Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch examines Michigan State basketball's 75-65 loss to Purdue on Tuesday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.
1. That's all, folks
That’s a wrap on Michigan State’s NCAA tournament hopes. The Spartans needed that one. The path forward from 4-9 in the Big Ten doesn’t add up to anything the selection committee is going to sniff.
It wasn’t for lack of effort in Tuesday’s 75-65 loss to Purdue. The Spartans played like a desperate team. A desperate team that just doesn’t have enough.
The issues were largely what they have been: unseasoned point guard play, which produced four points, four assists and five turnovers between three players; not quite enough shooting, not timely at least, even as the Spartans hit 7 of 16 3-point attempts; and no go-to player that truly causes opposing defenses problems.