Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 60-57 loss to Ohio State, a finish that ruined Xavier Booker's first start

1. What looked like Christmas for MSU fans — Xavier Booker's first start — somehow turned into a baffling and costly defeat

EAST LANSING – For most of the season, I’ve understood — and largely agreed with — Tom Izzo and Co. slow-playing the use of Xavier Booker. He wasn’t ready. That was clear as day well into January. Beyond obvious in December.

But things had changed. Booker looked more comfortable in recent weeks and, on Feb. 25, MSU’s coaches thought he was ready.

For MSU fans, Sunday was Christmas — either 10 months early or two months late, depending on your perspective. Or perhaps right on time.

Booker’s first career start Sunday was a gift beyond the expectations of fans who were just hoping the Spartans’ freshman big man would start to see playing time in both halves. Booker starting the game at center certainly ignited Breslin Center. His presence from the jump and for extended minutes also helped the Spartans to a 10-point lead five minutes into the second half.

Then, like a toy that was taken away by your parents for reasons beyond comprehension, Booker didn’t see the court over the game’s final 15 minutes after playing 17 of the first 25. And, to some correlation, MSU lost 60-57 on a last-second 3-pointer by Ohio State’s Dale Bonner over Tyson Walker that ruined the day and put the Spartans’ NCAA tournament prospects in a more precarious position than they ever should have been.

MSU didn’t lose this game only because Mady Sissoko was the choice at center down the stretch. Sissoko played as well as he has in a while — though he couldn’t hang on to an offensive rebound late that might have made a difference. The Spartans lost this game because they scored seven points over the final 10-plus minutes and, at that pace, they were playing with fire. They lost this game because Walker and Jaden Akins largely couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting a combined 6-for-24 from the floor.

They lost this game because their offense died, while a freshman who showed he can provide some juice on offense sat the bench. They lost because Ohio State was able to get deeper touches in the post, as their interim coach said, as MSU’s long-armed freshman sat.

Izzo explained the decision to sit Booker the final 15 minutes like this:

“(The Buckeyes) were running those guards off ball screens and we just didn't think (Booker) was as available to do the things as (well as) some of our veterans. Just a coaching decision we made. I love what Booker did. He did a lot of good things. But there were some things that you didn't see he didn't do in our coverages. And so that's the only thing that changed.”

Eh. They overthought this one. Prioritized one element of defense for lineups that hindered them offensively. And it cost them.

Here's the difference Booker makes — and was making — per his teammates:

“(He) spaces the floor more because he can shoot the ball so well,” Walker said. “Defensively, he's good. He can block shots, but really his shooting and helps space the floor. That's a big part of it. They can't sit two bigs in paint, so now Malik (Hall) can be down there one-on-one. So it helps us all around.”

“He altered a lot of shots, changed a lot of shots tonight,” A.J. Hoggard added. “He definitely gives a different look on both sides of the ball with his length, his agility. And also his ability to shoot the ball spaces the floor. The bigs have to come out and guard him a different way. That opens up driving lanes for us guards.”

Izzo took some accountability non-specifically, but said he'd need to watch the film before he gave a detailed assessment. If he's honest with himself, he'll see where Booker would have made a difference.

He also put the defeat at the feet of some of his guys.

"Players have got to make some decisions," Izzo said. "We had enough good shots. We had enough chances to get a rebound and we didn’t do that."

All true. But some of his lineups in the second half didn't help. Those are his decisions.

"I would say this loss stings about as much as any loss I’ve had in eight or 10 years," Izzo continued. "At the end of the day, I have to take the responsibility for that and will."

A brutal loss. One that almost guarantees the Spartans will be an 8 seed or worse in the NCAA tournament, if they get there. They’ve got some winning still to do to make it. At 17-11 overall and 9-8 in the Big Ten, they probably need two more wins between now and selection Sunday to be safe.

A game Sunday that looked like a potential jolt to MSU’s season — like new hope — instead was anything but.

2. Freshman thoughts — the Xavier Booker’s first start edition

Questions about whether this should have happened earlier are fair, though anyone who saw Booker play in December knows he wasn’t the player then that he is today. Sunday, he looked ready to be an impact player. His occasional gaffes — going for the block instead of boxing out, for example — were made up for by what he provided.

For one, his arms are everywhere. He blocked three shots and changed others and knocked a pass away, too. He caught a ball Jaden Akins lost on the drive, using his long arms to reach and grab it and quickly lay it in. It’s a play MSU’s other big man can’t make. They don’t have that combination of length and hands and quickness.

“That was definitely just a play to show you how talented he is and and what he brings in an instance,” Hoggard said.

Booker played two long first-half stints — the first planned (though added to by the lack of a dead-ball break), the second due to foul trouble for Malik Hall and perhaps Carson Cooper. MSU didn’t go back to him in the latter parts of the second half, a sign the coaches still trust Mady Sissoko more. That’s the final frontier for Booker to overcome, I guess.

Booker said afterwards that he expected to go back in but trusts his coaches and teammates seemed OK with things.

In all, he played 17 minutes, scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, including a 3-pointer, and pulled down three rebounds, to go along with the blocks.

Another attribute of Booker: His versatility. He started at center, but when Hall picked up his second foul, he slid over to power forward, as Sissoko checked in.

That could have been helpful in the second half when MSU played Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler together in the middle of the half as MSU's offense went stagnant. We've seen Booker and Kohler be a good pairing.

There were signs this week that this expanded role for Booker might be coming — when Izzo said he just had to find Booker the right matchup (Ohio State’s Felix Okpara is a good one) and more so when Booker spent extended time in practice playing with the starters.

The question now is whether Booker stays in the starting lineup and plays these sort of minutes in MSU’s next game, this coming Saturday at Mackey Arena against Zach Edey and Purdue. While that might seem like a horrible matchup, it’s not a good one for any of MSU’s big men. Booker at least provides some length and quickness on the second bounce and, on the offensive end of the court, forces defenders to pick him up at the 3-point line. That’s not something I imagine Purdue wants to do with Edey.

3. Booker starting means new rotations and different roles, which led to some clunky lineups

It’s a one-game sample size, so it’s hard to know what Booker starting means for MSU’s other big men and rotation role players. But there’s definitely a trickle down effect to Booker playing an expanded role.

Interestingly, Sissoko, who lost his starting role, was the least impacted. He played a ton and played as well as he has in weeks — there’s a correlation there. Sissoko scored four points and grabbed six rebounds in 16 minutes. He looked more at ease, too.

Carson Cooper, though, played just seven minutes. It might have been a few more if not for first-half foul trouble, but, in this game at least, his role was diminished. Coen Carr played just seven minutes, too, with Booker getting what were likely a couple of his minutes at power forward.

MSU's worst offensive lineup in the second half saw Cooper and Carr in the game, along with Kohler. That's too easy for defenses to defend. Among the challenges of introducing a new starter this late is how it changes rotations and roles. But it shouldn't be hard to avoid certain clunky lineups. That stretch in the middle of the second half is when Ohio State found its footing and MSU lost its way.

MORE: 'We're the sixth man': Tom Izzo built MSU's Izzone nearly 30 years ago. Now it's part of his legacy

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Xavier Booker's first start for MSU basketball ruined: 3 quick takes