Rehash & Analysis: Where this one got away from Michigan State

The University of Michigan was sympathetic and supportive of its visitors on Saturday night, even brotherly. But the Wolverines were not hospital on the scoreboard, rallying to an 84-72 victory over heavy-hearted Michigan State, Saturday at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

Michigan State was playing for the first time since Monday’s tragic shooting left three students dead and five hospitalized. 

Michigan honored its fellow in-state school and Big Ten rival with green lighting during a moving pre-game moment of silence with which ended with the Michigan band playing MSU’s alma mater, “Shadows.” Members of the Michigan student section held “Spartan Strong” signs.

The Spartans led by as many as eight in the first half and six in the second half at 63-57 with 8:23 to play. Michigan State led for more than 25 minutes and Michigan led for only 8:24.

But the Wolverines began controlling the game when it went to a big lineup with two centers, Tarris Reed and Hunter Dickinson. Michigan outscored Michigan State 27-9 in the final 8:23, and 12-0 in the final minutes in notching a crucial victory for Michigan’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

Michigan improved to 15-12 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten.

Michigan State fell to 16-10 and 8-7.

“I’m disappointed and proud,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. “I think our guys did everything we could for hopefully people to pause and enjoy two hours in what’s been a rough week. For the families of the students we lost, I want you to know that they were on our minds and we spent a lot of time talking about them and yet some how, some way we have to learn how to finish the job and that’s what we will try to do.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Michigan had five players in double-figures, including Dug McDaniel with 18. He averages just 7 points per game but was 6-of-10 from the field and was a difference-maker on this night. 

Michigan State shot only 41 percent in the second half and 47.5 percent for the game after a hot start.

Joey Hauser scored 20 points for Michigan State on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range. It was his third straight game with 20 points or more.

Malik Hall scored 14 points. He had 12 in the first half but struggled in the second half. 

Michigan dominated the boards, with a 38-25 edge in rebounding. 

No Spartan had more than five rebounds. Guard Jaden Akins led Michigan State with five boards. His soaring, one-handed dunk gave Michigan State a 50-46 lead with 13:30 left. His 3-pointer from the left wing gave the Spartans a 42-38 lead with 17:40 to play, but Michigan wouldn’t go away.

TURNING POINT I

Michigan State led 46-41 with 15:15 left. Despite the small lead, the Spartans were executing well, getting better shots than Michigan and seemed on its way to a bellwether victory. 

But Michigan cut the lead to 46-44 on a tip-in by Jett Howard while being fouled. His tip-in was one of six offensive rebounds for the Wolverines on this possession.

Michigan center Hunter Dickinson missed a pair of tip-in attempts and a third put-back attempt on this possession.

Howard began the possession by missing a 3-pointer but he had two offensive rebounds on this possession as well.

Malik Hall was beaten for three of the rebounds on that possession. 

Howard finished the and-one with a free throw on a possession that lasted nearly :45 seconds and changed the momentum of the game, and signaled a continuance of Michigan’s rebounding domination.

TURNING POINT II

Michigan State’s Tyson Walker tied the score at 72-72 with 2:23 left. But Michigan’s Kobi Buffkin answered with a 3-pointer at the other end to make it 75-72.

But it was quite a journey for that Michigan 3-pointer. 

Michigan’s Joey Baker airballed a 3-pointer. Hauser was in position to collect the rebound, but the ball bounced off of Hauser and out of bounds, with Michigan retaining possession.

Hauser claimed he was held by Michigan center Tarris Reed and therefore couldn’t collect the rebound, but war drill training didn’t help on this occasion.

Moments later, with the shot clock down to :04, Bufkin tried to set up for a 3-pointer, but Walker knocked the ball slightly ajar. 

Bufkin regained control while going up for a desperation 3-pointer, which found nothing but net, giving Michigan a 75-72 lead with 1:54 left. 

That shot started a 12-0, game-ending run for Michigan.

“Give Kobe credit, the shot he hit in front of the bench with no time left on the shot clock would go in one in a hundred times, and he made it,” Izzo said. “Give him credit. A minute and :57 left and he hits a Hail Mary and we didn’t respond.”

KEY STRATEGIC MOVE, GOOD IN THEORY

Michigan State tried to answer Bufkin’s shot by posting up Hauser against Bufkin. 

A ball screen by Hauser led to Michigan switching the 6-foot-4 Bufkin onto the 6-foot-9 Hauser. 

Michigan center Hunter Dickinson switched onto Michigan State point guard AJ Hoggard.

Michigan power forward Tarris Reed guarded Malik Hall. 

After the switch, Hauser went straight to the low block and called for the ball and an on-paper mismatch.

But Hauser’s shot in the post was blocked by the helping Reed. 

Hauser drifted out of bound while the shot was blocked. The blocked shot created a loose ball along the baseline. Hauser was hesitant to reach for the ball because his feet were momentarily out of bounds.

That hesitation allowed Reed to chase down the rebound on a play which was emblematic of Michigan’s stronger will on the glass all night.

THE DAGGER

On Michigan’s next possession, Dickinson hit a 3-pointer off a pick-and-pop to give Michigan a 78-72 lead with 1:05 left.

MSU’s next possession ended with Walker missing a 3-pointer.

Simply put, Michigan collected the big boards and hit the big 3-pointers when the game was on the line while Michigan State went cold down the stretch after playing quality basketball for more than 30 minutes.

It was a script Michigan State has replayed a handful of painful times this year, having dropped second-half leads away from home against Indiana, Illinois, Rutgers and Gonzaga.

CONTINUED PROBLEMS AT CENTER

Michigan State struggled to get production from the center position. Junior starter Mady Sissoko had four points on 1-of-2 shooting but managed only three rebounds in 21 minutes before fouling out.

His defense on ball screens was good most of the night, but on one key occasion he didn’t stop the ball on screen-roll defense and Bufkin was able to drive the lane for a missed scoop shot. 

With Bufkin loose down the lane, Hauser had to leave his man (Reed) to try to stop Bufkin.

With Hauser leaving Reed, Reed was loose to hit a put-back which tied the game at 65-65 with 5:43 left. On the next possession, Michigan took its first lead since the 11:38 mark of the first half.

Back-up center Jaxon Kohler had some good moments and scored 4 points to go with three rebounds in just eight minutes of playing time.

Third-string center Carson Cooper had 4 points and two rebounds in nine minutes. 

In addition to the 21 minutes played by Sissoko, and the 17 minutes played by Kohler and Cooper, the Spartans played two minutes with a small lineup of Hauser and Hall playing together inside against Reed and Dickinson. But Michigan State didn’t stay with the small vs bigs matchup long.

Sissoko scored on a DHO-and-roll dunk which gave Michigan State a 52-50 lead with 11:46 to play. 

Later he hit two free throws after being fouled during a lob attempt. Those foul shots gave Michigan State a 58-55 lead with 9:48 to play. 

In the first half, Sissoko collected an offensive rebound but missed a put-back jam. Michigan State led 15-14 at the time.

Sissoko has started all 26 games for the Spartans this season. As Michigan State searches for ways to properly assemble its playing group and ability to close out games, a re-examination of the center position and distribution of minutes inside could be forthcoming.

Izzo was emotionally appreciative of Sissoko’s early-season success, appreciative that the Michigan State program stuck with Sissoko as a developmental project rather than recruiting over his head in the portal. That decision looked great in November, but Sissoko has not harnessed a level of consistent productivity since then.

FIRST HALF

Michigan State’s biggest lead of the first half was 8 at 33-25 when Walker finished a hesitation dribble around switching big man Tarris Reed.

That was part of a 9-2 run which started with a Tre Holloman shot-clock beating baseline jumper from 15 feet (26-23). 

Then Hall hit a 16-footer from the right wing in the early offense off a side ball screen and snake dribble (28-23).

Following a Kobe Bufkin jumper for Michigan, Hall answered with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right wing over a sagging Bufkin off of high ball screen action.

Michigan’s biggest lead of the first half was 9-4 as both teams began the game blistering the nets. Michigan State hit seven of its first eight shots and Michigan hit five of its first nine. 

Michigan State shot 53 percent in the first half and 36 percent (4-of-11) from 3-point range.

Michigan shot 48 percent in the first half and was 28.6 percent from 3-point range (4-of-14). 

Michigan committed eight turnovers in the first half but only one in the second.