An early fight by Minnesota quickly dwindled
The Spartans had 12 different players score and they cruised to an easy win on the road, beating Minnesota 90-72. The Spartan offense moved the ball, executed their offense and had no trouble putting up 90 points on the Gopher defense.
TURNING POINT: Minnesota led 14-12 after the first 8 minutes of the game. Michigan State went on a 23-5 run and never looked back.
HOT: Michigan State was 11/22 from three for the game. That’s 50% from three while they also shot a high percentage from two and from the line.
NOT: If you casually look at the box score, you’ll see that Dawson Garcia led the Gophers with 18 points. But he was 1/8 from three and 5/14 from the field. He was 7/7 from the line, helping him get to 18 points.
THE STAT: This maybe isn’t a stat that indicates how or why the Spartans won, but it is an impressive differential. Michigan State’s advantage in fast-break points was 27-2!! Tom Izzo is 70 years old, he’s been coaching at MSU for 29 seasons. He has been running basically the same things for three decades. One of the hallmarks of a Tom Izzo offense is pushing the ball up the floor, even after you make a basket (especially after you make a basket) and there is zero excuse to not be prepared for it. Maybe you get caught flat-footed on a possession or two, but 27-2??? I don’t care how bad this Gopher team is, that’s unacceptable.
UP NEXT: Minnesota heads to Indiana on Monday. The Hoosiers are 6-2 having been blown out by Louisville and Gonzaga while beating South Carolina and Providence.