1. Msu restores its place in Big Ten with a victory over Indiana
East Lansing – The Michigan State Women’s Basketball Team has done very good things in two games in California – namely to push two of the best teams in the country uncomfortably deeply deep in the fourth quarter.
But going aside with the USC and the UCLA is not worth the confidence it comes from if you cannot go home and beat the Indiana. And entering the Sunday match against the Hoosiers at Breslin Center, the Spartans had not beat a team from the Top 100, regardless of that in the top 40 by a renowned metric, since he won by 30 in Michigan January.
Indiana – classified n ° 36 in the net and n ° 30 by Herhoopstats.com – presented a chance for MSU to restore its place in Big Ten as a team above the pack. This is what the victory of Sunday 73-65 in Breslin Center did. The Spartans drew an online ranking and essentially said: “We are with them”, a group of seven teams with at least 10 Big Ten victories for 16 championship matches.
“I felt it,” said MSU coach Robyn Flick. “We have had disappointing conference losses at home (in the best 40 teams from Oregon and Michigan). We go on the road to play two first teams. I thought we were playing really hard. .. ‘Hey, let’s take this spirit of competition at home.’ “”
In the past eight days, MSU has shown an intriguing ceiling – as a team which, during a given night, if it obtains the details, can perhaps upset anyone in the country – and also, also, On Sunday, showed a defensive level, standard and grain that will help them avoid falling into the teams below them.
Spartans – who entered the net ranking on Sunday 21 on Sunday 21st via Herhoop – will have to upset the Ohio State on the road on Wednesday and beat Minnesota at home next Saturday (then get help) to climb the first four Large ten rankings and get a double-Bye in the Big Ten tournament, which begins in 10 days in Indianapolis.
USC (15-1), UCLA (14-1), Ohio State (12-4), Maryland (11-5) and Illinois (11-6) are all ahead of MSU and Michigan (10-6). Spartans have the head of equality in head with Illinois, but not with Maryland. Currently, the Wolverines would also hold the equality break with MSU, through their victory over Oregon, although Michigan still has a match against Illinois, which MSU defeated. If the Illini won this match, Msu would then have the break of equality on Michigan. Essentially, to obtain a double Bye in Indianapolis, MSU must win and lose Maryland twice – at Indiana and Ohio State – while Michigan loses at least once.
Sunday’s victory maintained these weak hopes alive. More importantly, the way the Spartans played and won – that they ended the match with shots and timely rebounds when things became risky, that they have held a team from the Indiana which is the One of the most effective and dangerous outdoor shooting teams in the Big Ten at 6- for 22 beyond the arc, which MSU reached the line and made 18 of the 22 free throws, that the Spartans forced 18 reversals and, for the majority of the game, looked like the best team. If these two teams played 10 times, it seemed that MSU would win nine. You have not left the recent MSU meetings against the feeling of Michigan or Oregon. These are teams classified in a similar way to the Hoosiers.
“We are convinced to play anyone at this stage,” said MSU goalkeeper Theryn Hallock. “I’m going to go with this team anywhere and face any team.”
MSU (now 20-7 in total) will need this boastful to have a chance to do something special in the playoffs. Obtaining this opportunity, however, will mean the first teams to beat like Indiana along the way.
2. The rebound could determine the fate of MSU
MSU seemed to have buried the Indiana a few minutes after the fourth quarter on Sunday-leading 59-45 with 7:05 am to play and another 59-49 after a bucket of Hoosiers with 5:22 to play. But Indiana has shown it can be dangerous – as Ohio State discovered in the middle of the week – during the next 90 seconds with two 3 points. Meanwhile, MSU showed why he is likely to mark droughts. A little sudden, the Hoosiers were only hanging out 59-55 with 3:45 still to play.
MSU’s next possession has probably won the Spartans this match. Jaddan Simmons caught the first offensive rebound and was the victim of a fault. Then, after Theryn Hallock missed a 3 pointer, Grace Vansloooen transported another offensive rebound in traffic and returned it to Hallock, who nailed the 3 this time. He not only gave MSU a little cushion, but it was an invigorating possession for the Spartans and a demoralization of the Indiana.
“Great rebound,” said Flick. “… And that’s something I love in Theryn, no matter how many things she lacks, she draws the next as if she entered.”
Hallock was 0 for 7 on 3-point tests until then.
“I have the impression that in recent years, my maturity has grown up,” said Hallock. “I have the mentality of Dory (finding), continue to swim, continue to shoot. I will have these 3 open, especially in transition or kicks, and I will continue to be confident. »»
The rebound has created the opportunity. Vansloooten had four of his seven boards on the offensive side. Jaddan Simmons had three of his six at this end, and Hallock two of the six.
As fiery as they are on offensive glass – MSU is fourth of the big ten in the championship matches in offensive rebounds per game (12.4) and sixth on 18 teams in offensive rebound, by Herhoop – The Spartans are a lot More vulnerable on the defensive end (13th out of 18 of the defensive rebound rate, by Herhoop). And that cost them the game at the UCLA, including an offensive rebound from the UCLA which led to a 3 -point dagger shot.
If you ask this team where it can still develop so late in the season …
“I think the rebound is a big piece,” said Hallock, “because we don’t want others to get their second strokes, but we also want to take these missed photos and go into transition, because it’s there that we brill out.
“Defensively, the American guards must be better, and I take responsibility for it. We look a lot because we are on the perimeter while watching people shoot. We just have to have a mentality, get the ball. »»
The teammate Jocelyn Tate admitted that the defensive rebound was more difficult for this group, in particular given the nature of their pressure defense. There is a tendency to rest when the shot finally increases.
“When we get rid of it, it is a little more difficult for us to set up to bounce back and boxer,” said Tate. “But it is not an excuse. As if we still have to bounce back. … We cannot rest. I must continue to continue and crash.
If MSU will do something in the playoffs that he does not have in the regular season, he will have to “dominate the details” on each possession, as Frack said. Among them, keeping opponents out of offensive glass. MSU is not the biggest team, but the own offensive prowess of the Spartans says that it is a problem under their control.
3. The matches of the NCAA tournament in Breslin begin by winning in Columbus
The losses of MSU against Oregon and Michigan this month gave them a little in the NCAA net ranking, from the top 16 to 21 before Sunday. The net is a tool used to determine the sowing of the NCAA tournament. The first 16 series – The first four of each region – have the opportunity to welcome the first two laps of the NCAA tournament.
Spartans could still get there, but they probably need to win at Ohio State (19 in the net) on Wednesday. Buckeyes have just lost against Indiana and had some hiccups. It is therefore doable. If Msu wins this match, closes the regular season with a victory over Minnesota and then won two games in the Big Ten tournament to reach the semi -finals – which means that they beat one of the best teams of the Conference in the quarterfinals – I think the Spartans would be in good shape to host.
In the current state of things, they are probably a seeded of 5 or 6 years old, always with a decent chance of winning a few games and going to Sweet 16, but they should do it on someone’s field else.
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 female basketball beats Indiana: 3 fast tits
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