Last night, for the first time this season, MSU hosted a ranked team in the friendly confines of the Breslin Center. But, for the fourth time this season, the Spartans fell flat in a big way against a competitive opponent. What's more, with their 52-game non-conference home win streak on the line, they didn't play with heart or toughness.
Although they did get 17 points from Kalin Lucas, as well as solid defensive play from their senior point gurad, few other Spartans came to work. That was evident in final stat line, which shows that State shot an abysmal 29 percent from the floor, and gave up a double-double to Tristan Thompson. MSU continually had no answer for either him, Gary Johnson, or Jordan Hamilton, who put in 52 of the Longhorns' 67 points.
At this point in the season, MSU seems to have issues in many areas, which is unfortunate considering they open Big Ten play next Friday. Defensively, they don't seem to have a reliable post force, as evidenced by the performances of Texas' three bigs. On top of that, when things go cold on offense, the Spartans struggle to stay in games. In this one, a 7-rebound edge and an accurate night from behind the free-throw stripe were negated by their awful efforts shooting the ball.
State needs players like Lucas to not only perform well, but also carry others (like Korie Lucious and Keith Appling), with him. They need more reliable play from Draymond Green, who, when consistent, can provide a great catalyst for the offense. When he's off though, his play hinders the Spartans. Right now, they need to re-group, get better in practice, and gear up for a tough, physical Big Ten season. That's easier said than done, but Tom Izzo has players who've been through the rumble, and those Spartans should be ready for the challenge that a top-15 Minnesota team will present.
Out in Las Vegas, in college football's MAACO Humanitarian Bowl, the Boise State Broncos didn't disappoint viewers, unlike many who attended last night's MSU contest. Even after being shutout in the first quarter for the first time since 2009, Chris Petersen's crew came roaring back to dominate Utah by 23 points. They drove the football up-and-down the field on their way to 543 total yards, in the process reminding us all why they hung in the BCS conversation for so long.
They delivered an entertaining game for Broncos fans who were no doubt crushed by their team's collapse against Nevada and athough they won't bring back the depth they had this year, they return Kellen Moore and most of their offensive backfield, which puts them in postion to compete in their new league, the Mountain West.
The next bowl game up on the slate: today's San Diego County Credit Union Pointsettia Bowl, between two teams with strong Southern California presences: Navy and the de-facto "home team", the San Diego State Aztecs. In that one, I'll take versatile SDSU. For more on college football's bowl season, read on later this week.
--Beau
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