Spartans miss Trannon, can’t stop 4-guard offense
MSU felt the loss of Matt Trannon in Wednesday’s 79-68 loss to Ohio State at the Breslin Center. Steve Grinczel of MLive.com writes that MSU is heading into the postseason with a noticeable limp. With the win, OSU is probably in the driver’s seat for the Big Ten title due to their favorable overall conference schedule.
“We still have two titles left to go for and we’re definitely capable of making runs like we have in the past,” Davis said. “The Big Ten is wide open like it always is, and we have three games to give us momentum going into March, which has always been our month.”
But, the Spartans will be shorthanded, a condition that cost them dearly against the 13th-ranked Buckeyes.
Ohio State attacked Michigan State with a four-guard lineup that makes 3-point field goals from all but the center position.
Todd Shulz of the Lansing State Journal writes that MSU relies on Trannon more than most fans probably realize.
Trannon’s future may be on the gridiron. But at the moment, he means more to MSU coach Tom Izzo’s team than he’s ever meant to John L. Smith.
“Matt plays a bigger role on our team than most people realize,” MSU point guard Drew Neitzel said. “He’s the glue guy for us.”
And things could get sticky for the Spartans if Trannon - who is out a minimum of three weeks - can’t return for the NCAA Tournament, where they could easily draw a group of gunners similar to Ohio State.
We wondered how much losing Trannon would hurt this team. On Wednesday, it was excruciating.