The Washington Huskies (10-7, 2-4 in conference) faced off with the No. 12 Michigan State Spartans (15-2, 5-1 in conference) on Saturday at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Huskies struggled with the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines’ size on Wednesday, scoring just 28 points in the paint. The Spartans presented another big challenge for the Huskies with their strength on the interior. Michigan State came into the contest holding opponents to 38.6% on two-point field goals and allowing just 8.1 offensive rebounds per game (the fifth fewest in the country)
Washington cannot match Michigan State’s intensity
The Spartans dominated the first 20 minutes of action with physical defense and aggressive rebounding. Michigan State beat Washington in both turnover margin (9-4) and offensive rebounding (7-1). The Spartans’ advantages in those areas help them control the half, as they outscored Washington in second-chance points (9-3) and points off turnovers (9-4). Danny Sprinkle spoke after the game about Michigan State’s intense style of play:
“You know, their intensity, their toughness, they don’t like, they don’t have many breakdowns, you know, they don’t. And all their players play with an edge, which is really impressive…Their pace is tremendous offensively, you know, Fears is a great point guard, man. He gets the ball up that floor, and the wings are running, but they just put a lot of pressure on you in transition defense, and then rebounding”, said Sprinkle.
Michigan State also had a balanced scoring attack with nine players recording a first-half point. The Spartans had 17 points off the bench, while the Huskies had none. Michigan State’s depth, rebounding, pace of play, and defense overpowered Washington, as the Spartans went into the halftime break 39-31.
Washington scores inside, but struggles with Michigan State’s physicality early
The Huskies worked the ball inside to their big men in the first half. Washington had a 24-12 advantage over Michigan State in the paint. Franck Kepnang and Hannes Steinbach combined for 17 points in the game’s first 20 minutes. However, the Huskies continued to struggle from behind the arc. After going 9/33 from the perimeter against Michigan on Wednesday, Washington was 1/11 from three-point range in the first half against Michigan State.
Huskies play with more fire out of halftime, but were unable maintain the intensity for 20 minutes
In the second half, Washington played hard for eight minutes of action against Michigan State. The Huskies cut the Spartans’ lead to 48-43 by playing solid defense and attacking the paint. Franck Kepnang and Hannes Steinbach combined for 13 second-half points. Zoom Diallo also added 9 points, mostly off drives to the basket and free throws. Unfortunately, three-point shooting continued to be a struggle, as the Huskies shot just 2/8 from the perimeter. Those shooting woes from beyond the arc stood in the way of a potential second-half comeback.
The Spartans fed off the energy of their fans in the final minutes of the game
The Spartans played with an added intensity in the last 12 minutes of the game, thanks to a massive contingent of Michigan State fans who made the trip to Seattle to watch the game. Despite playing on the road, the Spartans had a home-like atmosphere with over half the fans supporting them. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo spoke after the game about the rare occurrence of Spartan fans being the prevailing road crowd:
“Now I don’t know if it was because the Seahawks are playing and there were tickets available…I don’t know, um, why there were so many Michigan State people, but that was unbelievable. You know, I’ve never sent my team out after we came into the locker room, and they were chanting, and I just said you know, I’m still going to have some fun in this frickin’ job. Cause there’s not a lot of fun in it anymore. And that wasn’t against anybody or anything. It was thanking people that have been very loyal to me for, 30, 40 years. And I think that’s one thing we have at our place that a lot of people would like to have, and I think it was evident and the people and our players were so excited to get back out there with them”, said Izzo.
Spartan guard Jeremiah Fears gave Michigan State fans plenty to cheer about. Fears scored 14 points, had three assists, and a steal to help Michigan State finish off Washington. Besides Fears, as a team, the Spartans dominated the offensive glass again (6-2) and the turnover margin (3-1). Michigan State also had more second-chance points than the Huskies (6-3) and points off turnovers (6-2). The Spartans outworked Washington en route to an 80-63 victory.
Washington’s head coach finds positives despite the loss
The Huskies have played the toughest schedule of any team in the Big Ten in January. So far, Washington has played three teams ranked in the top 12 of the national AP Poll. Even though his team is (1-4) this month, the Huskies’ head coach believes he has seen progress:
“And that’s the one thing, like, it’s crazy because I know the outcomes aren’t what we wanted against “Michigan and Michigan State and Purdue. Like, those teams are going to beat a lot of teams, you know, but the one thing, like, we’ve gotten better. Like, there was even stuff tonight. You know, that’s the number two defense in the country. And pretty much every year. And we still manufactured, you know, we were 12 to 15 inside the three-point line in the first half. I think for the game, we were like, you know, 22 of 33, inside the three-point line, you know, and it’s just knocking down threes. You know, we played against an elite defense, and we scored at the rim. You know, we outscored them in the paint, you know, 42 to 32. That doesn’t happen to Michigan State a lot…”
“And so, you know, it’s, I don’t, and I will show film with our guys, like, there’s stuff we to learn from. You know, and it’s the stuff that we can control. Like I mentioned, the free throw box outs. You know, guarding guys one-on-one keeping them in front, chesting up. You know, and its those margins that we have to get better at because controlling the shots, like, we have to shoot them and there will be games that we make them, but other stuff, that’s my concern”, said Sprinkle.
Washington has been doing a better job working the ball inside and scoring in the paint. Outscoring Michigan State in the paint was another encouraging sign. However, three-point shooting has continued to be a problem for the Huskies. Washington is shooting 27.2% from beyond the arc for the month. Against the Spartans, the Huskies shot 3/19 (16%) from the perimeter. Despite another poor shooting night, Sprinkle continues to believe that the shots will eventually go in from deep.
What’s next for Washington
The Huskies’ loss to No. 12 Michigan State drops them to (10-8 overall, and 2-5 in conference) on the season. Washington’s next game is against another tough Big Ten opponent. The Huskies will hit the road to face the No. 8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (18-0 overall, and 7-0 in conference) on Wednesday, January 21st, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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