Michigan State basketball: What went wrong in loss to Iowa

Michigan State basketball struggled mightily on Tuesday night, losing to Iowa. What went wrong for the Spartans?

That has to be the biggest gut check of the year. Michigan State basketball was riding high after winning eight of its last 10 games, just to come crashing back to earth after a 78-71 loss to Iowa.

Not much went right in this game, but here are a few things that stood out that caused this loss.

1. First half woes

This is something I thought this MSU team was past at this point. Early in the season, they struggled in the first half, but it felt like that was a thing of the past. We were proven wrong on Tuesday.

This game may have just been the worst first half we’ve seen all season. Lack of energy, going through the motions and no-show performances all over the place are just a few of the problems in the first half. The Spartans didn’t look like they wanted to try on defense and Iowa dictated how the game was played the first 20 minutes. It seemed like MSU expected to just show up and win this game. That’s not how it works in the Big Ten.

Michigan State found itself down 12 at the half, and even though they played a pretty good second half it didn’t matter. You can’t expect to beat any team down double digits at the half, and that was shown in this game once again.

2. Abysmal free throw shooting

Let me know if you’ve heard this before. Michigan State had an awful night from the free throw line. Going 7-for-14 from the free throw line just doesn’t cut it. Those seven missed free throw loom especially large considering MSU lost by seven points.

Now I’m not suggesting Michigan State needs to hit all of its free throws, that’s unrealistic. But 50 percent is just flat out terrible. Just like with the terrible first half, you can’t expect to win games when you’re this bad from the free throw line.

3. Lack of post production

This has been an ongoing problem for the last few years now. The Spartans aren’t just missing a reliable center, they don’t appear to have one on the roster fit for Big Ten basketball. Michigan State has always had an elite post player in the past, but that hasn’t been the case in recent years.

The Spartan trio of Mady Sissoko, Carson Cooper, and Jaxon Kohler combined for just five points. Altogether they had also six fouls as well. I don’t think it’s particularly good to have more fouls than points scored for your three man big rotation. Iowa also outscored MSU in the paint 40-28, another stat that looks terrible.

Tom Izzo deserves most of the blame for this for his refusal to utilize the portal. I’m all for being loyal to your guys, but at some point loyalty only goes so far.

I’m not sure where Michigan State basketball turns after this. The NCAA Tournament felt like a lock, but a performance like this makes you second guess that. What team will show up on Sunday when Ohio State comes to town? I have no idea, and that’s the exact problem with this team.