It was not that long ago that the 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans were in a four-way tie with Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska for first-place in the Big Ten.
Following Wednesday night’s shocking 76-73 loss to unranked Minnesota (11-12, 4-8 Big Ten), Michigan State (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) has faded to fourth in the conference standings.
While Minnesota was due for a big win, considering it was tied with Illinois at the half and led an undefeated Nebraska team at the time in the second half, it had lost seven straight and was not given much of a chance against the Spartans.
Michigan State suffers stunning loss to Minnesota
Although Michigan State got to within two with 20 seconds remaining, it trailed by as many as 16 and never led in the game. In fact, in each of Michigan State’s last three games — a win over Rutgers and losses to Michigan and Minnesota — the Spartans faced a double-digit deficit in each contest.
Sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr., who combined for 60 points in the two most recent games, was held to 10 points (4-of-11 FG). He added 11 assists, which is not surprising for someone who averages the second-most assists in the country (8.8 APG), but the fact that he was nonexistent against the Golden Gophers speaks volumes.
Junior forward Coen Carr was instrumental in giving Michigan State a shot late, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the final three minutes, but it was all for nothing as Minnesota answered the call and gave its fans a reason to storm the court moments later.
