Five Takeaways: Michigan State holds off Maryland's rally to send seniors out right
Michigan State's 22-point lead was cut down to three in the second half, but the Spartans' rallied to earn a 77-67 win over Maryland to give their seniors one final victory at the Breslin Center.
With the game in hand in the final seconds, seniors Joey Hauser, Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Michael Peterson got their moment to kiss the Spartan logo at midcourt amidst a standing ovation.
The Spartans got off to a great start at both ends of the floor, jumping to a 14-0 start through the first four and half minutes of play. Michigan State connected on five of its first seven shot attempts.
Maryland's first field goal didn't come until the 11:00 mark in the first half, to make it 18-3 in favor of the Spartans. The Terps missed their first 14 shot attempts.
Michigan State's lead grew to as high as 22 points in the first half, before the Spartans went to the locker room with a 46-26 advantage.
The start of the second half was a complete reversal of the first, as Maryland scored the first 10 points of the frame to cut Michigan State's lead in half. The Spartans then stopped the bleeding with back-to-back three-pointers, and then eventually rebuilt the lead to 20 points.
The Terrapins refused to go away however. Later in the half, Maryland went on a 19-2 run to cut its deficit to 61-58 with just over seven minutes left. With the Breslin Center holding its collective breath, the Spartans finally broke out of its slump over the next three minutes, going on a 9-2 run of its own to rebuild their lead to 10 points.
That run put Maryland away for good, as Michigan State held on for a needed victory on 'Senior Night'.
1. Welcome back, Marcus Bingham Jr.
We've been waiting for the senior center to have a big game for quite some time now, and Bingham Jr. more than delivered on 'Senior Night'. The 7-footer scored on an alley-oop jam on the game's first possession, and would go on to knock down 3-of-4 three-point attempts to finish with 12 points. Bingham Jr. made it a double-double with 11 rebounds, and added two steals and a block on defense.
We haven't seen this type of production out of the senior center since he tested positive for COVID-19 back in late December. Maybe it was an inspired performance on 'Senior Night', or maybe it was a sign that Bingham Jr. has finally returned to form. Regardless, the Spartans got what they needed out of the big man today, and they'll be looking for that kind of production again as postseason play gets underway next week.
2. Second half blunders nearly cost Spartans
Michigan State had a complete collapse midway through the second half, allowing the Terrapins to cut what was once a 22-point lead all the way down to three points. During a five-minute stretch in which Maryland went on the 19-2 run, the Spartans had five turnovers and went 1-for-4 from the floor. Tom Izzo has talked about the "cluster of turnovers" throughout the season — a lot of turnovers in a short period of time. The Spartans did an excellent job of taking care of the ball in the first half, with only three giveaways in the first 20 minutes. They ended the game with 14.
Michigan State was able to overcome the turnover cluster today, but these are the stretches of poor play that get you beat in single-elimination tournament games.
3. Hauser, Brown contribute on Senior Night
Gabe Brown has had better offensive days, but the senior made some key hustle plays and came up with some big buckets when Michigan State needed to end those Maryland runs. Brown finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Spartans. Likewise, Joey Hauser's box score won't 'wow' anybody, but he did enough to help Michigan State get over the hump. Hauser finished with three points, five rebounds and five assists. Due to the free year of eligibility given to players because of COVID-19, it's unclear if any of these three seniors — Bingham Jr., Brown and Hauser — will continue their Spartan careers. But, if this is in fact their last appearance at the Breslin, it's good to see them go out with one final victory.
4. Better night offensively for MSU
If there's one thing that Michigan State has consistently got throughout this season is high-volume bench production. That continued today as the Spartan reserves outscored Maryland's bench by a 33-6 margin. Malik Hall finally came alive with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. That is the Malik Hall that has to show up on a game-by-game basis for the Spartans to make a run in the postseason. Julius Marble continued his solid play over the past month, finishing with eight points, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
Michigan State also did a much better job of sharing the basketball on Sunday. Ten different Spartans scored in the game, and Michigan State finished with 21 assists on 27 made baskets. That is team basketball at its finest, and this was the most fluid that the Spartans offense has looked in a long, long time. Was that a product of playing against this opponent, or is it a sign that Michigan State took a step forward on the offensive end. Only time will tell.
5. Big Ten Tournament
With this victory, the Spartans have locked up the No. 7 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament this week. Michigan State has a first round bye, and will get a rematch with this same Maryland team on Thursday. The Spartans will get a much-needed three days of rest before heading down to Indianapolis. Michigan State will carry this win over Maryland with them into postseason play, and will look to build a little momentum in the conference tourney before heading to the Big Dance. Should the Spartans move past Penn State on Friday, they will match up with either Wisconsin or Illinois in the Big Ten quarterfinals.
