IOWA CITY, Iowa — If the Spartans had played the start of this game with the fire they showed when things got testy in the second half, they probably would have beaten Iowa comfortably Thursday night.
But what fun would that be?
A Michigan State team that has become known for its second halves and how it closes games took it to the extreme Thursday night — riding a 33-6 second-half run to a 91-84 win to clinch the outright Big Ten championship it had been marching toward for nearly three weeks.
When Iowa went up 58-48 and Tre Holloman was called for a phantom foul on a block at the basket, an MSU team already beginning to come to life found its edge, just as it appeared the Spartans were losing their poise.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Something needed to rile up this group after an uninspiring first half.
The beauty of a Big Ten title is that it’s a championship earned through a three-month, 20-game grind. Not all halves have to be inspiring — though parts of that second half from MSU certainly were.
And so MSU is the outright Big Ten champion, winning its first title in five seasons, 11 months after its coach said he’d either do this or die trying.
He’s alive. So is MSU’s team and program. What a season.
2. Another ode to Jase Richardson
Part of being a legitimate star in college basketball is being the one guy who’s still able to get buckets when nothing else is going right — to the point your team is able to hang around.
The knee Jase Richardson took to the groin a couple minutes before halftime pretty much summed up the Spartans’ entire first half. If not for his scoring and smooth and persistent offensive game, MSU might have been out of this thing by the break, or at least in real trouble — I don’t know if MSU is ever out of a game in the second half.
Instead it was a manageable 37-30 at halftime, because Richardson had 12 points after hitting 5 of 8 shots. This is a guy who didn’t take more than eight shots in an entire game until Jan. 25 against Rutgers, when he took nine. He didn’t start taking double-digit shots until that 29-point outburst against Oregon.
It’s not just Richardson’s recognition that he’s become what drives MSU’s offense, that he’s the reason this team is a challenge to defend, and that MSU’s late-season run has correlated with his emergence on another level. It’s his consistency in providing that new level late in his freshman season.
That continued into the second half Thursday, with Richardson’s leaning baseline bank shot while being fouled, cutting the deficit to 51-46, another bucket that came before MSU had found anything else consistent against Iowa’s zone defense.
When MSU finally took the lead — on two alley-oop dunks by Coen Carr, one on on a pass by Richardson — the next possession was his. This wasn’t waiting for the game to come to him. This was him taking it to the game, drawing a foul on the drive. You could tell from the moment he got the ball near the top of the key, he was taking the shot on that possession, an important possession amid an 18-2 run.
Richardson finished with 22 points on 7-for-13 shooting, with four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
This won’t be remembered as a signature game of his season — like the Oregon or Michigan games — but MSU is the outright Big Ten champion today because Richardson became a legitimate and reliable go-to guy,
3. A finale against Michigan that still means a lot
A couple weeks ago, it looked like MSU’s whole world might be on the line Sunday when Michigan visits Breslin Center. Now, it’s about avoiding a thud and finishing with a bang.
For the Spartans, the Big Ten title is theirs and can’t be shared. But losing a home finale on senior night to Michigan — before raising a banner … that would put an all-time damper on this incredible ride.
On the other hand, beating the Wolverines to win a seventh straight game — and win the Big Ten by three full games, while honoring your seniors and raising a banner … that’s a pretty good celebration.
MSU has to treat the game like everything is on the line. We’ve seen how these Spartans hadn’t in games that were supposed to be coronations — the Indiana game, when Izzo was all set to break Bob Knight’s Big Ten wins record, the first half of Thursday’s game, as well.
This season deserves to be capped the right way.
Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
