Izzo pins MSU's post defense issues for Ohio State loss

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Michigan State’s height challenges are well-documented. Ohio State took full advantage of it Sunday, both in the paint and on the perimeter.

The Spartans’ unfocused defensive effort during their 72-67 loss to the Buckeyes perturbed coach Tom Izzo. He felt MSU’s big men struggled to guard Ohio State’s post players and didn’t adequately help his guards on ball screens away from the basket.

“They made some shots, but we did not defend like we’d been. We just had a couple guys that struggled defensively, and that was the difference,” Izzo said. “What lost us the game was the poor job we did defensively and the poor job we did in the post.”

It’s more of the up-and-down effort Izzo has been trying to get his young team to iron out of their performances. MSU was coming off holding Minnesota to just 33% in a win Wednesday in which Izzo his team’s defense was “as good as it’s been.”

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The Spartans opened Sunday’s game hot, making all of their first six shots and holding the Buckeyes to just 3-for-10 shooting by the first media timeout. But Izzo spotted rebounding issues at the defensive end, where OSU grabbed five of their seven misses, that he felt set the tone for the game.

Ohio State went on to make 21 of its final 42 shots. That included a number of short jumpers off dribble penetration into the paint, where MSU’s big men didn’t provide help defense, and 10 around-the-bucket baskets from 7-footer Trevor Thompson. It also included 10 Buckeye three-pointers in 23 attempts, a number which Izzo felt came when his players didn’t fight over the screen and instead tried to go around them.

“We didn’t have the intensity,” freshman forward Miles Bridges said. “I blame the bigs, myself. We weren’t up on ball screens.”

Izzo said he was disappointed in the way freshman Nick Ward played in his return to Ohio, finishing with nine points and only four rebounds in just 18 minutes. When a reporter asked if Ward was overly excited, Izzo countered by returning the question to see if the scribe felt the 6-foot-8 forward looked “jacked up or mundane?”

“He was not too jacked up,” Izzo said plainly.

“He just looked out of sync,” Izzo said. “That was too bad. That was probably his worst game, and he’s been playing awfully well. So we’re gonna have to regroup there.”

BRIDGES HONORED: Bridges earned his third Big Ten Freshman of the Week award Monday, sharing the honors with Penn State's Mike Watkins. Bridges equaled a career high with 24 points and added nine rebounds Sunday at Ohio State after getting 16 points, six rebounds and four blocks against the Gophers. The 6-7 Flint native shot 73.7% overall and 75% from three-point range in the two games.

“He was so efficient, and he’s really getting his feel back,” Izzo said after Bridges made 9 of 12 shots against the Buckeyes. “That was a positive.”

Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@chrissolari.Download our Spartans Xtra app for free onAppleandAndroiddevices!