Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from bad loss to Michigan State
Michigan basketball was up six in the second half against Michigan State. But that’s when the Wolverines fell apart in what will be a costly loss.
The Michigan basketball team seemed to have all the momentum. The fans were going crazy, as excited as they had been all night following a slam dunk by Ignas Brazdeikis.
Unfortunately, it would be one of the last roars of the night for Michigan basketball fans. Michigan State responded to the dunk with a 17-4 run and after another poor offensive showing by the Wolverines, especially down the stretch, the Spartans beat Michigan 77-70.
The win Sunday at the Crisler Center ended a three-game winning streak for the Wolverines over Michigan State, which beat Michigan without two of its best players, Joshua Langford and Nick Ward, who didn’t play due to injury.
FINAL: Michigan State 77, Michigan 70.@Xaviersimpson3, @_iggy_braz and Poole all score 15+ points, but Michigan comes up short.
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) February 24, 2019
The Wolverines fall at home for the first time in 411 days (January 9, 2018 vs Purdue). pic.twitter.com/BB62M45z0C
The main instigator was Cassius Winston.
In the past couple of years, Zavier Simpson has gotten the better of the Michigan State point guard — three straight times in fact. But Sunday, Winston owned the Wolverines, scoring 27 points and dishing out eight assists. Kenny Goins added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Michigan State shot 50 percent from the field, while the Wolverines were limited to just 36 percent. Michigan was 7-of-26 from the field and lost despite a solid effort from Simpson, who scored 17 points, but finished with five rebounds and five assists.
With three games left to go, Michigan basketball is now 13-4 in the Big Ten and 24-4 overall. Here are three takeaways from the loss to the Spartans.