State of Michigan State Athletics Podcast Episode XXXVII
EAST LANSING – Michigan State's season is officially over.
The Spartans led by 11-points at halftime but made some subtle mistakes down the stretch, allowing UCLA to come storming back.
"We know the margin for error for us is really slim, so those small mistakes, we knew we couldn't have those," MSU coach Tom Izzo said.
The most costly error occurred with less than a minute remaining: UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr., a player who lit Michigan State up for 27 points, missed a free-throw and was able to get the rebound after no Spartans boxed him out. The extra possession became an easy layup and a foul, leading to a tie game with 28 seconds left.
Today, Spartan Nation publisher Hondo S. Carpenter, Sr., and Spartan Nation senior writer Jon Schopp discuss the season-ending loss.
In the final seconds, Izzo wanted Aaron Henry to drive to the basket and get fouled, but the junior forward settled for a pull-up jumper that wasn't close.
The Hall of Fame coach blamed the end of the contest on fatigue, saying Henry "was just run down." Michigan State finished 2-for-9 from the field and missed all but one attempt in overtime.
"We made some of the same mistakes we've made two or three times this year in critical situations," said Izzo.
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