Spartans Season Goes from Bad to Embarrassing with 61-57 Home Loss to Michigan

  Breslin Center East Lansing, MI  Coming into this game the Spartan Nation had a 1,181 day winning streak in basketball and football over the

 

 

Breslin Center

East Lansing, MI

 

Coming into this game the Spartan Nation had a 1,181 day winning streak in basketball and football over the University of Michigan. That streak died tonight along with the dreams of greatness the Spartans had for this season.

 

Tom Izzo’s emotion said it all after the game, “Very disappointing game for us…Credit goes to Michigan…Thought my guys were dragging at the end…They deserved to win, they played better than us.” Those aren’t words coming from Izzo that the Spartan Nation takes lightly.

 

His colleague on the bench of the Maize and Blue, John Beilein obviously was elated. He said, “We have a very happy locker room right now. That was a very sweet fight song we sang just now.”

 

The Wolverines were lead by a player that in this rivalry most would have expected he be wearing green and white. The gusty play of junior forward Zach Novak led the Wolverines with 19 points and six rebounds. Including a rare four-point play.

 

The Spartans officially are watching the collapse of a season that they said carried a, “National championship or bust” expectation. Now one has to wonder if the consecutive NCAA tournament appearance record (13) is next?

 

After the game the Spartans seemed disappointed, but resigned to the fact. Their comments were more resigned than angry.

 

Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 27 points. Durrell Summers dropped in 13 and had 10 boards for one of his best all around games of the season. The Spartans shot 44% for the game.

 

Astonishingly Tom Izzo only played his three true bigs, Payne, Nix and Sherman 14 combined minutes. I understand UM is a small team and that creates match up issues. The converse is true that it would create issues for them? When your team is struggling I would have at least like to seen that.

 

The fans in the stands didn’t like the officiating, but I thought it was fair. Beilein after the game agreed. He commented on the Zebras saying, “I thought they did a good job of that. Overall they did a great job.” Izzo said of the performance of the officials, “Calls didn’t cost us or win us the game.”

 

Now this team seems destined for 17 regular season wins. Does that get them in the tournament with the #1 strength of schedule? I doubt it, but they could win some games in the Big Ten tourney. 

 

They next play Sunday when they host Indiana at 6 P.M.  The Spartans record for the season falls to an astonishing 12-8 (4-4)