MSU runs over Michigan, jumps back in title hunt
Saturday went about as well as Spartan fans could have expected with MSU’s 90-71 dismantling of Michigan and Iowa’s 74-61 loss to Minnesota. MSU is still a game out of first place but are at least within striking distance.
MSU will need more of what it got on Saturday from its three stars if they expect to stay in the title hunt. Shannon Brown had 26 points, Paul Davis added 18 points and 12 rebounds, while recently struggling Maurice Ager recovered from his slump with 19 points. Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal reports that MSU will have to continue to play that way to stay in the conference race.
Four days after clanking up the joint in an ugly loss at Iowa, the No. 16 Spartans were offensively prolific again in the comforts of Breslin Center. They smashed rival Michigan 90-71 Saturday, and Iowa’s upset loss at Minnesota means they’re back within a game of the Hawkeyes in the loss column.
In other words, if MSU (19-7 overall, 7-5 Big Ten) wins its last four, three of which are at home, and 9-4 Iowa loses once more, a share of the title will reside in East Lansing.
“Put it like this: If we play like we can play - we don’t have to play out of our minds, just play like we can play,” MSU senior center Paul Davis said, “and Iowa slips up one more time, I think we’ll be hanging a banner.”
Dave Dye of the Detroit News writes that with the convincing win, MSU proved once again that it is still king of the state in basketball.
MSU has won 13 of the last 15 against U-M, including eight straight in East Lansing by an average of 20.9 points.
“They were charged, they were ready,” Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said.
“It was obvious how important this game was to them.”
Home sweet home will do that to you.
“It sure feels good to be home,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “I can’t tell you how much that helped some of our players.
“There wasn’t panic, but there was some disappointment (over recent performances). It’s just one game, but we made some strides.”
Nathan Fenno of MLive.com and the Ann Arbor News reports that UM players, who have now lost four of their last five games, had a hard time making sense of the blow out.
Away from the Breslin Center’s screaming fans waving signs and jumping up and down, Michigan players stood in their stifling locker room Saturday and tried to make sense of what happened.
“We were just spiraling down throughout the whole game,” junior Dion Harris said with a shake of his head. “(Our defense) kind of slacked up as the game went along. Their perimeter really started to get in a groove.”
Added junior Courtney Sims: “They’re a tough team to play, especially when they get it going. They started getting into their rhythm early. Once they do, they’re a real good team. It was hard to stop them.”