The no. 8 Michigan State Spartans held a 55-48 lead over no. 16 Maryland with 2:12 to go, but shot making from the Terrapins and MSU mistakes let the home team back in the game.
A turnover and ill-advised foul by guard Tre Holloman gave Maryland a pair of free throws that tied the game at 55 with 42 seconds to go. Both teams failed to capitalize on their next possession.
Unfortunately for the Terrapins, they were just a bit too hasty on the offensive end of the floor. A rebound off a missed three allowed Holloman near halfcourt and hoist before the buzzer sounded.
The ball thudded through the net and the crowd stood stunned, hands clasped over heads, faces frozen in blank stares. Holloman’s shot had no business going in, but coach Tom Izzo gave his guys credit anyway. He wasn’t about to undersell an ranked road victory for the Big Ten’s first-place team.
Lucky or Not, Michigan State Spartans Notch 4th Straight Quad 1 Win Thanks to Tre Holloman Heave vs Maryland Terrapins
“Look, it was a lucky shot,” Izzo conceded. “But nobody can say we didn’t deserve to win this game. I mean, we made some bad mistakes, give them credit. We threw the ball away a little bit. But we deserved to win this game. To come into this place–I’m so proud of my guys.”
Analytically speaking, Izzo wasn’t wrong–or on the flip side, maybe the Spartans did deserve to lose for nearly choking the game away. When point guard Jeremy Jeremy Fears hit a three to put them up 7, Spartans had an 88% chance of victory per ESPN analytics.
It took an 0-5 shooting performance in the final two minutes, along with four free throw-awarding fouls, to allow Maryland to claw back. Holloman’s giveaway and over-aggressive reach-in foul right after were especially detrimental.
Up 55-52 with the ball, MSU could have iced with game with a basket or, worst case scenario, left the Terrapins about 15 seconds to work with down three.
The junior leader did not shoot well on the night, going 3-12 for 9 points. But his final shot erased his struggles and spared the Spartans the possibility of an agonizing overtime loss.
Somewhat stunned himself, he said, “I saw the rim and then the shot clock going down so I just had to throw it up. We had practiced those so I had to get it up and it went in.”
Asked how the team was able to pull out the victory, Holloman cited strong “trust” and “togetherness.”
“This a special team, a special group of coaches,” he said. “I love ’em, man.”
Tom Izzo Lauds Spartans Lads for “Incredible Job”
Izzo had similar praise for Holloman and his teammates. “Tre made the big turnover, and he made the lucky shot. But we deserved to win, I’m not taking that as a lucky shot.”
The coach was incredulous when asked why he thought his team was worthy. “We played our tail off the whole game, didn’t you watch it? We’re up 9, okay we made some mistakes, we led the whole game. Our defense was unbelievable. I thought our guys did an incredible job.”
Once again, the Spartans relied on freshman Jase Richardson for a spark on offense. The only Spartan in double figures, Richardson scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
“We got Jase in those ball screens when they went man, and he did a helluva job,” Izzo said.
MSU improves to 14-3 in Big Ten play with the win, preserving their first-place hold over Michigan (13-3). Having beaten the Wolverines earlier this year, the Spartans own the tie breaker. They play each other again on March 9 to end the season.
Having completed a gauntlet already in facing Purdue, Michigan and Maryland their last three games, the Spartans are hardly out of the weeds as they host no. 11 Wisconsin, third in the conference (12-5), on Sunday.
With a pair of crucial games and the Big Ten Tournament upcoming, Izzo wants to bask in the victory in a little longer. “In all honesty, I’m not even going to worry about it. I’m going to enjoy this win, get on the plane, start studying Wisconsin. But the Big Ten does mean a lot to me, you’re damn right it does, like it did to a million guys before me.”
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