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Michigan State Spartans basketball suffered a dispiriting loss last night to Maryland, 67-60. The Terpins stood tall at the Breslin Center against a surging MSU team in the second half. Mostly thanks to Anthony Cowan Jr. and his 24 points. Now, the Spartans are 17-9 overall and 9-6 in Big Ten Conference games.
Here are three key takeaways from this game:
1. Starting Forward Spot Up For Grabs
Tom Izzo inserted Malik Hall back into the starting lineup in place of Marcus Bingham Jr. Unfortunately, this did not go well for the Spartans. Instead, Malik Hall made poor defensive decisions while shooting 0/2 from the floor. All in all, Hall only played a total of seven minutes in this game.
Marcus Bingham Jr. only played seven minutes as well. Thomas Kithier ended up being the primary Forward for Michigan State. Kithier played 22 total minutes, scoring six points. He also grabbed three boards and blocked one shot. We might get another heavy dose of Kithier against Nebraska.
2. Anthony Cowan Jr. Cooked MSU
Anthony Cowan Jr. went off against Michigan State. Cowan ended the game with 24 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Furthermore, Cowan went on a 10-0 run all by himself to close out the game for his team. No one could stop him from hitting outside shots nor getting to the basket. MSU must strategize better against a dynamic talent like Cowan Jr.
3. Offensive Woes Becoming Worriesome
The Spartans shot 21% from beyond the three-point line as a team. Even worse, only Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman scored in double digits, combining for 32 points. This offense looked really bleak throughout large portions of this game. Especially when MSU pulled ahead and could not sustain their lead.
The rest of Michigan State’s starters scored a total of 14 points. All of the Spartan’s bench scored a total of 14 points. In ten minutes, Gabe Brown did not score any points. That’s hard times. Hopefully, these hard times won’t last.
The Spartans are back in action against Nebraska this Thursday on Feb. 20. The game starts at 8:30 P.M. and broadcasts live on FS1.
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