The Golden Gophers desperately needed a fast start against the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans to have a chance.
Instead, they could do little but watch as the Spartans drained 3 after 3 after 3.
Six of them without a miss, in fact, to start the game. And 14 of them before the contest was over.
The hot-shooting Spartans never trailed, winning their ninth straight game in decisive fashion, 87-57.
For the Gophers, it was their eighth loss in a row, fifth in a row at home and second in a row by 20-plus.
“They don’t have tapes any more; they’re on computers,” said Gophers head coach Richard Pitino, in reference to the game film. “But I may burn the computer that that video coordinator gives that to because I’m not so sure there’s a whole lot to take from it, to be honest.”
The Gophers — missing three starters once again — had little answer for Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State’s highly-touted NBA prospect. Jackson poured in a career-high 27 points to go with six rebounds and three assists.
“He certainly helped his draft status tonight,” said Pitino.
The Spartans didn’t even need a big contribution from their other pro prospect Miles Bridges, who finished with just five.
Aside from their hyper-efficient offense that shot over 53 percent and a season-best 64 percent from downtown, the Spartans stifled Minnesota on the defensive end, holding them to 32 percent shooting, bolstering their status as the top defensive team in the Big Ten.
Gophers guards had difficulty releasing a shot without having a hand in their face, and the Minnesota bigs were no match for the physical Spartans forwards. Nick Ward bullied his way for 11 points in the second half as Michigan State had 24 points in the paint after halftime, and Minnesota was held without a block for over 35 minutes of the game.
“It’s hard, but nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” said Pitino. “I just got to keep these guys scratching, clawing and staying positive. Tough to do it versus Michigan State.”
Plain and simple: The Gophers have run out of options.
They used their 11th different starting lineup this season and their eighth in conference play, using Bakary Konate, Michael Hurt and Isaiah Washington together for the first time.
The loss of Reggie Lynch to suspension took away their chief enforcer, leaving them susceptible to the Big Ten’s most physical teams. Michigan State won the rebounding battle 49-23, an astonishing margin against a Minnesota team that was once considered one of the conference’s best on the boards.
Without Amir Coffey (shoulder) and Dupree McBrayer (left leg), the Gophers have lost two of their most reliable shooters and slashers. Since Coffey’s injury in early January, Minnesota has shot under 40 percent on six occasions, and some of the games have gotten downright lopsided.
Purdue beat them on Jan. 13 by 34 points, which was the Gophers’ second-worst home loss in history. Tuesday night’s defeat turned into the fourth worst.
“It’s something that’s going to make us stronger,” said junior Jordan Murphy, “and we’ve just got to keep looking at it that way and learning from all these experiences.”
At least the Gophers got some sympathy from Tom Izzo, whose Spartans are off to their best start (25-3, 13-2) in program history.
“It’s tough to win that way, so I feel for [Pitino],” said Izzo of the Gophers depleted lineup. “I’ve been there. I love his team other than the injuries.”
Stats to Think About
- Michigan State made 14 field goals in the first half, and 10 of them were 3s. They took a 43-25 lead into the locker room. “I’ve never seen that,” said Pitino.
- Bridges was held to single-digit points for just the third time all season on 1-of-7 shooting.
- Isaiah Washington continued his growth with a team-leading 18 points, hitting 3 of 4 3-point shots for the Gophers.
Up Next
Minnesota gets some time off before facing border-rival Wisconsin on Monday at 8 p.m.
