If it were a pickup game, Michigan State would have beaten Michigan by 20 points Saturday.
The fact the Wolverines upended the Spartans 82-72 in East Lansing is a credit to Wolverines’ coach John Beilein, and an indictment of MSU’s legend Tom Izzo.
What else could it be other than coaching?
It was supposed to be different this season for Izzo after the sensational Miles Bridges shunned the NBA Draft to return, and Spartans added to their collection of 4- and 5-star talent.
And MSU, 20-15 last season and ousted by Middle Tennessee State the year before in an opening-round NCAA Tournament stunner, vaulted to No.1.
But the Spartans were routed at Ohio State. They were pushed to overtime at the Breslin Center by the Big Ten’s version of plankton, Rutgers, before Saturday’s shocker.
It wasn’t so much MSU lost, but how.
“We just didn’t do the things we needed to do,” Izzo said.
It was all about “grit,” Michigan’s.
Beilein may come across like a mild-mannered high school teacher in demeanor, and Izzo the classic firebrand, but it’s undeniable which squad not only was better prepared, but wanted it more.
The Spartans were flatter than a pancake. They were out-hustled and out-smarted. Michigan State had 18 turnovers compared to just seven by Michigan.
Izzo, unfortunately not out of character at moments like this, whined after the game, suggesting the media overhyped his team. As if it was difficult to discern his squad was bigger, quicker and more athletic than Michigan.
Izzo won a national title and has many times gotten to the Final Four, and this is probably his most-gifted team. Bridges and freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. are incredible talents, and they do play hard with emotion. Izzo’s second-team has a higher talent level than half the Big Ten can claim.
The Spartans very well could make a national championship run, but Beilein, whose Wolverines won the Big Ten Tournament title and came within a point of reaching the Elite Eight last March, is clearly cooking better meals with lesser ingredients than Izzo lately. It was never more evident than Saturday.
“We embrace the win, only because we were able to get a victory over an outstanding team,” Beilein said. “Stuff happens. We really played well.”
Bridges and Jackson Jr. are NBA lottery talent. There isn’t any aspect of Bridges’ game missing, Jackson Jr. is an incredible off-the-ball shot blocker. He is 6-11, has extraordinarily long arms, can jump out of the gym and has soft hands.
“A matchup nightmare,” is how Beilein, correctly, described the dynamic duo.
Josh Langford has emerged as a sophomore flashing the skill that made him a 5-star recruit. Cassius Winston is a top-of-the-line point guard. Anybody surprised by big man Nick Ward’s development? They shouldn’t be. He was pretty effective as a freshman under less-than-ideal circumstances in 2016-17.
This isn’t meant as an insult to Michigan. The Wolverines are reasonably athletic.
Moritz Wagner could play for any team in the country. He’ll play in the NBA, for sure. Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews didn’t have his best game, but he can obviously play. Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Zavier Simpson, a solid freshmen class led by Isaiah Livers – Michigan has players. But come on? Not like MSU does right now.
It makes you wonder just how much Beilein is underrated and Izzo overrated.
The saving grace for MSU’s faithful is Izzo, traditionally, is known for getting his team to peak come March. If that happens, this will be rendered an inconsequential January game.
But it would be a mistake to suggest it was meaningless.
It was a sign the Spartans aren’t quite powerhouse everybody expected.
And that John Beilein has his Wolverines rising above expectations again.
