Rehash & Analysis: Izzo embraces blame in maddening Michigan State OT loss at Iowa

In one of the more dumbfounding losses in Michigan State basketball history, the Spartans somehow turned what should have been one of their most impressive victories of the season into a maddening defeat, 112-106 in overtime to Iowa at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Saturday.

The Spartans led by 13 with 1:33 to play and 11 with 1:06 to play. But Iowa hit five 3-pointers in the last :39 seconds to turn back a Spartan team which posted some of its best individual offensive performances of the season but saw victory dissolve in the final seconds of regulation and then staggered through overtime.

Michigan State, still searching for consistency, fell to 17-11 overall and 9-8 in the Big Ten. 

Iowa improved to 18-11 and 10-8.

“I’m disappointed in myself,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. “Down the stretch. We didn’t guard when we were up 13. We didn’t switch on the last couple, things we should be doing. And I have to do a better job on our end of the game stuff.

“It was a day when everything that could wrong went wrong and everything that could go right went right. We played our butts off. It was one of the greatest games that a lot of guys played. To step into the free throw line (for lane violations) twice and they miss both of them and get them back, and then missed shots and we don’t get rebounds. I mean 29-4 in second-chance points, that’s never happened, and that’s coaching, that’s my fault.

“We’ll just say that we played our tail off and it was poor coaching down the stretch and I’ll make sure that improves.”

WHAT IT MEANS

This was similar to the Michigan loss in some respects. The game seemed to be shaping into a landmark road victory for a Spartan team trying to prove it’s ready to harness a level of consistency and traction late in the season. 

As was the case in losses on the road to Illinois and Michigan, and in a home loss to Purdue, the Spartans played excellent basketball at times, but were unable to finish in the final minutes.

After failing to close out games against Illinois, Indiana and Purdue, the Spartans have tried to focus in huddles and timeouts on finishing games with efficiency and game-cinching poise. But those elements continue to be sorely lacking. Michigan State didn’t finish at Michigan, somewhat understandably considering the emotions of the week and varied mental challenges.

Michigan State delivered late-game closure in a victory over Maryland on Feb. 7 and felt good about that one, but then came up flat in the final two minutes in Ann Arbor and now has suffered a horrendous meltdown at Iowa. 

“It’s a hurtful moment in that locker room but at the same time it’s hard not to be pleased with a lot of guys who did a lot of good things today,” Izzo said. “We just didn’t finish the job and made some very, very, very critical, stupid mistakes, like stepping into those free throws twice, and getting a rebound and traveling when we aren’t going with it anyway. All that we wanted to do was get fouled. There were so many things.”

What did Izzo tell the team after the game?

“I said I was proud of them,” Izzo said. “I said I thought they played their tail off and yet I was disappointed that in the last minute when coaches were pleading to finish the game, we just didn’t seem to have a guy out there. But I left it at that. I said we’ll talk about that later. It’s a very tiny locker room and nobody feels good right now.”

The long-term potential of the team is unchanged. The Spartans can hang with almost any team in the nation. With experienced, tough guards in Hoggard and Walker, Michigan State should have the elements to close out these games and deliver quality shots in the late-going. Surprisingly, the opposite has become the mode of operation.

Is the late-game situation becoming a mental obstacle? Maybe, but Michigan State, when it’s at its best, is still a dangerous outfit. But losses like this damage the Spartans’ NCAA Tournament seeding and increase the likelihood of a difficult second-round matchup if Michigan State is able to win in the Round of 64, whereas a victory at Iowa could have sent Michigan State ascending near the 6 or even 5 seed line with a late-season rally. Now, Michigan State needs to rebound at Nebraska on Tuesday to avoid talk of sinking to a No. 8 or 9 seed.

HOW IT GOT AWAY

Iowa was down by 13 with 1:33 to go and 11 with 1:06 to play and 10 with :40 remaining, but Iowa hit five 3-pointers in the last :39 seconds to force overtime – the last of which was a triple by Iowa’s Payton Sandfort from the top of the key with :03 left as Joey Hauser and Tyson Walker got caught on a ball screen. 

Leading 91-78 after a pair of Malik Hall free throws with 1:34 to go, Michigan State was caught napping in transition defense and Sandfort hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 91-81 with 1:30 left.

Iowa needed only :04 seconds to turn that possession into 3 points.

Similar scenarios would take place on four more occasions as Iowa needed only :07 seconds to set up a Connor McCaffery 3-pointer with :39 seconds left (96-89), only :08 seconds to set up a Patrick McCaffery 3-pointer with :21 seconds left (98-95), only :10 seconds to set up another Connor McCaffery 3-pointer with :10 seconds left (100-98) and just :07 seconds to set up Sandfort’s game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

Meanwhile, Michigan State hit 14-of-15 from the foul line in the final 1:34, but kept trading 2-point foul shot trips for 3-point trips at the other end.

One traveling violation by Hall with :37 seconds left and one missed free throw, by A.J. Hoggard with :10 seconds left, allowed the crack in the door for Iowa’s heroics.

Hoggard was 9-of-10 from the foul line in the final 1:27. But after hitting the ninth of those 10, he cracked a confident smile with Michigan State up by 3 and :10 seconds remaining. He missed the next one. 

LAST SECOND STRATEGY

If Michigan State planned to foul in the final seconds to prevent a 3-point attempt, something Izzo has done occasionally in his career but not often, the Spartans didn’t get it communicated in time. Izzo said after the game that he wanted all defenders switching in the final seconds. Instead, Joey Hauser and Tyson Walker got caught in a ball screen without switching. Walker tried to get over the ball screen and out onto Sandfort but didn’t get to him in time, and no foul was committed as Sandfort tied the game with :03 left.

Hoggard’s halfcourt shot at the end of regulation missed.

“Coach deserves credit sometimes, and deserves blame,” Izzo said. “When you have a 13-point lead and you don’t win it down the stretch, I’ve got to do a better job.

“A coach has to rally his guys to finish the game. You get down the home stretch and you don’t finish the war.”

IN OVERTIME

Michigan State never led in the extra session. Akins hit a tough pull-up jumper to tie it at 103-103 with 4:16 left.

But Akins’ lane violation on a missed free throw gave Connor McCaffery an extra shot, resulting in a 104-103 lead with 3:59 remaining. Iowa led the rest of the way.

Hoggard missed a 5-foot floater, then Walker missed a wild, driving high-glasser and Hoggard missed a 3-pointer from the left wing on three straight possessions.

Even after those misses, Michigan State trailed just 106-103, but then the Spartans had a disastrous offensive possession. Akins drove into the lane, was cut off, and tried to kick it out to Walker. But Iowa stole the ball and had a run-out opportunity, resulting in a follow-up tip-in by Tony Perkins (108-103).

After a pair of Hauser free throws cut it to 108-105 with :57 left, Iowa’s next possession resulted in Perkins beating Walker for a tip-in and a 110-105 lead with :26 remaining.

Credit Iowa with playing lockdown defense on the perimeter in overtime and being the more aggressive team on the boards.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

The loss all but erased what had been Walker’s best, most efficient game as a Spartan. He scored 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting. He was 2-of-3 from long range and outstanding from medium range. 

Akins scored a career-high 21 points on his 20th birthday. He was 4-of-4 from 3-point range. 

Hauser scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

Hoggard scored 15 points, including 12-of-14 from the foul line. He had seven assists and four turnovers. 

Malik Hall scored 16 points.

Michigan State shot 59.3 percent from the field, was 31-of-36 from the foul line and 11-of-15 from 3-point range but still found a way to lose.

Iowa out-rebounded Michigan State 34-30 and had a commanding 29-4 edge in second-chance points, many of those second-chance buckets resulting in 3-pointers.

Iowa was 17-of-36 from 3-point range and 19-of-25 from the foul line. 

The two teams were a mind-blowing 28-of-51 from 3-point range.

Kris Murray led Iowa with 26 points. 

“We had a lot of guys that looked good offensively,” Izzo said. “I thought Joey Hauser looked well, I thought Tyson Walker looked well, I thought Jaden Akins looked well. AJ Hoggard played well. Malik Hall played like the old Malik Hall. We had so many guys that played well.

“We shoot 86 percent and A.J. was so good from the line, I was so proud of him, but we just didn’t get it done. Give them credit. Give me blame and we’ll do a better job next time.”

WALKER’S BEST MOMENTS

We’ve seen Walker get hot and carry the offense in the past, but never with the efficiency he showed for most of this game. 

On Tuesday, he bombed Indiana from long range. In this game, with Iowa pressing out on him as a shooter, he carved up the Hawkeyes from medium range. 

Michigan State moved Walker to point guard for late-game possessions and he delivered in standout fashion late in regulation, before it became a free throw and 3-point contest. 

He drilled a pull-up jumper, off a crossover move, from 17 feet to give Michigan State an 82-72 lead with 3:59 to play.

Then, after Walker was fouled in full-court pressure and made a pair of free throws, the senior from Long Island, NY hit a pull-up jumper from 14 feet to give Michigan State an 86-76 lead with 2:18 to play.

Both of those jumpers by Walker were expert, medium-range shots against Iowa defense. But when it came time to play 3-point defense, take care of the ball and hit free throws, Michigan State left the door ajar.

THE TURNOVER SITUATION

Michigan State had nine turnovers in the first half, including eight giveaways in the first 11 minutes.

As soon as the Spartans stopped committing turnovers in the second half, it enabled a sharp-shooting Michigan State offense to hit full gear and build a double-digit lead.

Michigan State held its turnover count to five in the second half while the Spartans stayed hot from the field. But the late travel by Hall was critical.

Michigan State finished with 15 turnovers. Iowa had nine.

THE FIRST HALF

Michigan State notched its highest-scoring first half of basketball of the season, but it was only good enough for a 42-42 tie at intermission.

Michigan State shot 63 percent from the field and an outstanding 75 percent (6-of-8) from 3-point range. However, Michigan State had nine turnovers in the first half, including giveaways on five straight possessions at one point as Iowa built a 17-12 lead. 

The Spartans came back with field goals on six straight possessions to take a 34-31 lead on a Hauser 3-pointer from the left wing. That was Michigan State’s biggest lead of the first half. 

Iowa’s biggest lead was 6 points at 24-18 on a second-chance 3-pointer by Sandfort. 

Iowa center Filip Rebraca had 12 points in the first half. He victimized Jaxon Kohler a couple of times in single coverage in the post early in the game. 

Rebraca finished with 18 points.