3&OUT: Michigan State played its tail off in Sweet 16 loss, has nothing to hang head over

New York, NY – Michigan State committed too many turnovers, gave up too many open looks, and missed some good shots in a 98-93 overtime loss to Kansas State at Madison Square Garden. Despite all of that, Michigan State played its tail off, and has nothing to hang its head over.

Continue below for a basketball 3&Out.

1. Michigan State gave Kansas State too many open looks

Kansas State is a team that takes a lot of bad shots. In this game, the Wildcats took more good shots than they typically do. That is because Michigan State didn’t contest shots as tightly as it did in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament. Some of Kansas State’s success in this game was the result of Markquis Nowell’s passing. Nowell was outstanding as a facilitator. Some of Michigan State’s issues on defense were the result of poor ball-screen defense. This was the third straight game where playing solid ball-screen defense was a critical priority for Michigan State. This was the poorest of the three ball-screen games that Michigan State has played.

The Spartans went small for most of the second half as a counter Kansas State getting too many open looks from ball-screens. One has to wonder if all of the minutes that Joey Hauser and Malik Hall played in the second half with Michigan State going small took their toll at the free-throw line. Both Hall and Hauser missed free throws either late in regulation or in overtime.

It’s easy to look at Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper and blame them for whatever issues Michigan State had with ball-screen defense. That said, those two players have been solid with their ball-screen defense in recent games, and Kansas State deserves some credit for taking advantage of those screens.

Kansas State makes too many bad shots to give them good shots. Kansas State got too many good looks today.

“This time of year it’s about who’s going to make the plays at the right time,” Michigan State point guard AJ Hoggard said. “We didn’t get the stops when we needed them, and they capitalized off them.”

2. Nowell is best point guard Michigan State has played

All of the talk leading up to this game revolved around Harlem-born point guard Markquis Nowell returning to New York City. Nowell is one of the best stories in college basketball this year, but if you’re like me, you probably got a little bit tired of the hype surrounding Nowell. Seeing Nowell ball out in this game, I will be the first to admit that he is as good as advertised. He might even be better, because he got his teammates involved in this game before looking for his own shot. I’ve seen a lot of point guards have games with double-digit assists, I can’t remember too many that did it before halftime. Nowell set an NCAA Tournament record tonight with 19 assists. His performance was inspirational, and he lifted Kansas State into the Elite Eight at Michigan State’s expense

Michigan State made it farther than any Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament this season, and while this loss a tough way to go out, the Spartans have nothing to hang their heads over. A handful of plays here or there might have changed the outcome of this game, but the Spartans played hard and came up short. Michigan State had the pieces to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, and they did make a run before running into a team that played better in person than they did on film. Marquette ran into the same type of team last weekend in Columbus in Michigan State.

3. Hauser did his part

Joey Hauser played his heart out in this game, and he was rewarded with his 1,000th career point in the early going of the first half. Hauser was the most consistent player on the floor for Michigan State in this game. He scored 18 points and added six rebounds in 38 difficult minutes. Hauser was also perfect at the free-throw line until missing the front end of a 1-and-1 with a chance to tie this game inside of five minutes in regulation. Kansas State buried a 3-pointer on the next possession and took a five-point lead.

Hauser also missed two open threes late in the second half. In overtime, Hauser passed up a good look for what could have been a game-tying three in the final seconds of overtime. In the locker room after this loss, Hauser was hard on himself for not taking the final shot.

“I think the play worked out, but I turned down a shot that I usually wouldn’t turn down,” Hauser said. “It sucks. It’s a lot of I wish I would have done this, or done that. There are plays throughout a game where you say, I wish I would have done it differently.”

Hauser’s teammates have his back.

“Him more than any other one has showed up every single day,” Malik Hall said. “He does the things that he is supposed to. He treats his body right and does the little things he is supposed to make sure that he is in the best possible shape that he can be in. I don’t think he should hold his head at all.”

Joey Hauser played as hard as anyone during the NCAA Tournament. He also left everything on the floor tonight. He might want to have a couple of plays back, but Hauser did his part tonight.

The post 3&OUT: Michigan State played its tail off in Sweet 16 loss, has nothing to hang head over appeared first on On3.