Michigan State pushes win streak to 13 with rout of Minnesota

Connor Earegood, The Detroit News on Jan 28, 2025

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Tom Izzo slammed his fists on the scorer’s table.

Why? Even though his Michigan State men’s basketball team was up double-digits on Minnesota — even though 18-2 overall and 9-0 in the Big Ten were all but expected after taking a 20-point lead to halftime, Izzo’s team came out sloppy to start the second half. A Tre Holloman turnover came off an ill-advised pass. And Izzo was frustrated. That’s how good things are at Breslin Center these days, where Izzo can nitpick fine details in a burgeoning blowout.

Michigan State won big against Minnesota on Tuesday, 73-51, in a game that saw its transition game execute to a sloppy but lethal effect. The Spartans extended their win streak to 13 in their second win over the Gophers this season.

Twelve points from Holloman led Michigan State in the win, while nine players scored at least five points. Ten rebounds from center Carson Cooper aided a 40-22 team advantage on the glass. Jase Richardson led the game with eight assists, part of 20 helpers on 25 Michigan State makes. Minnesota star Dawson Garcia scored a game-high 21 points on 16 shots.

A fast-paced attack powered Michigan State to a 36-16 first-half lead, but it came with costs. Some of its 31 shots came at breakneck speed, challenging the Spartans’ focus on the finish. Some usually-made shots missed the mark and meant that the pace of scoring didn’t reflect the pace of play.

Such pace flustered Minnesota (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) even more. It struggled to keep pace with Michigan State, often sprinting back to defend almost as soon as it released a shot. Eleven turnovers in the first half didn’t make things any easier. And three of those came on shot clock violations as a rowdy Breslin Center roared. As the Spartans took a 16-6 halfway through the first half, the guards kept pushing the pace as Minnesota looked more and more tired.

Meanwhile, that crowd only got louder. Once Michigan State settled into a rhythm offensively, it rattled off a 13-0 run that included three straight makes from Holloman. As the Minneapolis-born guard made the shots in succession, the crowd got louder and louder until it exploded at its loudest for his steal that sprung Richardson in transition. Richardson's free throws bookended the run, which keyed a game-high 22-point lead.

Michigan State came out of halftime up big, and it played like it. Sloppy defense and poor passing helped Minnesota to trim the lead down to 15. Holloman made that ill-advised pass that so frustrated Izzo. It didn’t take long before the Spartans were back up 22 points.

Izzo expects more from his group, and some of those areas shined in Tuesday’s win. The transition game put up 17 points. The Spartans hauled in 13 offensive rebounds, including five from Cooper. And those Holloman threes? They showed rhythm to one of Michigan State's few true weaknesses this season.

But the sloppy details are just as pressing, especially to Izzo. Michigan State made mistakes that drive him crazy, like when Frankie Fidler cost a score due to basket interference halfway through the second half. Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. missed free throws. The Spartans fell a step behind defensively on some possessions.

Those mistakes didn't sink Michigan State by any stretch of the imagination, but they did whittle the lead to 13 points off a Garcia three with 7:27 left. But the fact that the game didn’t come any closer down the stretch was a privilege borne from that dominant close to the first half. By 5:17, that lead ballooned right back to 20 points as Coen Carr dunked over top of forward Parker Fox.

The oohs of the crowd and the bang of Izzo’s fists showed both sides to the win. The highlight dunks and back-to-back-to-back 3s showed the highs of the game, while the executional mistakes showed the room left for Michigan State to grow.

At 18-2 and 9-0 in conference play, Michigan State matches its best start since 2018-19. That season also saw a 13-game win streak power such a strong record, followed by a three-game losing streak.

Michigan State’s next game will come on a two-game trip to California. Saturday, the Spartans take on USC, and Tuesday features a matchup against UCLA, where Izzo could pass Bobby Knight for the most Big Ten wins in conference history at 353.

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