It was a sad night for Michigan State basketball and Spartan fans around the country. MSU couldn’t overcome the No. 1 team in the country, Auburn, and was eliminated from the 2025 NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight on Sunday.
Below, you can see our takeaways from a heartbreaking loss for the Spartans:
No. 1: Shooting woes finally cost MSU
Michigan State’s three best wing shooters, Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson, combined to go 3-for-17 from 3 against Auburn. When you are facing one of the best rim-protecting teams in the country, you need to hit some outside shots. We also saw it was almost impossible to score inside, either. Those same players went 10-for-40 from the field overall. To beat Auburn, MSU was going to need to hit some shots, and it couldn’t.
No. 2: Michigan State can’t overcome Auburn barrage
I don’t think MSU necessarily needed to be able to hit shots to beat Auburn going into the game, but after a 17-0 run early in the game, it suddenly became very necessary for this Michigan State team to hit some 3s. The bottom-ranked shooting team in the Big Ten just couldn’t do it. Honestly, it’s pretty amazing the Spartans lost by only six, all things considered.
No. 3: This team can make it back and go further
For those MSU fans feeling depressed today, just know there is hope. Michigan State will be losing a few key players (Jaden Akins, Szymon Zapala and Frankie Fidler), but the rest of the team is intact for now. Jase Richardson has indicated he is at least open to passing on the NBA draft to return for another season. Coen Carr’s rapid growth should continue over the summer. Jeremy Fears will have a full, healthy offseason to work on some of the kinks to his game. The Spartans also have elite recruits Jordan Scott and Cam Ward arriving, along with Kur Teng and Gehrig Normand, who have been waiting in the wings. Add a couple transfers, and you have another formidable squad next season.
In his postgame comments, Izzo couldn’t help recalling how his first national title team progressed from a Sweet 16 to a Final Four to finally breaking through for the championship in 2000. If the Spartans can build on the foundation they formed this year, don’t be surprised to see them back in the title picture next season.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s season-ending loss to Auburn
Reporting by Andrew Brewster, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
