Michigan State-Syracuse Game Recap

From Maui, to Durham, to New York. After the type of pre-season competition and hectic travel schedule the Michigan State Spartans have faced so far,  it's a safe bet that they'll at least be ready for those two elements when March Madness rolls around. However, if MSU keeps playing at the level they have been, they might not even advance very far when it comes down to that.

On the national stage that is New York City's Madison Square Garden, the Spartans fell to Syracuse, 72-58, in a game that at the end didn't even feel that close. State trailed for much of the game after the opening minutes, allowing the Orange to break open the contest with an early 18-5 run . Right from the start, they struggled to find seams against 'Cuse's zone 'D', which led to missed shots and more offensive possessions for Jim Boeheim's crew. Based on the Orange's success with that type of defense against State, I wouldn't be surprised if at least a team or two tries to replicate that effort later on this year.

Reduced to swinging the ball around the perimeter and settling for deep shots, they tallied a dreadful 38.9% from the field, and converted just 7of their 24 three-point attempts on the night, many of which came from beyond the NBA stripe.

Things weren't much better on defense, as 'Cuse scored 26 of their 39 first-half points from inside the paint, and went on to best the Spartans 42-24 in that category. MSU found themselves outrebounded by eight to go along with that, giving up 16 to Syracuse forward Rick Jackson alone. They also pulled down just six offensive boards.
Coach Izzo certainly had a lot of thoughts about that, saying that  that the Spartans were "taking it like a sissy and they were taking it up like men."

However, it's fair to note that Michigan State's losses have all been to teams ranked in the top 10. On top of that, if and when they meet a team like Duke again later on, they should certainly be at full-strength, and much better prepared to face whatever's thrown at them. But, that day is a long way in the future. For right now, as Coach Izzo said last night, "it's gut check time."

--Beau