Tom Izzo assesses Michigan State's first half vs. Purdue

At one point in the first half, Michigan State led No. 4 Purdue by 10 points. Even though the Spartans took a 35-33 lead into halftime, Tom Izzo seemed pleased with how his team handled the Boilermakers through the first 20 minutes.

The two teams are in the midst in a huge Big Ten matchup at the Breslin Center on Saturday. Purdue is in a first-place tie while Michigan State is trying to claw its way back into the conference race after losing five of its last six games.

The Boilermakers ended the first half on a 5-0 run and the Spartans had a tough time containing Zach Edey, who had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting heading into halftime. That said, Izzo also managed to sneak in a one-liner about the officiating before he headed to the locker room.

“I think we played pretty well,” Izzo told ESPN’s Myron Medcalf about his team’s first half. “We did some good things. But good teams like Purdue, they finish strong. That was a shame what we did at the end. But we played pretty good. I thought the displacement [in the post] is ridiculous. Maybe they’ll call it, maybe they won’t.”

With a two-point lead against the No. 4 team in the country — and Edey dominating in the paint — Izzo addressed the adjustments he might make for the rest of the game. Based on the first half, though, the Spartans are following the game plan well. It doesn’t sound like he’ll make any drastic changes.

“Well, we’re not giving up threes,” Izzo said. “That was the game plan. So we’re not giving up threes. I think they’ve hit one, maybe two. Those two-point shots hurt you, but the three-point shots kill you.”

Michigan State’s offense came back to life after some rough games, going 14-for-28 in the first half against Purdue. Eight of the 10 Spartans to play scored, led by eight points from Gabe Brown — who’s coming off a scoreless outing against Iowa earlier this week.

Michigan State entered Saturday tied with Michigan for seventh place in the Big Ten at 9-7 in league play. The Spartans are trying to bounce back after losing four of their last five games, including a 26-point loss to Iowa in their last game.

Purdue, meanwhile, is trying to stay in position to win the Big Ten. If the Boilermakers win their last three games — including Saturday — they win the league and secure the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.