Where did the Spartans go wrong?

Samantha Axon, Sports Editor
@SAxonCourant

From the beginning of the season, the Michigan State Spartans were expected to be just as strong as in previous years. Despite losing key players such as Denzel Valentine, the Spartans were looking at another strong season. Despite all of the hype, the Spartans have not yet met expectations this season.

The Spartans began the season ranked 12th, and were expected to move up from there. The team’s first game was against the Arizona Wildcats, who were ranked 10th. The Spartans showed promise throughout the game, but narrowly missed the win and fell to the Wildcats 65-63. While the Spartans were expected to bounce back after a close game, they have not yet been able to.

In the next game, the Spartans travelled to Madison Square Garden to compete in the Champions Classic against the number 2 team, the Kentucky Wildcats. The Spartans were looking to redeem themselves, and the ending score was not even close, Kentucky banking 69 points, while Michigan State could only muster 48. It was not the score that truly showed a poor season for the Spartans, but how they played. The team came out strong in the first ten minutes of the game, especially defensively. But, the defense could not keep up their momentum, and the offense allowed easy layups to get away from them. The team was clearly not connected and seemed almost incapable of communicating with one another. All this game showed to the Wildcats were their inconsistencies, and how they were not acting like a team.

The bad fortune for the Spartans has continued. They almost fell to Florida Gulf Coast after a controversial call when the shot clock was not correct. The game could have easily fallen to Florida Gulf, and the game concluded a little too close for comfort for a team as talented as Michigan State, 78-77. A few games later, Michigan State would fall to number 24 Baylor, 73-58. The team’s overall record has been 4-3, and have not been able to come away with a victory against a ranked team.

The Spartans are a good team, but are not top-25 worthy this season, at least according to their current level of play. Michigan State will always be a good team since they spend time and money towards improving their

program year after year in order to compete as one of the best teams in the nation. The issue has been outgoing players and their average recruits. The team lost Denzel Valentine among others last season to the NBA draft, just like every team lost significant players; Oklahoma lost Buddy Hield, Indiana lost Yogi Ferell, and Kansas lost Wayne Selden Jr and Perry Ellis. But the difference with these three teams was that their recruits were such stronger. For example, Kansas gained number 1 ranked high school player Josh Jackson, who chose the Jayhawks over the Spartans. The best high school players did not choose the Spartans, and they could not cushion the loss of key players going to the NBA.

While it may be difficult, the team does have the chance to turn their season around. They will have the opportunity to face off against Duke, Indiana, Purdue, and Wisconsin, all ranked teams, before the end of the regular season. In order to do better, the Spartans will have to figure out a way to communicate better offensively and defensively, but there is more of a dire need on offense. Their defense can be strong, but does need to work on keeping their momentum throughout the game. The offense needs to be able to communicate. Especially during the Champions Classic, players on the court were constantly confused as to what play was called, which cannot happen with a team with as much prestige as Michigan State. If they can improve in this area quickly, the Spartans have a chance to turn their season around.