Road Block

Just when we thought they were starting to roll: a big win on the road against a rival, holding their last three opponents to less than 50 points. Michigan State went to West Lafayette and laid an egg, an enormous egg. The Spartans lost in an unflattering fashion 72-54 to the Boilermakers, letting Purdue back into the Big Ten race, and within a game of the Spartans.

 

Almost nothing went right for the Spartans tonight as they faced off in a crucial Big Ten game against the Purdue Boilermakers. What was billed as a big time match-up for the Big Ten title race became a lopsided second-half route in favor of the home team. Michigan State failed to put the ball in the hoop, shooting only 32% from the field, and committed 22 turnovers which led to easy Purdue hoops.

 

Give Purdue’s defense credit however, the Boilermakers blocked a total of 8 shots, 3 coming from reserve forward Nemanja Calasan. Additionally, they kept returning junior Raymar Morgan in check: Morgan could only muster 3 points in 13 minutes. Although he did manage to pull down 4 boards in his first game back. Purdue’s Robbie Hummel, also freshly returning to his team’s lineup, put up 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists-not bad for someone who isn’t completely healthy after fracturing his lower back. 

 

At times, it seemed as though Purdue couldn’t miss a shot. They finished shooting just under 50%, but were well above that mark for an extended period of the game- led by JaJuan Johnson who was 5 of 7 from the field and finished with a game high 17 points. Michigan State’s leading scorer, Kalin Lucas, struggled mightily from the field shooting a miserable 2 of 11, garnering most of his points at the free throw line. However, they did get a solid 11 points and 6 rebounds from Durrell Summers.

 

So, where do we go from here? This certainly wasn’t the end of the road for the Spartans- they are still a game up in the standings. However, this was a chance to cement themselves as the true Big Ten Championship front runner. Two upcoming home games against Wisconsin and Iowa could be just what the Spartans need to get back on track. A visit to Champaign looms in the near future, as does a return engagement with Purdue. As long as the Spartans go back to shooting well and playing tough defense, they should still find themselves atop the standings the season’s end.