4 Takeaways: Michigan State blows 13-point lead in final 94 seconds in loss to Iowa
Michigan State led 91-78 with 1:34 left on the clock...and lost.
The Spartans led by 10 with 40 seconds left...and lost.
MSU shot 11-for-13 from three-point range, 63.3% from the floor and 28-for-32 from the free throw line in regulation...and lost.
I can't believe what I just saw, but I can say with relative certainty that Michigan State's 112-106 overtime loss to Iowa on Saturday afternoon is the most inexplicable defeat in Tom Izzo's 28-season head coaching career.
Here are four takeaways trying to explain what happened:
1.) Rebounding nightmare
We praised the Spartans for their effort on the glass earlier this week in the win over Indiana, but this has been one of Izzo's worst rebounding teams of his coaching tenure, and that reared its ugly head again today.
Michigan State surrendered a ghastly 15 offensive rebounds to an Iowa team who plays an undersized center in Filip Rabraca. Those 15 second-chance opportunities led to 29 points for the Hawkeyes, eight of which came in that final minute and a half in regulation.
Izzo elected to go "small ball" with a primary lineup of A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Jaden Akins, Malik Hall and Joey Hauser, while mixing in Mady Sissoko periodically. It worked wonders for the Spartans' offense but, combined with poor box outs, it left MSU susceptible on the defensive glass.
2.) Defensive collapse
Credit Iowa for making shots under pressure. The Hawkeyes went 6-of-9 from three-point range in those final 94 seconds, including each of their last four.
At the same time, several of those were pretty good looks, which is mind-boggling. The only way Iowa gets back in the game is by hitting threes, but defensively Michigan State didn't react to the barrage of triples and start exclusively defending the three-point line until there was about 25 seconds left.
Izzo said after the game that the loss was due to "piss-poor coaching" and I've got to agree with him on that.
3.) Turnovers...again
Spartan turnovers were the only reason why this game was close in the first half. When Michigan State took care of the basketball it scored at will.
However, MSU had an abysmal nine giveaways in the first 20 minutes, leading to 12 points for the Hawkeyes. There was a stretch early in the game in which Michigan State turned the ball over on five consecutive possessions.
Hot shooting covered up the Spartans' lack of discipline with the basketball for the majority of the game, but when an unimaginable collapse like this one happens, you go back and look for reasons why it happened and all those wasted possession glare back at you.
Michigan State finished with 15 turnovers — two of which came in the final 1:34 of regulation, and another coming in overtime — which Iowa converted into 17 points.
4.) Why didn't MSU foul on Iowa's last possession?
With 10 seconds left, A.J. Hoggard missed his first free throw in 12 attempts, and Michigan State led by just one possession with the score sitting out 101-98.
This is a textbook "foul the opposing team before they get a three-point shot off" situation, but Izzo said he never considered fouling on the final play.
Even in a normal situation that's a questionable decision, but given the fact that Iowa was blazing hot from distance in that final minute, it's truly unbelievable that the thought of fouling never crossed Izzo's mind.
The only explanation I have is this — Michigan State used its final timeout with 19 seconds left when they were up by five points, and there would have been no reason to discuss the last possession scenario in that final timeout. Then, when Hoggard misses his second free throw, the ball is live and Iowa brings the ball up quickly, negating any time for MSU to process the situation.
Hey, I'm not calling it a good explanation.
As a result, Iowa performs a little dribble handoff, the Spartans botch the defensive exchange, and Payton Sandfort knocks down a wide-open look with three seconds left to send the game to overtime. Just baffling.
Up Next
A loss like this late in the season can be debilitating. With the opponents the Spartans have upcoming, there was a huge opportunity here to build some serious momentum heading into March.
Michigan State had just knocked off No. 17 Indiana, was 94 seconds away from a confidence-boosting road win, and would follow it up by playing the bottom of the Big Ten Conference next — Nebraska, Ohio State and possibly Minnesota.
Instead, that momentum came to an abrupt halt, and all the confidence from a scorching-hot shooting day evaporated instantly.
Michigan State (17-11, 9-8) returns home on Tuesday, wrapping the month of February by hosting the Cornhuskers (14-14, 7-10). The Spartans then open March by hosting Ohio State (11-17, 3-14) next Saturday.
