GREEN & WHITE BASKETBALL

Michigan State won, but what the heck happened to the 'Canes?

Cody J Tucker
Lansing State Journal
Miami's Ja'Quan Newton, right, and Davon Reed, left, sit on the bench late in the second half of a first-round game against Michigan State in the men's NCAA college basketball tournament in Tulsa, Okla., Friday, March 17, 2017. Michigan State won 78-58. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

TULSA, Okla. – Miami’s Kamari Murphy sat quietly in front of his locker.

The only sounds in the room were hushed questions from reporters and shuffling of heavy feet on the carpet. Most of the Miami players sat in folding chairs, staring blankly at the brick wall. Some had headphones on.

Others hid their faces with white towels or buried their heads in their hands.

Murphy could only shake his head in disgust, thinking about the last 30 minutes of the Hurricanes season and his college career.

“The first 10 minutes, we had them,” Murphy said after a lopsided 78-58 rout at the hands of the Michigan State Spartans Friday night in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Tulsa. “They were turning it over and we were making shots. We had a great offense running. The second 10 minutes, they started cooking and making shots.”

IT'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY's basketball tournament bracket contests for a chance at $1 million prize.

In that first 8-plus minutes, Miami (21-12) looked every bit the team that upset ACC powerhouses North Carolina, Duke and Virginia during the regular season.

RELATED:

The Canes’ small contingent of fans was boisterous behind the bench. The pep band was dancing on the big screen of the BOK Arena during every break.

The team was cruising, building a 17-5 lead over a shell-shocked, inexperienced MSU team that suited up only three players that saw time in last year’s first round upset loss to Middle Tennessee State.

Then, it all came crashing down.

“Honestly, no,” U-M freshman Bruce Brown said when asked if he recalls when the momentum shifted in the Spartans favor. “I just know they went on a run.”

Yes, they did.

Led by freshman duo Miles Bridges and Nick Ward, MSU (20-14) went on a 25-4 run to close out the half with an 11-point lead.

It didn’t stop there, either.

Another one of MSU’s heralded freshman, Josh Langford, left little doubt of a Miami comeback, sinking his first four shots out of the half to extend the lead to 17 with 15:26 to play. Langford finished with 13 points on the night, while Ward led all scorers with 19. Bridges added 18.

MSU shot nearly 57 percent from the field, including 64 percent (16 of 25) in the second half to put the game out of reach.

The Spartans out-rebounded Miami 40-28 in the paint. Bridges pulled down a team-high 9 boards, while Alvin Ellis and Ward each grabbed 7 rebounds.

“Miles Bridges and Nick Ward basically made every shot they took,” Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga said postgame. “One of them was 8 for 9 and the other was 8 for 12. We just couldn't stop them.”

Larranaga, who led the Canes to the Sweet 16 last season, said he made a “critical decision” switching from a 2-3 zone to a man-to-man defense halfway through the first half.

“I had a feeling like at some point we would have to play man to man. I wanted to see how we could do,” he said. “Once we did, Ward came back into the game and really got it going. They totally controlled the last 10 minutes of the half and then kept that control throughout the second half. …We never could stop them.”

Murphy, who averages more than 7 points per game and sank a season-high 16 in an opening-round ACC Tournament win over Syracuse, only managed to hit one free throw in the loss. The senior forward, who transferred from Oklahoma State in 2015, said this loss was more about the poor play of the Canes, not the dominance of the Spartans.

“No, I think we allowed it to happen,” the Brooklyn native said. “The first 10 minutes we played like we are capable of and it showed. The rest of the game, we let them do whatever they wanted to. That’s on us. That’s not just them playing well, it’s us letting them do whatever they want to.”

Brown, who finished the night with 11 points, going 3 for 6 from the field, said it was just the Spartans night.

“They are a good team,” he said inside the locker room postgame. “We didn’t play the way we are capable of. Our confidence was high, always. We never think we are going to lose.

“They were just the better team.”

Last season Larranaga, who is in his sixth season at U-M, famously danced with his team after an overtime win over Virginia in Charlottesville. He even had a 1-0 lead over MSU head coach Tom Izzo in the NCAA Tournament, leading his George Mason team to a stunning first-round upset of the Spartans 11 years ago.

Friday, the music stopped and the series was evened.

“They carved us up pretty good,” he said. “You have to be at your best at this tournament, and we weren’t. We were good for 10, 12 minutes but we weren’t very good the rest of the game.”