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Michigan State basketball still hasn't found the spark when it needs it most

Disappointed coach Tom Izzo reacts to No. 25 Michigan State’s 67-60 loss to No. 9 Maryland on Saturday night in East Lansing, Feb. 15, 2020. Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING — They aren’t the team they thought they’d be. That’s been obvious for a while.

For reasons well-documented — injuries, personal tragedy — and for reasons getting easier to see, a pattern has emerged for these Michigan State Spartans: When it comes time to win, it’s the other team that too often makes the play.

Or plays.

As Maryland did Saturday evening at Breslin Center, when the first-place Terrapins made four consecutive three-pointers in the last three minutes to win, 67-60, stealing the game and effectively ending MSU’s Big Ten title hopes.