Michigan State basketball shows grit, potential amid glaring flaws in loss to No. 1 Kansas

ATLANTA – Tom Izzo put on his glasses and scanned the stat sheet.

He didn’t need his readers – or a piece of paper – to know going 3-for-24 on 3-point attempts proved problematic. But there were a number of promising moments for Michigan State basketball in a 77-69 loss to No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic.

And plenty of negatives beyond the continued outside shooting doldrums.

“We played a very good team, we were right in the game most of the way,” Izzo said in the aftermath inside State Farm Arena. “But there’s some positives that come out of this. And now we’ve got to figure out how to make some shots.”

Jeremy Fears Jr. of the Michigan State Spartans draws a foul as he chases down a loose ball against Dajuan Harris Jr. of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half of the State Farm Champions Classic at State Farm Arena on Nov. 12, 2024 in Atlanta.

An upside? The Spartans (2-1) fiercely scrapped and clawed all night against the Jayhawks (3-0), showing character-defining grit. They trailed by 10 just once, in the waning seconds of the first half, and tied it five times in the second half. Even though they never could fully take advantage of Kansas’ own offensive struggles.

“I think this group will never back down,” said senior transfer Frankie Fidler, who led MSU with 15 points and added eight rebounds. “We got tough guys, and I think our will to win is high. But I think tonight, it came down to missing those shots that didn’t get us over that hump.”

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A downside? MSU’s starters went a meager 9-for-36 between them for just 35 points and 16 rebounds. Fidler went 3-for-12, Jaden Akins was 1-for-8 with just two points. Xavier Booker missed all five of his shots and finished scoreless.

“When we tied it, we just would end up taking a bad shot or missing a shot, and they will come down and get fouled or score and kind of stop…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-basketball-shows-grit-182732770.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-11-13 18:27:00

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