5 takeaways from Michigan basketball vs. MSU Spartans

Posted by author February 22, 2025 Basketball

Spread the love

College basketball fans in the state of Michigan have waited nearly the whole season for the Wolverines and Spartans to clash, especially considering the two rivals have been fighting for Big Ten supremacy.

Finally, with just a handful of games remaining in the 2024-25 season, the in-state foes had their first of two meetings — with this one taking place at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor — with the winner fully claiming first place in the Big Ten Conference.

The Wolverines got out to a bit of a slow start, with the MSU defense causing some problems for the vaunted Michigan basketball offense. Meanwhile, the Spartans managed to find a lot of success on the other side of the court. But the maize and blue weathered the storm, erasing an early eight-point deficit, tying the game at at 16 with 10:30 left in the first half, and then an outright lead less than 30 seconds later, en route to a 15-0 scoring run.

Michigan was en route to taking the game over, but an offensive lull mixed with a technical foul on the Michigan bench allowed MSU to cut the Wolverine eight-point lead to just a three-point deficit with just over four minutes remaining in the first half. The maize and blue ballooned the lead back to eight, but the Spartans managed to cut the lead to just four going into the locker room at halftime.

The second half opened, and with one shot, Michigan’s lead was down to one. A couple shots later, and Michigan was down two. The Wolverines stabilized, but the two teams stayed even for the first five minutes of the second half. But the scoring difficulties remained for the maize and blue, and Tre Holloman hit two straight 3-pointers to push the MSU lead to eight with 10:49 remaining.

Michigan could not seem to figure things out on either side of the floor, as MSU continued to score while the Wolverines went through long droughts without putting points on the board.

Down 11, two made free throws by Roddy Gayle Jr. and a putback layup by Danny Wolf cut the deficit to seven. Coen Carr missed two free throws, while Vlad Goldin had a dunk to cut it to five. Goldin hit another layup, and it was a three-point game with 5:37 left — a product of an 8-0 Michigan run.

But, like we saw in the second half, it didn’t last, and MSU pushed the lead and kept it, winning in Ann Arbor, 75-62.

Here are our five takeaways from the game:

1. Early mistakes were made in both halves

In the first possession, the Wolverines quickly and immediately turned the ball over. Later, MSU got three opportunities on their own end after multiple offensive rebounds by Coen Carr. If you’re a Michigan fan watching, you’re thinking, “Here we go again.” But the Wolverines cut down on their typical mistakes, stopped turning the ball over, and got more aggressive on the defensive boards — though the Spartans still dominated the offensive boards. Likewise, Michigan nursed an eight-point lead a few times in the latter half of the first half, only to enter the locker room up four at halftime.

The second half began as the first half did, with MSU shots made and Michigan mistakes. But unlike in the first half, when the Wolverines had figured things out, they didn’t quite recover in the second.

Though it wasn’t a bevy of turnovers like we usually see, it was leaving a man open, not draining an important shot, rushing a shot, or something else that kept the Wolverines from keeping the game in their advantage.

2. Rebounding (or lack thereof) was a huge factor

As mentioned, early in the game, MSU got much of what it wanted and the Michigan defense appeared lackluster. But then, with a mix between man and zone, the defense started to clamp down, and the Spartans couldn’t get much going. After starting out hot, MSU fell to a more pedestrian 38.7% field goal average in the first half, so it would be incumbent upon the Wolverines to continue to strain on that side of the court.

But it didn’t continue.

Rebounding was an issue, especially given how many second chances the Spartans got. When Michigan’s offense was shooting lights out in the first half (and less so in the second), MSU kept the game close by significantly outrebounding the maize and blue. But when Michigan wasn’t rolling offensively, the defense (and rebounding) still struggled.

But finally, Michigan got more aggressive and significantly closed the gap on MSU. As a result, a game that was getting out of hand suddenly became manageable. But it didn’t take long before a four-rebound deficit again ballooned in the Spartans’ advantage. And with the scoring falling off in the second half, Michigan couldn’t overcome.

3. Sluggish offensive start in both halves

Notice a theme?

The Spartan defense looked unable to be trifled with to start the game, and it lasted for nearly half of the first half. But then Michigan found its groove and shot nearly 53.8% from the floor in the first half. However, the Wolverines weren’t impervious to lulls.

Perhaps the most glaring came in the second half when the Wolverines went on a three-plus minute scoring drought, allowing MSU to not only take the lead but push it to four. It was a Spartan 6-0 run, the largest Michigan had allowed to that point. The Wolverines killed the lull but MSU made another 6-0 run, taking an eight-point lead.

Michigan finally started getting things together late, but it was after MSU pushed the score to 11. And the defense didn’t give the offense much of a chance to claw back into the game in a real fashion.

4. The little things were off

The one place there was a real disparity in this game was Michigan’s inability to hit free throws while MSU managed to shoot well from the line. The Wolverines started out going 6-for-11 from the line in the first half, while MSU went 7-for-8. Michigan’s perimeter defense started off strong but also fell off in the second half. The offense was assertive in the first half but (likewise) fell off in the second. The shot selection was better in the first than the second.

Whether it was in-game adjustments or halftime adjustments, things Michigan had done well fell apart at points during the game.

5. Big Ten

With the loss, Michigan has surrendered its first-place position in the Big Ten, as now MSU has a half-game lead, but with a head-to-head win over the Wolverines. The good news is that both teams have relatively tough schedules remaining and another meeting, albeit the final game of the regular season in East Lansing.