Michigan State pays for fouling on a three instead of fouling up three
One of the few complaints many Michigan State fans have about Tom Izzo is his disdain for the strategy of intentionally fouling when ahead by three points in the final seconds of a game.
The foul the Spartans committed at the end of regulation Thursday night was probably not what their fans had in mind.
Instead of fouling to prevent the Gophers from having a look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, Michigan State chose to defend straight up and then committed the ultimate sin. Gavin Schilling not only helped too far off Carlos Morris to recover, he also closed out too hard and fouled the Minnesota guard just after he released a left-wing 3-pointer to tie the game.
Morris missed the go-ahead free throw with 2.2 seconds to go, but Minnesota emerged with a 96-90 victory in overtime. Fourteen of 20 free throw shooting during the extra session enabled the Gophers to finish off the upset and snap a 15-game losing streak in East Lansing that dates back to 1997.
A handful of quality league wins will keep Michigan State (19-9, 10-5) safely in the NCAA tournament field for now despite Thursday's painful loss, but the Spartans' remaining schedule is not easy. They visit Wisconsin on Sunday and host Purdue next week before finishing the regular season at Indiana.
Thursday's game isn't the only one Michigan State has lost this season when Izzo's decision not to foul up three backfired. Izzo chose to defend straight up against Maryland in the Big Ten opener for both teams, but Dez Wells buried a clean look with five seconds remaining, enabling the Terrapins to win in overtime.
Izzo defended his decision not to foul that day and he did it again Thursday.
Said the Michigan State coach to reporters in East Lansing, "[It's] a choice I made and a choice I'll live with. Guys do their damn job ...we wouldn't have been in that position"
Whether or not you concur with Izzo's approach when ahead by three points late in a close game, there's one thing the Michigan State coach and his critics can agree on.
Better to foul up three than to foul on a three.
(Thanks for the video, @MattNorlander)
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
