Michigan State basketball suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, suffering a narrow loss at the hands of Duke, 66-60.
At times, it felt like the Spartans were on their way to another big time nonconference win, but a horrific shooting stretch to finish the game allowed the Blue Devils to escape the Breslin Center with a win.
While no one wanted it to happen, obviously, the Spartans were almost certainly going to lose at one point, and it comes at a time where Tom Izzo can really get into his guys, especially with a Big Ten road game on deck.
After the loss, there are some tangible things that can be taken away from the game. Here, we are going to break down three key takeaways from the Breslin Center on Saturday afternoon:
1. Jeremy Fears is the straw that stirs the drink
Obviously, Fears ability to run the offense and pass the ball is unmatched, but in all honesty, there is still more to ask of MSU’s point guard. If the Spartans are going to be an elite team, that is going to contend for a Big Ten and National Championship, they need Fears to be more consistent scoring the basketball.
On Saturday, Michigan State’s offense sputtered late, when it mattered most. In the game, Fears was 0-for-10 from the field, which quite frankly is not good enough.
Now, Fears wasn’t a negative player on Saturday, with 13 assists, stellar defense and command of the offense being phenomenal, it is clear that if this team is going to rise to their ceiling, they have to get more scoring production out of their point guard.
2. Zone defense
Yep, that dreaded thing that always seems to haunt MSU is back, the zone defense. Michigan State scored just nine points in the final nine minutes of the game, and much of that can be attributed to the Blue Devils zone defense.
The zone defense rendered Coen Carr basically useless, and kept Jaxon Kohler from utilizing his strengths. Seeing a 3-2 zone is not very common, but after Saturday, there is tape out there on how to neutralize the Spartans vaunted paint attack.
Michigan State is going to have to make a conscious effort to find a way to conquer the zone defense, because I have an inkling it is not the last time we are going to see it against MSU.
3. This team belongs
I am one of the last people you will see accept a moral victory, but on Saturday, it is okay to feel that way. Duke is arguably a top three team in college basketball, with the best player in the sport that is almost certainly going to be a top three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Michigan State went toe to toe with the Blue Devils, and some could say should have won the game, despite one of the worst scoring outputs you will see from the MSU back court this season.
With a vaunted nonconference slate that featured Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke, the Spartans went 3-1 with a couple of dominating victories. If I had offered that outcome to 99-percent of MSU fans, they would have taken it. This team proved they belong in the conversation with the top echelon of teams in college basketball heading into Big Ten play.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three takeaways from Michigan State’s first loss of season to Duke
