Michigan State Looks to Bounce Back Against UCLA Amid Midseason Slide
No. 15 Michigan State is in a bit of a tailspin right now, and Tuesday night’s matchup with UCLA in East Lansing offers a chance to steady the ship. The Spartans have dropped three of their last four, slipping into a tie for fifth in the Big Ten, and they’re coming off their most lopsided loss of the season - a 92-71 drubbing at Wisconsin.
That one stung. And Tom Izzo didn’t sugarcoat it.
“That was a good, old-fashioned ass-kicking, to be honest with you,” the veteran coach said postgame.
Michigan State (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) has looked out of sync lately. Even their lone win in the last couple of weeks - an overtime escape at home against then-No.
5 Illinois - came sandwiched between a shaky performance at Rutgers, a rough loss at Minnesota, and then the blowout in Madison. This team that once looked like a Big Ten title contender is now searching for answers on both ends of the floor.
Izzo, though, isn’t panicking.
“We’ll get better,” he said. “It’s one game.
Yeah, there’s some things you can look at for why you didn’t do this and why you didn’t do that. I also know how we’ve played in most of the games this year.
The one thing I will say about us: our margin for error is not high.”
That margin was exposed in a big way against Wisconsin. The Spartans struggled from deep, going just 8-of-27 from three-point range (29.6%), while the Badgers lit it up, hitting 15-of-35 (42.9%). Wisconsin’s backcourt duo of Nick Boyd (29 points) and John Blackwell (24) combined for 53 points, and Michigan State simply didn’t have an answer.
Coen Carr led the Spartans with 19 points, and Jeremy Fears put up a double-double - 14 points and 12 assists - but shot just 3-of-12 from the field. Jaxon Kohler, who’s been a consistent interior presence all season, was held to five points on 2-of-6 shooting.
Fears continues to be the engine for this team, averaging 15.1 points and 9.2 assists per game. Kohler chips in 12.5 points and leads the team with 9.3 rebounds, while Carr adds 11.7 points per contest.
Now they turn their attention to UCLA - a team that’s also looking to right the ship after a rough showing over the weekend.
The Bruins (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) are sitting seventh in the conference and had been trending in the right direction, winning seven of their last 10. But Saturday’s 86-56 loss at Michigan was a wake-up call. UCLA was outscored 46-18 in the second half, and head coach Mick Cronin didn’t hold back in his postgame assessment.
“We were awful in the second half - we were God-awful,” Cronin said. “We missed eight unguarded threes.
If you are going to come in here, you’ve got to score. We have some guys who won’t pass the ball and that is frustrating.”
The Wolverines shot a blistering 78.3% (18-of-23) in the second half - the worst defensive half of Cronin’s 23-year coaching career, by his own admission.
Trent Perry led UCLA with 14 points, while Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent each added 10. Skyy Clark made his return after missing 10 games with a hamstring injury, scoring eight points in 16 minutes. Clark has averaged 13.1 points in his 15 appearances this season, and his reintegration into the rotation will likely shake up minutes across the roster.
Still, Perry isn’t worried about any potential changes to his role.
“I just want to be a part of winning,” he said. “I just want to do whatever it takes to win. Like, I can’t have us being 30-pieced in an away game, you know?”
Bilodeau leads the Bruins in scoring at 17.9 points per game and shares the rebounding lead (5.6 per game) with Eric Dailey Jr. Dent is averaging 13.5 points and a team-best 7.0 assists.
There’s some recent history between these two programs, too. UCLA edged Michigan State 63-61 last season in a tight contest, with Dailey delivering the game-winner in the final seconds. All-time, the Bruins hold an 8-4 edge in the series.
Tuesday’s game feels like a crossroads for both teams. Michigan State needs to reestablish its identity, especially on defense and on the glass. UCLA, meanwhile, is trying to prove that its second-half collapse in Ann Arbor was an outlier, not a trend.
Two teams with postseason aspirations. Two coaches who demand toughness and execution. And one game that could tell us a lot about where each program is headed as the Big Ten race heats up.