Locked On Spartans - Daily Podcast On Michigan State Spartans Football & Basketball · Locked On Podcast Network, Matt Sheehan

REACTION: MSU basketball FALLS to Michigan; Sounding off on Jeremy Fears, Tom Izzo's comments

·42 min·2 clips

Tom Izzo says, "I'm sick of it being one-sided" after the Jeremy Fears foul.

1. Locked On Spartans reacts to Michigan State's 90-80 loss to Michigan and the rivalry fallout around Jeremy Fears and Tom Izzo's comments. 2. Host Matt breaks down the game as a solo reaction and explains why he still thought Michigan State showed signs of being ready for March. 3. The episode tries to answer whether the Spartans' loss revealed a fatal flaw or just exposed a bad stretch against a one-seed Michigan team. 4. Matt says Michigan State went nearly five minutes without a point after leading 61-57 in the second half. 5. He points to Michigan's 11-0 run, two offensive-rebound scores, and six second-half second-chance points as the swing in the game. 6. He notes Michigan State had only eight bench points, with Kurt Tang supplying all of them. 7. He says Cam Ward fouls often, Denim Wojcik has become a major problem, and Trey Fort should get backup point guard minutes. 8. He also says Cohen Carr and Jordan Scott combined for four made field goals in 15 attempts and that the matchup was difficult for Carr. 9. Matt argues Michigan State still played a strong opponent well, citing Cooper and Kohler's combined 42 points and 14 rebounds. 10. He says Jeremy Fears finished with 22 points and nine assists, including 10 made free throws. 11. The episode's most heated stretch centers on Fears' foul, with Matt saying he should stop the kick-style motion going forward. 12. Tom Izzo's quote, "I'm sick of it being one-sided," becomes the basis for a debate about whether Michigan players like Aday Mara and Trey McKinney were also playing dirty. 13. Matt says Mara drew two flagrants in the game and describes McKinney as playing with an edge. 14. He argues that rival fans and local media were too quick to frame Fears as the only problem. 15. He cites Izzo's line, "Fierce will get his lunch from me," to suggest the coach will address the play internally. 16. The show then turns to bracket implications, and Matt says Michigan State likely stays on the two line for NCAA Tournament seeding. 17. He says the Big Ten tournament draw may actually help Michigan State because the Spartans avoid Michigan and Illinois on their side. 18. He names UCLA, Minnesota, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Purdue as the teams likely to shape MSU's bracket path. 19. The tone is fiery, argumentative, and live-show driven, with the host mixing game analysis, listener comments, and bracket speculation. 20. Michigan State fans tracking March seeding and rivalry drama would get the most from this episode, while casual listeners wanting neutral recap may skip it.

As heard by us

A heated rivalry reaction that still leaves room for what the replay and the moment actually show.

Michigan State's second straight double-digit loss to Michigan gives Locked On Spartans plenty to work through, and the episode does not try to soften it.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Need a no-nonsense reaction to MSU's latest Michigan loss?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Locked On Spartans - Daily Podcast On Michigan State Spartans Football & Basketball