East Lansing — It was Wednesday, a day after Michigan State was humbled at home against Wisconsin, losing its second straight, the first time the Spartans have dropped back-to-back games this season.
That’s when Matt McQuaid, the former sharp-shooter who is now the team’s assistant director of basketball operations, reminded his boss the last time the Spartans won a Big Ten title and reached the Final Four, they suffered a three-game skid in late January and early February.
That was during the 2018-19 season, one that saw Michigan State respond from its lull by winning seven of the final eight games, capturing a Big Ten tournament title with a third victory that season over Michigan and beating top-seeded Duke in the Regional Finals to reach the Final Four for the fourth time in coach Tom Izzo’s tenure.