Michigan State basketball drops third straight game in loss at Illinois Detroit Free Press
Tom Izzo shuffled his starters. He wanted more from Nick Ward. He wanted more defensive rebounding. He wanted more cohesion. No. 9 Michigan State instead turned the ball over, including a rare ugly night from Cassius Winston, and continued to give up offensive boards. And the Spartans nearly pulled off another seemingly improbable comeback victory. Instead, they took another loss, the synchronicity from the first 20 games rapidly evaporating.
Sparty skid: Illinois hands MSU third consecutive loss Detroit News
Things have officially gone sideways at Michigan State. A loss or two in conference play is never something to get too worked up about. But dropping three straight, including the last two that came against a team that had lost seven in a row and then to a team eight games below .500 is something different.
Illinois hands Michigan State its third straight loss Spartan Tailgate
Free throws weren’t Michigan State’s problem this time. Turnovers were. In their first game since going 8-for-22 at the free-throw line in a home loss to Indiana, the ninth-ranked Spartans shored up that area while drastically dropping off in another—ball security. MSU recorded 24 turnovers — tying its season-high — and, despite a spirited rally in the second half, fell at Illinois Tuesday, 79-74. After winning their first nine Big Ten games, the Spartans now have dropped three in a row.
Sloppy Michigan State falls at Illinois for third straight loss MLive.com
After nearly two months of finding ways to win night in and night out en route to a 13-game win streak, Michigan State is now finding ways to lose. The No. 9 Spartans turned the ball over 24 times as it fell on the road to Illinois, 79-74, on Tuesday night at the State Farm Center to mark the team’s third straight loss.
Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s loss at Illinois Lansing State Journal
1. MSU doesn’t have it right now – and Winston can’t figure it out
2. The absence of Joshua Langford shows up in plain sight
3. Freshman thoughts – the Illinois edition
Michigan State drops third straight, to Illinois State News
A team that once seemed destined for Big Ten greatness, No. 9 Michigan State (18-5, 9-3 Big Ten) shockingly dropped their third straight game Tuesday night at Illinois, 79-74 (8-15, 4-8 Big Ten).