Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's win over Wisconsin and an odd night at Breslin

Graham Couch
Lansing State Journal
Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio looks on from the stands during the first half of MSU's game, after giving a statement pregame, defending himself against an ESPN investigation brought to light several sexual assault allegations within the football program over the years.

Lansing State Journal columnist gives his initial thoughts on an odd and dark day in Michigan State history, which ended with a basketball game — the Spartans beating Wisconsin, 76-61, at Breslin Center.

1. A dark and odd day at Michigan State. Then a basketball game

EAST LANSING — The vibe at Breslin Center was far from normal Friday night. The day’s events — the last two weeks, frankly — took its toll on the atmosphere. It should have. This was a dark day among dark times: Athletic director Mark Hollis retiring in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, ahead of an investigative report from ESPN that pointed the finger at MSU’s football and men’s basketball programs as part of a cultural problem with sexual abuse on MSU’s campus.

Meanwhile, the board of trustees, one by one, finally apologized for failing Nassar’s victims, something disgraced former MSU president Lou Anna Simon couldn’t bring herself to do. That was all by early afternoon. 

MORE: Couch: MSU's callous response to Nassar victims rightfully draws NCAA's eye – but what took so long?

Before the game, Dantonio staunchly and emotionally defended himself against the ESPN report, calling accusations of his handling of complaints of sexual assault “completely false.”

No, nothing about this game day was normal.

It felt like people were relieved to get to the game. One gentleman walked by and described the atmosphere as like being at a wake. The crowd couldn’t even get fully behind Janet Alleman, the older woman who dances during breaks in the action and is regularly caught on the jumbotron. I thought the crowd eventually lost itself in the game, a healthy diversion. Because the real-life issues for this university and athletic program aren’t going anywhere in the near-term.

More on this day and week of reckoning in a couple columns coming later.

2. Off-the-court MSU turmoil didn’t rattle the Spartans’ focus

Any question whether Friday happenings on campus and in the media would spill into the game was answered early by MSU’s players, who looked as dialed in as they have all season out of the gate. This got dicey briefly in the second half, but the early response was telling.

Miles Bridges scored 15 first-half points, looking light, quick and determined. He sets the tone. The team has played through the Nassar case for more than a year. But Friday, with Hollis resigning and the ESPN report digging into their own coach, I wondered if the day might affect these guys. Maybe it did and they rallied around each other. Either way, it was a sign of maturity. A good sign for them. Because their embattled university — and perhaps their program — is going to be under a microscope the rest of the season.

MORE FROM FRIDAY NIGHT:

3. Important pass for Nick Ward

In terms of what happened on the floor Friday night, as it pertains to MSU’s season, there was no more important play than Nick Ward’s pass to Bridges for an early 3-pointer.

Ward got the ball in the post, saw the double-team and whipped the ball cross court to Bridges on the wing. Opponents this month have made it clear that Ward is rarely going to get a touch that isn’t soon followed by extra attention. 

Ward has struggled to find the open man and make teams pay for that decision. That dish to Bridges was his best post pass of the season. If he adds that element to his game, he becomes a different player and a sure-fire pro. And MSU becomes a different team, one that is nearly impossible to defend.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.