Tom Izzo gets the record!
At this point, I just have to believe that Tom wants his team to fall behind big at the start of games. I really have no other explanation for how this team, with all its apparent talent, consistently comes out so flat at the beginning of each contest. In this one, Illinois jumped out to a 6-0 lead while MSU had two turnovers and a horrible looking layup attempt by Zapala in its first three possessions. Then Illinois hit a couple of threes while MSU continued to show their preference for missing the deep ball. Izzo was forced into calling a timeout with his team down 17-6 just over 5 minutes in.
After the timeout, MSU went to their bench and immediately started seeing improved offensive output. Holloman scored on a drive. Carr got a putback. Booker even hit a triple from the top of the key. But the defense was only marginally better, though they benefited from an offensive foul when Akins got elbowed in the head guarding his guy, and the score was 21-13 at the under-12.
The player who MSU made irrelevant in the first matchup between these two, Jakucionis scored an and-1 to begin the next stretch of play. He had eight points already. Illinois got a stop on defense and then tallied another triple. Another Holloman bucket was answered by another Illini score. MSU responded to that with an 0-2 possession capped off by a Booker airball. Another Illinois bucket got the home team to double up on MSU, 31-15. Richardson responded for the Spartans, scoring on consecutive possessions, and then Kohler scored off an offensive rebound (is it a rebound if it’s an airball?) to make it a 6-0 Spartan run. On the other end, Kohler got called for a foul on a rebound effort, to send the game to a commercial and MSU down 31-21.
Illinois came back from break and scored the first two baskets, but MSU came back and Carr scored his third FG of the game. After a stop on D, MSU ended up with an odd-man rush after a loose-ball scramble, and that led to a Carr dunk to get back within 10. Kur Teng then came into the game. After forcing a turnover, Kohler hit a triple, with Teng getting the assist. He’d add to his stat line on the ensuing defensive trip with a foul. But Illinois threw the ball away again, and at the under-4 commercial, MSU had crawled back to 35-28. I can’t believe I am happy about being down by 7.
Kohler kept things going for MSU, dropping in a turnaround jumper. On the next offensive trip, MSU grabbed a couple of offensive boards, and then Carr took a baseline drive to score a layup and draw a foul, though he missed the FT. MSU had made some defensive adjustments and had forced the Illini into a four-minute drought. After another stop, Kohler scored another basket to make it a one-point game. Illinois finally ended the scoreless streak with a triple. Kohler would respond with his second triple of the day, giving him a dozen points. But Illinois came back with another three of their own, this one from Jakucionis. MSU did not score on offense, but Fidler drew an offensive foul to get it back. Kohler would miss a three on the ensuing possession. In the final seconds, Fidler gave up the foul when we had one to give. A strong defensive stance after the inbounds kept Illinois from adding to their lead. At the intermission, Illinois led by a score of 41-37. MSU finished the half on a 22-10 run to make the second half more of a question.
Kohler and Carr were leading the way for MSU with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Only Jakucionis was in double-digits for the Illini, with 13. Illinois’ advantage in three-point shooting, sinking six to only three by MSU, was the big difference in the opening half. Impressively, MSU was 3-7 on threes. The two teams combined for 2 FT attempts in the first 20 minutes.
Jeremy Fears opened the second half with a driving layup to bring MSU within 2. Then Akins forced a steal and Richardson dunked it uncontested to tie the game. Illinois drew two fouls on MSU on their next trip and got to the line. Cooper was subbed out for Zapala less than a minute and half in. Kohler hits another triple, this one from the corner, to put MSU up two!!! Illinois then caught us sleeping and forced us into a foul to stop a layup, but Jakucionis would make both FTs to tie the game. Seems like Illinois is going to be in the bonus before the under-12 timeout. Holloman scored a jumper coming around a screen. MSU then got foul number 4. After a few straight stops by both teams, Kohler scored a non-three-point FG to give MSU a four-point lead and caused Underwood to call an Illinois timeout. They came out of the huddle and promptly got an and-1, MSU’s fifth foul, but did not hit the FT. Holloman got called for a travel, and then Illinois tied the game on a dunk. Kohler finally missed a shot, and Illinois came back to retake the lead, 50-48. MSU would turn the ball over and Illinois went back inside for another score. MSU would draw a foul on the other end to get the game to the under-16 timeout, down by 4.
A pair of free throws by Fidler got the Spartans to 50. Airball! Airball! After securing an offensive rebound, MSU tied it on an alley-Coop from Holloman. Back on defense, MSU put Illinois on the line after Cooper picked up his third foul and the team’s 6th. They would make both FTs to go back up two. Akins would get fouled shooting a jumper and scored his first points of the game to notch the game at 54. Foul on Richardson put the home team on the line in the bonus with 12:55 remaining; yep, I saw this coming. Jakucionis would hit both FTs. Again, Akins tied the game, this time hitting the jumper. Then Zapala committed MSU’s 8th foul and Illinois went back up two. Once again, Akins tied the game, this time driving baseline for the reverse layup. At the under-12, we are tied 58 apiece.
Jaden was shakin’ & bakin’ as he gave MSU the lead on a driving shot. He would get the heat check the next time down as he missed a clown shot, and Illinois replied with a triple to go back up one. Play would get stopped when Illinois’ Boswell got bloodied during a rebound effort. Two plays later, Holloman put MSU back up one with a finger roll, but the lead did not last long as the Spartans surrendered a basket. Holloman scored another basket, getting a little luck as the ball just died on the rim. Again, MSU surrendered the lead right back. Then, we had the best sequence of the game, though it featured no scores. The two teams traded misses and turnovers and were racing back and forth. The sequence ended with a two-handed volleyball block on a Holloman drive that sent the ball into the seats and sent the game to the under-8 commercial with the Illini leading 65-64.
A Holloman jumper on MSU’s second possession after the timeout was followed by a goal-tending call against Akins. On the other end, Cooper got to the line after being fouled on a give-and-go, but he would brick both tries at the line to preserve Illinois’ lead. After a defensive stop, Jase curled into the paint and took a pass from Akins before scoring and getting fouled; he would hit his FT. Jakucionis would miss 3 triples on one possession, but MSU could not take advantage. Cooper came up with a block to stop a layup. After some more of that high-paced offensive struggling by both teams, MSU gave up a foul to get us to the under-4 timeout. MSU was taking a 69-67 lead to the commercial, their first time leading at a TV timeout, but Illinois would be shooting a 1-and-1 after the break.
After the commercial, it was announced that Akins earlier goaltending was not, in fact, a goaltending, so MSU suddenly was up 4! Illinois missed the front-end and MSU got the ball. The Spartans ran another Holloman-to-Coop alley-oop for a six-point advantage. The two teams would trade misses, and then Jakucionis missed another triple. On offense, MSU grabbed a couple extra tries, and Kohler scored a putback and earned a trip to the stripe where he would convert. With 1:55 to go, MSU was up nine. Cooper got another block down low, and with 1:26 left, Izzo called a timeout to draw up a play. I guess the play was for Holloman to take a deep three with a second on the shot clock. Fortunately, MSU got another offensive rebound, and on the second chance, Kohler sunk another triple, this time from the opposite corner for a twelve-point lead. He now had a career-high 23. After yet another Illinois missed three, they fouled and sent Holloman to the line. Tre calmly hit both. More misses by Illinois, more FTs for MSU. Kohler would miss both, but the game quickly ended after one last miss for the home team. MSU picks up the road win, 79-65!
Let’s get to the lists.
3 Things I Liked:
1. TOM IZZO GETS WIN #354 IN THE BIG TEN. I intentionally did not mention this in the game thread article. I feel like I was putting too much pressure on the team so it would be better if I kept quiet about it. It worked. The on-court interview with Jimmy Jackson was awesome. And how about the class by Izzo to give one last show of respect to Bob Knight, the man he just passed for the all-time lead.
Congratulations, Coach!
2. Carr Revival. Hard to say anything else after Izzo’s accomplishment as that was really all that mattered. But it was also good to see a bounce-back game from Coen, at least in the first half. Carr scored all ten of his points in the first, including two dunks to help energize his team.
3. Kohler Bear back from hibernation. Jaxon did not just score a career-high 23 points, but he also grabbed ten rebounds, six offensive, as well as two steals and one block. He was undoubtedly the player of the game. His four made triples (on five attempts!) seem like the most by an MSU player in years.
You know what guys? I’m not doing a Dislikes list today. Izzo got the record and we are going to leave it at that. This was a must-win, and the guys got it done.
VICTORY FOR IZZO!!! VICTORY FOR MSU!!!