, excellence in the paint, and excellence on the perimeter.
- All that is needed now, more than even a breakout star, is excellence in stamina, which the team certainly has, but they need to ensure they have it when the brightest lights are being shone upon them.
- If that comes by them winning the Big Ten Tournament, then that is an added bonus, but more importantly, they cannot suffer a failed comeback and lose momentum again; history might repeat itself once more.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/michiganstate as What Derailed MSU Last Season, And How It Can Be Avoided.
