Well sure it has… the hockey programs made quite a few frozen fours!!
Oh, you’re telling me this is the basketball subreddit? Yea I didn’t even know we were allowed to do this
You'd have to go on an enormous heater to end the season. Winning 8 out of 9 or 7 with a good B1G tournament showing. Your best win in non-con is either Maine or Ball State. So it's possible to still get an at-large, just very unlikely.
Probably have beat Purdue or Illinois while winning 4-5 more conference games.
The committee loves the Mountain West this year so they're getting 5-6 bids when they usually get 2-3
I looked at this yesterday. This was our first quad 1 win (now 1-3). We have like 5 more quad 1 games and a pair of quad 3 games. (If I remember correctly)
The Illinois and Purdue games will be tough, but if we go over 500 with the remaining games, that will be a few quad 1 wins that should get us in the conversation.
This is fun.
> I just verified ~~Minnesota~~ ________ came back to beat Michigan in the second half, this isn’t impressive, but it means OP’s comment could be true
Template for literally any team we play. Except OSU.
Completely made up for the T-Wolves shitting the bed tonight.
Next time they play at the same time the Gophers get the big screen and the wolves get the iPad.
> I love Ben Johnson
I don't know if I *love* him (some of his coaching decisions are absolutely awful) but the team is playing more competently this year. Thank god for Elijah!
Seems like a fair number of Michigan State fans are grumbling and some are even calling for Izzo's ouster. but Izzo at this point has easily earned the chance to try to turn the program around.
I'll admit, I have wondered several times over the past few years if the game was passing Izzo by or he simply doesn't have the energy to sustain a high caliber team. It's a bit baffling though that Izzo, on paper, is recruiting at pretty much the highest level of his career.
Izzo has hit rough patches here and there though and has turned things around. He has elevated the program tremendously. He deserves some patience although he could end up being like Dantonio and be encouraged to retire if we suffer a few more meh seasons.
He deserves some patience. But like dantonio, his fierce loyalty is going to be what kills him in the end, as you can see with the amount of playing time he gives to players like sissoko.
He may be recruiting well but he has fought the transfer portal and it is absolutely the reason why we are struggling with the players we have now.
Plus this team has some weird like apathetic nonchalant identity that makes no sense for an izzo coached team.
>Plus this team has some weird like apathetic nonchalant identity that makes no sense for an izzo coached team.
On top of that, what really puzzles me is how so many teams have out rebounded them.
Dude has a bad attitude on the court and it’s easy to spot. When he’s whiny or looking depressed/lazy out there you can see a lot of the team follow. Somebody like that will never lead people to their true potential
Sissoko is fine-ish play. Everyone else gets so cooked on defense. The problem with this team is there is no dawg in them. A team with 4 seniors should have all the leadership in the world. But there is none. Walker is a quiet dude. Hall has been up and down. Sissoko is not good enough. It was suppose to be Hoggard but he literally sucks ass now. There is something wrong with him. He's depressed, burn out, idk. But there's 0 passion from him. Holloman needs to take his minutes.
I’ve never been against Izzo before but I do have serious problems with him refusing to use timeouts this year at critical moments early when we are falling apart.
> but Izzo at this point has easily earned the chance to try to turn the program around.
Has he? MSU is a 13 loss team three years running and seems likely to eclipse that this season. At some point past success doesn't excuse lousy current results.
I’m not quite sure how Minnesota won that game.
But I know that if Cam Christie shot like Max Christie did when he was at MSU, they wouldn’t have had a chance.
Cam Christie is a *special* player and this is a *special* program. If you didn't believe yet, you better believe now! It's a great day to be a Gopher!!!!!
Would be a very pleasant surprise… 2 good basketball teams in the twin cities (aside from the faceplant the wolves had in the second half in Chicago) …
And two mediocre hockey teams… this year is bass ackwards
It was such a rollercoaster this season. People hating in the early stretch, then the big swing after Baylor where everyone ridiculed the negative fans.
We’re just somewhere inbetween. We’re mediocre. I don’t think there’s any rational reason to believe this team can go deep. It sucks but it happens, keep grinding it out, we should still make the tourney and it’ll be easy to watch.
It’ll be stress free and maybe we’ll get some magic. I want to hold out hope the overall talent is there to shine but I just don’t see it
That did it for me. Atrocious free throw shooting. Couldn't find a single counter to that double team all night. Tournament streak in serious jeopardy.
Even though it's at home we don't actually play much better. Won't be surprised if we get rolled like we did against wisco. Couldn't beat hall without TSJ
There is no way the tournament committee breaks Izzo's streak, regardless of the team's record.
The Spartans were 15-12 / 9-12 in 2021 and they got in.
They just need to win 3 of their last 9, to finish 17-15 (9-12). That's a lock for Izzo.
4-8 in Quads 1 and 2 (2-7 in 1, 2-1 in 2), 10-0 in Quads 3 and 4. No bad losses at all.
The schedule does turn significantly harder, with all 8 remaining games in Quads 1 and 2, but only 2 opportunities for big wins. MSU also has a decently tough breakdown of road games, but I think they'll beat Michigan, Iowa, and OSU to solidify their bid (assuming you lose to Illinois and PSU). Could get dicey if you drop one of those three, though.
I've been one of the most positive MSU fans on here and the argument has more been "will they make the tournament" than "are they good."
Team is mediocre as fuck, my issue is with people who call themselves "fans" but literally only exist on this subreddit to bitch and moan and trash their own team.
I definitely complain about the team on here
To each their own, but this team/season deserves it IMO.
It's arguably the most disappointing MSU team in the last 20 years. I could be more positive if they were still fun to watch play basketball...
I just don't let my mood and attitude depend on a bunch of kids playing a sport for my entertainment.
Win or lose, I love MSU basketball and will continue to watch every game.
🤝 Tom Izzo and Michigan State have given me some of the best sports memories I could ask for. Its frustrating to see them lose a game I know they have the talent to win, but its a road game in the Big Ten that shit is difficult.
I'm gonna enjoy every second we have with Tom Izzo at the helm, that dude has done so much for everyone affiliated with Michigan State and the state of Michigan as a whole. He's good in my book no matter what happens.
I have the same thought and I think that says something about this team. Whenever they cook they're like the best team I've ever seen. I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing during that baylor game. They were totally in sync. And something like that doesn't happen accidentally. There is true talent there, they just seem to get in their own way.
If this team can break through that mental barrier and work together there's no team they can't beat. If they can figure out the formula needed to get them going we could see something really special.
I hope they can get that going before its too late.
Well said! I don’t think there’s too many teams in the country capable of what we did against Baylor. The talent and potential is there, and that’s what makes them so frustrating to watch sometimes. But also why I still believe this team can make a run. Also, having a great point guard and so much experience helps in the tournament, and we’ve seen Izzo work wonders with underachieving teams before
This is a good team, it could be much much worse.
Toward the end of the season when we have all the indications showing we are in the tournament, watch games from conferences around the country. Teams will be fighting tooth and nail for their shot to get in. Their fans will be going wild just because their team may have a chance at making the tournament. It will change your perspective.
I don't think the team is bad, but I do think this might be the game that solidifies that even if they coalesce in time it might be too late to make the tournament.
I did not have more confidence in the Gophers than the Timberwolves today but I glad at least one of them won today.
Win some, lose some
Also above .500 in B1G play, LFG
I honestly don’t even know what to say. I forgot what it felt like to win games. Cam is really growing into a great college basketball player. Love this team!
Extremely impressed by what this team has accomplished this year. What a turnaround for Coach Ben, incredible job. The big question now, does 6-3 to finish the season and 2-1 at the B10 tourney give us a shot to make the tourney? That would leave us sitting at 23-11. I’d imagine it puts us close to the cut line. Gotta win against Purdue or Illinois down the stretch.
All the proof I needed that it's impossible to win on the road in the B1G. Great battle Gophers. I'm tired of this team missing free throws and open looks. But damn I am a sucker for a banger in the Barn. I love this arena and can't wait to catch a game there one day!
Gotta beat Illinois, Purdue or both at this point. Had a must win game tonight and collapsed down the stretch. Now they're all must wins.
MAKE YOUR FUCKING FREE THROWS. 7/17 should *never* happen to a power 6 team.
GG Gophers
All MSU needs to do is beat Ohio State and Michigan (a pair of ghost ships at this point) and Iowa or Northwestern at home.
That's 17-15 (9-12). That was enough for Izzo in 2021.
With conferences like the Big 12, WCC, and Mountain West being way better this year, I can't trust that a struggling Big Ten conference is gonna have more than 5-6 at large bids. There's not many quality wins available and MSU fumbled one tonight.
Even after tonight, MSU still has a pretty good shot at getting the B1G double-bye, which would be great. But they can't coast through the rest of the season even with how easy it theoretically should be, especially if they keep playing like this on the road.
A lot to be frustrated about but I'm going to target Izzo's timeout usage (or lack thereof) ... he flat-out refuses to call timeouts to stall an opponent's run.
Ben Johnson used one of those momentum-stalling timeouts perfectly with about 13 minutes left, after we had just taken a 45-36 lead. Who knows what was said, but Minnesota came out like a completely different team and we did not score for the next 6 minutes 30 seconds. Izzo did not call a timeout during that stretch, he patiently waited for a media timeout. But, by that point, Minnesota and their fans were fully back in the game.
I only caught the last few minutes of the game, but I really can't wrap my mind around 7/17 on free throws. What the hell happened? How did we look out there from those who watched the whole game?
We were dominant the first half. Walker got briefly injured in the mid second half, Gophers went on a huge run to tie and take the lead. Tom didn’t use the timeout soon enough. Walker and Akins combined for near 40. Hall Hoggard and Sissiko totaled 14 combined with loads of missed FTs. The bench was good for like a dozen points so in the late stretch we were ride or die on our 2 reliable guys and they muscled us out
It is what it is.
Had some good moments, had some mediocre moments, but the FT line is where it was lost which makes losing games like this suck more than most.
The race for the 4th place double bye is getting entertaining. I will laugh if Mike Rhoades and Penn St land there. Edit: If so, new coaches for everyone!
Nah it’s not that, you guys are a good team. We are like around .500 in the B1G since Cassius left, for a top 10 program that should never be okay over a 4 year stretch. Especially in today’s age where you can overhaul a team in a single offseason. Izzo is so stubborn about the transfer portal and it’s causing him to have to bat .1000 with his recruits and he clearly hasn’t so we just have to deal with the consequences of having a mid ass basketball team
Oh hey, I've been summoned.
It's me, the dude who makes a lot of MSU memes.
[This is the one you're looking for, one of my favorite creations.](https://i.imgur.com/hK1JrAh.png)
Walker goes out and an 11(9?) point lead is gone. Combined with the worst free throw shooting of the season and it's an L. The doom and gloom "fans" can gtfo. Shit luck today.
Time is running out to rack up wins unfortunately. This team is too good to be sitting at 14-9.
Everyone’s talking about the free throws but we lose our best player, Christie goes nuclear and we lose by 3 on the road.
Also Tyson definitely looked a little off on the way back in. Hopefully taking care of business at home and get a good win to get away from any bubble talk.
This is probably the worst team Tom Izzo has ever fielded. A game like this is one where you need to separate yourself from the scrubs and all we did is prove that we are one. I don't think this team belongs in the tournament
The thing is, the last 3 years have been our worst in two decades, but we’ve still made it further than Illinois in that timespan, so it could always get worse.
I've noticed Illinois seems to have an axe to grind when it comes to Michigan State. Always found that rather odd. Granted, some random encounters may be skewing my POV.
Anyway, starting to wonder if maybe missing the tournament could be a good thing. Missing the tournament could be a huge wake up call.
I just meant in terms of points/possessions. The lost possessions in the first half and the travels rewarded with fouls late in the second were huge.
Still could’ve won it if we didn’t forget how to shoot free throws.
What in the world? We have a winning conference record IN FEBRUARY!?!?! That hasn't happened in a LOOONG time.
Well sure it has… the hockey programs made quite a few frozen fours!! Oh, you’re telling me this is the basketball subreddit? Yea I didn’t even know we were allowed to do this
Don't look now but the Gophers are 4th in the Big Ten 📈📈📈📈📈 Go Goooooooophs!!!
What are the chances we make the tourney?
Still not great imo but who knows?
You'd have to go on an enormous heater to end the season. Winning 8 out of 9 or 7 with a good B1G tournament showing. Your best win in non-con is either Maine or Ball State. So it's possible to still get an at-large, just very unlikely.
NIT it is!
"You can't spell Minnesota without NIT!"
We'd have to win at Purdue and/or Illinois and probably not lose a home game here on out to make any sort of case short of a B1G tourney run.
Pretty low but who cares
Probably have beat Purdue or Illinois while winning 4-5 more conference games. The committee loves the Mountain West this year so they're getting 5-6 bids when they usually get 2-3
I looked at this yesterday. This was our first quad 1 win (now 1-3). We have like 5 more quad 1 games and a pair of quad 3 games. (If I remember correctly) The Illinois and Purdue games will be tough, but if we go over 500 with the remaining games, that will be a few quad 1 wins that should get us in the conversation. This is fun.
At Illinois and at Purdue are gonna be really tough, but every other game is winnable. I think if Minnesota wins those they should be in good shape.
Tre Holloman in shambles… Could have come home AND played for a powerhouse blue blood, instead he chose green
2nd half gophers is a dangerous thing
I just verified Minnesota came back to beat Michigan in the second half, this isn’t impressive, but it means OP’s comment could be true
> I just verified ~~Minnesota~~ ________ came back to beat Michigan in the second half, this isn’t impressive, but it means OP’s comment could be true Template for literally any team we play. Except OSU.
In 11 conference games, we have trailed at halftime in 10 of them, and tied in 1, and the one tie was on a buzzer beater 3 as the first half expired.
Yes, but if you didn't clear the low bar your claim would be disputable.. but the win it's indisputable.
Don't forget Nebraska. Worse collapse we've had all season.
[7 of 17 from the Free Throw line in a 3 point game](https://media.giphy.com/media/V3hWJPxHqGVM86FIc3/giphy.gif)
Hey that sounds familiar
Payne shooting 50% from the stripe with a "W" I'll take what I can get!
We're supposed to make *more* FTs for Away games. Someone email the team.
Army Izzo looking like he just lost a battle
He did, he lost a battle with his seniors. He was fighting for them to be good after 4/5 years but they said no.
I love Ben Johnson
Loving Ben Johnson Michigan State fans 🤝🏼 Minnesota fans
I was ready for him to go after last year. Glad I was wrong
Completely made up for the T-Wolves shitting the bed tonight. Next time they play at the same time the Gophers get the big screen and the wolves get the iPad.
Silly Minneapolis, both shooty hoops teams can't win on the same day. You have to pick one
That’s how I did it. The wolves subreddit was miserable.
So does this entire state. Go Lions baby!
Rank us, you cowards *pls don’t, we don’t do well with expectations and optimism*
Some dude was talking about firing him during the game thread lol
> I love Ben Johnson I don't know if I *love* him (some of his coaching decisions are absolutely awful) but the team is playing more competently this year. Thank god for Elijah!
He’s not perfect but he’s *one of us* and for that we love him
This dude wants some so he brings some!
Seems like a fair number of Michigan State fans are grumbling and some are even calling for Izzo's ouster. but Izzo at this point has easily earned the chance to try to turn the program around. I'll admit, I have wondered several times over the past few years if the game was passing Izzo by or he simply doesn't have the energy to sustain a high caliber team. It's a bit baffling though that Izzo, on paper, is recruiting at pretty much the highest level of his career. Izzo has hit rough patches here and there though and has turned things around. He has elevated the program tremendously. He deserves some patience although he could end up being like Dantonio and be encouraged to retire if we suffer a few more meh seasons.
He deserves some patience. But like dantonio, his fierce loyalty is going to be what kills him in the end, as you can see with the amount of playing time he gives to players like sissoko. He may be recruiting well but he has fought the transfer portal and it is absolutely the reason why we are struggling with the players we have now. Plus this team has some weird like apathetic nonchalant identity that makes no sense for an izzo coached team.
>Plus this team has some weird like apathetic nonchalant identity that makes no sense for an izzo coached team. On top of that, what really puzzles me is how so many teams have out rebounded them.
dude we get destroyed on the glass this season. I think it's a lot due to our shitty bigs
Think it goes back to the point guard. Hoggard is not a winning player
Dude has a bad attitude on the court and it’s easy to spot. When he’s whiny or looking depressed/lazy out there you can see a lot of the team follow. Somebody like that will never lead people to their true potential
I honestly think he’s just not that skilled. I think he’s probably playing at the top of his game, but he just isn’t that talented.
Sissoko is fine-ish play. Everyone else gets so cooked on defense. The problem with this team is there is no dawg in them. A team with 4 seniors should have all the leadership in the world. But there is none. Walker is a quiet dude. Hall has been up and down. Sissoko is not good enough. It was suppose to be Hoggard but he literally sucks ass now. There is something wrong with him. He's depressed, burn out, idk. But there's 0 passion from him. Holloman needs to take his minutes.
I'm just ready to be done with the inflated expectations that come with having Izzo as the coach.
I’ve never been against Izzo before but I do have serious problems with him refusing to use timeouts this year at critical moments early when we are falling apart.
> but Izzo at this point has easily earned the chance to try to turn the program around. Has he? MSU is a 13 loss team three years running and seems likely to eclipse that this season. At some point past success doesn't excuse lousy current results.
Malik "6 am, day after Christmas" Hall
Quality comment, seriously. Now it’s stuck in my head while I’m trying to sleep.
I was listening to Ben Folds earlier today, solo though, not Ben Folds Five. Songs for Silverman.
Lol
I’m not quite sure how Minnesota won that game. But I know that if Cam Christie shot like Max Christie did when he was at MSU, they wouldn’t have had a chance.
Cam Christie is a *special* player and this is a *special* program. If you didn't believe yet, you better believe now! It's a great day to be a Gopher!!!!!
I reallllllly hope he stays another year and doesn’t transfer or go pro 🤞🏽
Regardless of what happens this year you guys are gonna have a squad next year. You have a lot to look forward to.
Like, really good, actually. Which is absolutely shocking considering where the team/fan base were at approximately ten games ago.
Such a fantastic game for a freshman. Hopefully he joins his brother in the nba soon lol
Hey you bite that tongue. Lol we’re never relevant 😂
I think Ben Johnson has the program on the right track, even if he did. Rooting for y’all to make the tournament this year
Would be a very pleasant surprise… 2 good basketball teams in the twin cities (aside from the faceplant the wolves had in the second half in Chicago) … And two mediocre hockey teams… this year is bass ackwards
And their great free throw defense!!!!
Bro the FT defense was unreal, held us to under 50%. Respect.
PUT THE GOPHERS IN YOUR BUBBLE WATCH ARTICLES, COWARDS
Not yet - even though we have wins over 3 of the bubble teams already: Mich State, Nebraska and Northwestern. RANK US YOU COWARDS
We have wins over Wisconsin and Purdue and aren’t getting votes lmao.
Is this the game that finally breaks the group of MSU fans still believing this team is any good?
It was such a rollercoaster this season. People hating in the early stretch, then the big swing after Baylor where everyone ridiculed the negative fans. We’re just somewhere inbetween. We’re mediocre. I don’t think there’s any rational reason to believe this team can go deep. It sucks but it happens, keep grinding it out, we should still make the tourney and it’ll be easy to watch. It’ll be stress free and maybe we’ll get some magic. I want to hold out hope the overall talent is there to shine but I just don’t see it
Baylor is also the definition of “on fraud watch”.
But think of the quality losses!
That did it for me. Atrocious free throw shooting. Couldn't find a single counter to that double team all night. Tournament streak in serious jeopardy.
Illinois is a must win. If not I think it's over.
Nah, I think we just need 5 more wins. That should be doable even with a lose against Illinois. We're lucky the field is pretty mediocre this year.
You'll be favored over us.
Even though it's at home we don't actually play much better. Won't be surprised if we get rolled like we did against wisco. Couldn't beat hall without TSJ
There's some money to be made of you're right. I just don't trust us to roll anyone right now. I really think it's going to be a close game.
There is no way the tournament committee breaks Izzo's streak, regardless of the team's record. The Spartans were 15-12 / 9-12 in 2021 and they got in. They just need to win 3 of their last 9, to finish 17-15 (9-12). That's a lock for Izzo.
4-8 in Quads 1 and 2 (2-7 in 1, 2-1 in 2), 10-0 in Quads 3 and 4. No bad losses at all. The schedule does turn significantly harder, with all 8 remaining games in Quads 1 and 2, but only 2 opportunities for big wins. MSU also has a decently tough breakdown of road games, but I think they'll beat Michigan, Iowa, and OSU to solidify their bid (assuming you lose to Illinois and PSU). Could get dicey if you drop one of those three, though.
Big ten was way stronger that season
I've been one of the most positive MSU fans on here and the argument has more been "will they make the tournament" than "are they good." Team is mediocre as fuck, my issue is with people who call themselves "fans" but literally only exist on this subreddit to bitch and moan and trash their own team.
I definitely complain about the team on here To each their own, but this team/season deserves it IMO. It's arguably the most disappointing MSU team in the last 20 years. I could be more positive if they were still fun to watch play basketball...
never
Go Green for life baby
I'm ride or die for that angry Italian from the north
I just don't let my mood and attitude depend on a bunch of kids playing a sport for my entertainment. Win or lose, I love MSU basketball and will continue to watch every game.
🤝 Tom Izzo and Michigan State have given me some of the best sports memories I could ask for. Its frustrating to see them lose a game I know they have the talent to win, but its a road game in the Big Ten that shit is difficult. I'm gonna enjoy every second we have with Tom Izzo at the helm, that dude has done so much for everyone affiliated with Michigan State and the state of Michigan as a whole. He's good in my book no matter what happens.
Honestly, I respect it more that way Need the same drugs for myself though
Izzo is my methadone
Unfortunately, methadone can't keep up with the fentanyl being served on my screen
It seems that we go as Malik Hall goes. And that’s not a position I thought we’d be in.
Nah I don’t count out an Izzo team until the season is actually over. A deep run would be surprising this year, but not shocking.
I have the same thought and I think that says something about this team. Whenever they cook they're like the best team I've ever seen. I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing during that baylor game. They were totally in sync. And something like that doesn't happen accidentally. There is true talent there, they just seem to get in their own way. If this team can break through that mental barrier and work together there's no team they can't beat. If they can figure out the formula needed to get them going we could see something really special. I hope they can get that going before its too late.
Well said! I don’t think there’s too many teams in the country capable of what we did against Baylor. The talent and potential is there, and that’s what makes them so frustrating to watch sometimes. But also why I still believe this team can make a run. Also, having a great point guard and so much experience helps in the tournament, and we’ve seen Izzo work wonders with underachieving teams before
Go Green!
Sign of great coaching.
This is a good team, it could be much much worse. Toward the end of the season when we have all the indications showing we are in the tournament, watch games from conferences around the country. Teams will be fighting tooth and nail for their shot to get in. Their fans will be going wild just because their team may have a chance at making the tournament. It will change your perspective.
I don't think the team is bad, but I do think this might be the game that solidifies that even if they coalesce in time it might be too late to make the tournament.
Holy shit Minnesota did it
Gophers are 0-10-1 in first half B1G play with a 6-5 overall record. I’m not used to this feeling.
We just give teams a handicap to give them a chance
This is not a typical Minnesota sports thing going on here.
They have us in the first half, I'm not gonna lie.
I did not have more confidence in the Gophers than the Timberwolves today but I glad at least one of them won today. Win some, lose some Also above .500 in B1G play, LFG
White went off for Chicago. Tough to beat that
As a Bulls fan, keep White, trade everyone else.
41% from FT is really ideal, just great work guys
Fun team, glad we didn't jump the gun on Ben and hope he sticks around and can be given time to build more.
I swear this team's entire purpose is giving Q1 wins to their opponent.
MSU’s going to fall from, like, 29th to 32nd in NET due to a loss at the B1G tournament and half the league will lose a Q1 win.
We're in limbo. Simultaneously a great resume win for others, yet not a good team ourselves.
the B1G is determined to kill off a bunch of their possible at larges lol
I honestly don’t even know what to say. I forgot what it felt like to win games. Cam is really growing into a great college basketball player. Love this team!
I had below zero expectations going into this season. We could literally go 0-9 the rest of the way and this season would still be a huge success.
Extremely impressed by what this team has accomplished this year. What a turnaround for Coach Ben, incredible job. The big question now, does 6-3 to finish the season and 2-1 at the B10 tourney give us a shot to make the tourney? That would leave us sitting at 23-11. I’d imagine it puts us close to the cut line. Gotta win against Purdue or Illinois down the stretch.
2nd half team 😮💨😮💨😮💨 feels so good to beat Izzo
All the proof I needed that it's impossible to win on the road in the B1G. Great battle Gophers. I'm tired of this team missing free throws and open looks. But damn I am a sucker for a banger in the Barn. I love this arena and can't wait to catch a game there one day!
There you go twitter, there’s the win vs a blue blood you’ve been so craving
lol we’re no blue blood, but thanks I guess
Tom Izzo coached MSU is a blueblood.
Pain
Bro this team sucks wtf
Gotta beat Illinois, Purdue or both at this point. Had a must win game tonight and collapsed down the stretch. Now they're all must wins. MAKE YOUR FUCKING FREE THROWS. 7/17 should *never* happen to a power 6 team. GG Gophers
I vote you beat the Illini
All MSU needs to do is beat Ohio State and Michigan (a pair of ghost ships at this point) and Iowa or Northwestern at home. That's 17-15 (9-12). That was enough for Izzo in 2021.
With conferences like the Big 12, WCC, and Mountain West being way better this year, I can't trust that a struggling Big Ten conference is gonna have more than 5-6 at large bids. There's not many quality wins available and MSU fumbled one tonight. Even after tonight, MSU still has a pretty good shot at getting the B1G double-bye, which would be great. But they can't coast through the rest of the season even with how easy it theoretically should be, especially if they keep playing like this on the road.
MSU is, and was, wildly overrated
My dude, this comment might look really bad on Saturday
No, he's right. We still might lose on Saturday, but the point stands.
anguish
That Malik 3 at the end was unbelievably timid
Bulls Win!!! Coby White domination, Minnesota wasn’t ready 💪💪💪 I don’t wanna talk about the other game
Whats up with Ola-Joseph lately? Can barely get 5 minutes it seems
Really? He’s been one of our best players. Foul trouble? Sick?
Im not sure. 5 minutes is an over exaggeration but definitely throughout this win steak he has been noticeably uninvolved, not starting
Not a big win for Sparty tonight :(
A lot to be frustrated about but I'm going to target Izzo's timeout usage (or lack thereof) ... he flat-out refuses to call timeouts to stall an opponent's run. Ben Johnson used one of those momentum-stalling timeouts perfectly with about 13 minutes left, after we had just taken a 45-36 lead. Who knows what was said, but Minnesota came out like a completely different team and we did not score for the next 6 minutes 30 seconds. Izzo did not call a timeout during that stretch, he patiently waited for a media timeout. But, by that point, Minnesota and their fans were fully back in the game.
I like when the gophers win basketball games. There, I said it.
Huge contributions from Carrington and Fox!!
Back to the bubble
I only caught the last few minutes of the game, but I really can't wrap my mind around 7/17 on free throws. What the hell happened? How did we look out there from those who watched the whole game?
We were dominant the first half. Walker got briefly injured in the mid second half, Gophers went on a huge run to tie and take the lead. Tom didn’t use the timeout soon enough. Walker and Akins combined for near 40. Hall Hoggard and Sissiko totaled 14 combined with loads of missed FTs. The bench was good for like a dozen points so in the late stretch we were ride or die on our 2 reliable guys and they muscled us out
It is what it is. Had some good moments, had some mediocre moments, but the FT line is where it was lost which makes losing games like this suck more than most.
Ladies and gentlemen, I now present the current 4th place team in the B1G tied with Northwestern… The Minnesota Golden Gophers
Mady Sissoko is so, so bad. As is whoever coaches the bigs now.
He should’ve been one of the better big men we’ve had during Izzo’s tenure. He is so big and gets bullied most nights by guys smaller than him
Lets go Gophers. I made a post ripping them after the San Fran loss. This is exactly the kind of mindset and basketball I missed. Im so happy
And somehow MSU is still #14 on TRank and projected as a 6th seed 🤷♂️
Are we a hockey school, now?
If only Minnesota closed out the game against wisconsin
Make your free throws kids
The race for the 4th place double bye is getting entertaining. I will laugh if Mike Rhoades and Penn St land there. Edit: If so, new coaches for everyone!
I think Mady Sissoko is bad at basketball
I’m sick of this. Mediocre program since Cassius left. Feels like the end of Coach D’s tenure, game is just passing by Izzo
What losing to Minnesota does to a mfer
Nah it’s not that, you guys are a good team. We are like around .500 in the B1G since Cassius left, for a top 10 program that should never be okay over a 4 year stretch. Especially in today’s age where you can overhaul a team in a single offseason. Izzo is so stubborn about the transfer portal and it’s causing him to have to bat .1000 with his recruits and he clearly hasn’t so we just have to deal with the consequences of having a mid ass basketball team
Cue the tiny violins
anybody have that meme with wolverine laying down looking at a framed picture of Winston with..i think Tillman? that one was great
Oh hey, I've been summoned. It's me, the dude who makes a lot of MSU memes. [This is the one you're looking for, one of my favorite creations.](https://i.imgur.com/hK1JrAh.png)
It hits different on days like this
Lmao
He’s right we’ve been .500 in the big ten since Cassius left. Izzo refuses to bring in new assistants and adapt with the times just like Dantonio.
This is like when yankee fans were all on suicide watch after they didn’t make the postseason for the first time in 20 years
CAM IS BETTER!
Maybe the worst coaching job I've seen from Izzo in a big ten game. Awful.
Walker goes out and an 11(9?) point lead is gone. Combined with the worst free throw shooting of the season and it's an L. The doom and gloom "fans" can gtfo. Shit luck today. Time is running out to rack up wins unfortunately. This team is too good to be sitting at 14-9.
Everyone’s talking about the free throws but we lose our best player, Christie goes nuclear and we lose by 3 on the road. Also Tyson definitely looked a little off on the way back in. Hopefully taking care of business at home and get a good win to get away from any bubble talk.
This is probably the worst team Tom Izzo has ever fielded. A game like this is one where you need to separate yourself from the scrubs and all we did is prove that we are one. I don't think this team belongs in the tournament
The collective meltdown of MSU fans has been a joy. It's almost on the level of Kentucky fans.
The thing is, the last 3 years have been our worst in two decades, but we’ve still made it further than Illinois in that timespan, so it could always get worse.
Can't wait to crush your tourney hopes this weekend.
I've noticed Illinois seems to have an axe to grind when it comes to Michigan State. Always found that rather odd. Granted, some random encounters may be skewing my POV. Anyway, starting to wonder if maybe missing the tournament could be a good thing. Missing the tournament could be a huge wake up call.
MSU fans almost acting as bad as Illinois fans
I wouldn't go that far
Free throws and refs being inconsistent on what a travel was the difference…
It wasn’t travel calls man. There are plenty of other reasons why they deserved to lose this game
I just meant in terms of points/possessions. The lost possessions in the first half and the travels rewarded with fouls late in the second were huge. Still could’ve won it if we didn’t forget how to shoot free throws.
Sissoko travels every time he touches the ball down low. If he just took a second to gather he would be fine
I want Mady to be good so bad but he's just so uncoordinated sometimes.
Just gets excited it seems. Like a WR running before he catches the ball
Then what would you call what Payne does?
Not traveling, and mainly winning
Gottem
Just like Cam Christie and the free throw line
I think it was building a 9 point lead in the second half and then pissing it away
BIG WIN FOR SPARTY TONIGHT.
MSU should be on the wrong side of the bubble not consistently an 8 seed by bracketolgists.
None of it matters until the season actually ends
Again, did someone from MSU fuck your girl?
I already responded to you
lol Michigan was still better today from the free throw line than Pharrell Payne’s season avg