1. Ucla is good, but Msu did not look like a Big Ten champion
The state of Michigan spent in December and January running in advance in the Big Ten ranking. It was a two -month charm, helped by the calendar, but also won with their coherence, their versatility and their grain, at home.
The Spartans seemed to have had something on their way to 9-0 in the conference game. At 9-2, we will know if it’s true.
Two games in February, Big Ten’s head disappeared after a defeat of 63-61 at the UCLA on Tuesday evening, and the Spartans face their first credible doubts of the season. Are they good enough to win the Big Ten? They did not play like that on two games in Los Angeles.
Yes, the story would be different if Jaden Akins 3 points 3 seconds from Jaden Akins had not struck the rim. Even if perhaps if Jaxon Kohler’s hook drew a possession earlier had not also been short (or, after Kohler obtained his own rebound, if they had called for a time before his trip). Or if some of the sometimes ridiculous turnover of MSU had rather found their target. Or if a number of 3s opened in the rhythm had fallen.
MSU showed a lot of courage in the last 10 minutes of the Tuesday evening match and returned to the same time Frankie Fidler has registered and Jaden Akins started. Before that, at no time after the UCLA took control of the game at the end of the first half, it seemed that MSU was going to win this thing.
He will sting the Spartans for several reasons – the turnover, the release with the ball, a few opening blows lacked at key moments, some bad sequences, the violations of locking in the great moments, the middle of playing with screen defense and links, the coaches staff not finding the right answers for the matches of the way they have all season.
It will also be painful because of what he followed – MSU lost a match at the USC on Saturday that he would have won if it had come with the tenacity with which he started on Tuesday. The Spartans had to compensate for this misstep and had the chance to do it against a better opponent.
The UCLA is a very good team that plays well. Some of the problems of Spartans on Tuesday evening were caused by the Bruins, who have a large man emerging with 7 feet 3 inches which becomes a problem and do not collectively allow teams to run against them. Hence the nine rapid breakdown points of MSU and the leader Jeremy fears several times to drive several times when he has tried to force the problem (he will have to learn from it.). The difficulties of Bruins in early January will prevent them from getting out of the Big Ten race, but this team should be a factor in March and will win a lot of games before that.
If the Spartans had won this match, they would have done it on the road one night, Jase Richardson missed his six shots (before leaving the match after having collided with Xavier Booker), and a night when they committed 16 Reversals (at the three of the UCLA) and only made 5 of the 22 3 points. They would have done it with an improved defense at the end of the match (the UCLA made only 30% of its shooting in the second half) and an advantage of massive rebound (45-27).
And this would have been extremely useful in the quest for MSU for a Big Ten title-Spartans are now half a match of 10-2 purdue. However, he would not have repressed the concerns that this group is not entirely at the level necessary to do something special nationally or even a conference scale.
There is a lot of time and games left – time for this team to continue growing and turns out to be capable … or not. The calendar is especially ruthless the rest of the path. If MSU is good enough, we will know.
It was not a bad loss in itself. Just a bad trip. It was not the decisive game of a season. But that seemed to say.
2. Akins comes to life, but there are msu shots needs him to strike
Jaden Akins, senior of Msu, erupted all the fog and the crisis he had been in the last games with a determined effort which included games and critical plans. You will take 15 points on a shot 6 for 14, including 3 for 7 of Deep, with four rebounds, two assists and two reversals. It’s a line ok.
And he made a few important shots – including the start of the 3 in the two halves and seven points in the last nine minutes. It was aggressive to go to the basket and played without fear in the section.
If Msu will win the League or four games in a row in the NCAA tournament, however, there are shots that he failed that he must make, two who stood out – a 3 -point open late in the chronometer when MSU dragged 54-46 and was barely hung (he struck one right after that), and another large or open 3 with MSU dragging 25-24 which turned into 3 by UCLA in the other direction and was the start of separate bruins separated themselves for a while. Akins also had the opportunity to put MSU in advance by three points on a difficult driving lay-up with three minutes to play. Again, the UCLA hit a 3 to the other end to come back to the front.
It’s a lot to ask. But that’s what Akins asked – to be this guy.
He had the right state of mind on Tuesday. It means something. But he – or someone else – will have to hit these keys.
3. Msu needed more kohler and fidel
To determine the best programming when things do not work is not an easy dance in a team with 10 viable options. And the staff of MSU coaches countered opposing confrontations and pulled the right levers most of the time this season. But I thought they were slow to realize that Frankie Fidler was an answer in the second half and slow to return to Jaxon Kohler until late, when his deficity instantly created additional goods.
Fidler was exceptional during the back half of the second half. I don’t know how much he would have played if Jase Richardson had not left the game after meeting Xavier Booker. Fidler had played a few minutes earlier in half-time, but Richardson was out was his opening. His three points, four rebounds and a flight during the 9:41 finals were as noisy three points, four rebounds and flying that I remember. You have felt its impact on the game.
Kohler, who missed a large part of the first half in big problems, went to the bench after picking up his third fault with 11:40 am to play. He did not check until the brand 2h42. In the first minute in which he was, he had three rebounds and a bucket, although they did not credits him with the loose ball he obtained by putting himself on the ground in traffic. Kohler achieved eight rebounds (unofficially) in 13 minutes, with more than nine. He was really good when he was there for the most part. I think he could have made a difference earlier.
Contact Graham Couch at gouch@lsj.com. Follow it on x @graham_couch and bluesky @grahamcouch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Msu Basketball falls to the UCLA, 63-61, lost Big ten in mind: 3 fast sockets
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