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Michigan State’s national championship hopes came to an abrupt halt in Minneapolis on Saturday night.
The Spartans were no match for Texas Tech’s suffocating defense in the Final Four, falling 61-51 to the Red Raiders. Michigan State finished the season 32-7 and winners of the B1G regular season title and conference tournament championship.
Points were hard to come by on Saturday night for both teams, but for various reasons. Texas Tech’s teams smothered Michigan State for most of the night, while the Red Raiders struggled to knock down open looks, particularly early in the contest. But when Tech needed some big shots, guys like Jarrett Culver and Matt Mooney knocked them down.
Saturday night’s clash was a back-and-forth game through the first 20 minutes, with Texas Tech taking a 23-21 lead into halftime. The Red Raiders took control early in the second half and even built up a 13-point lead, thanks to a 14-4 run. Michigan State was able to claw its way back into the contest, closing the gap to 52-51 with under three minutes to play.
That’s when Culver knocked down some big-time shots. Culver scored the next six points, including a huge three-pointer to give the Red Raiders a 58-51 advantage with a minute to play. That shot proved to be the dagger.
Three Spartans hit double figures in the loss, led by Cassius Winston, who scored 16 points. Matt McQuaid had 12 and Aaron Henry added 11 points. For the game, Michigan State shot 31.9 percent from the field and had just six assists to 11 turnovers, an uncharacteristic performance from a sound group.
Mooney led the way for the Red Raiders, scoring 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Culver only had 10 points, but his six points late in the contest iced the game.
Saturday marked the eighth Final Four appearance for Michigan State under Tom Izzo. The program’s last national title came in 2000.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB