It turns out that the upset win over Duke was the high point of the season for Michigan State, which became the latest victim of Texas Tech’s stifling defense in the Final Four.
Michigan State was riding high after topping Duke, but their bid for Tom Izzo’s second national championship came to a crashing halt against the stifling Texas Tech defense.
The Red Raiders bullied the Spartans all night long, picking up a 61-51 win to send Michigan State home one game shy of the ultimate goal.
Tom Izzo is now 2-6 in the Final Four, which is the worst among coaches with at least five games.
Michigan State had by far its worst game of the season offensively against Texas Tech, scoring a season-low 51 points and shooting just 31.9 percent from the floor, also a season-low. The Red Raiders made life miserable from Michigan State from the jump, but they really took over the game early in the second half, when they raced out to a 13-point lead they would never relinquish thanks to some hot shooting from grad transfer Matt Mooney.
The fact that the Spartans lost by 10 in a game where Jarrett Culver contributed next to nothing on the offensive end is incredibly frustrating, but that is exactly what Buffalo, Michigan, and Gonzaga have experienced against the Texas Tech defense in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State is a team that likes to pound the ball inside, and Texas Tech did a tremendous job denying post opportunities to big men Nick Ward and Xavier Tillman, who combined for just 12 points on 4-10 shooting.
Kenny Goins was also a complete non-factor for the Spartans, going 0-4 from the perimeter and getting shut out in his final college game. Cassius Winston ended up scoring 16 points, but that came on 4-16 shooting and with only two assists, showcasing how brilliantly Texas Tech took him off his game.
This is a bitter end to a strong season for the Spartans, who now see Goins and Matt McQuaid graduate. The good news is that Winston, Ward, and Joshua Langford should all be back next season to form the nucleus of a team that should be favored to win the Big Ten once again.