Michigan State prepared to 'mix it up a little bit more' against Purdue

While it was ugly, Michigan State gutted out a 63-61 win over Iowa on Thursday. The Spartans were back in the practice gym on Friday afternoon getting work in before their next game against No. 1 Purdue on Sunday.

Head coach Tom Izzo spoke to the media on Friday about the huge collision with the Boilermakers, but he opened with some quick comments about the victory against the Hawkeyes.

“I thought we did some good things, but I did think we did some poor things offensively,” Izzo said.

He also thought that the offense was “stagnant” at times. The stats backed that statement up as MSU only shot 38% from the field on Thursday.

The game came right down until the final possession as Iowa had two attempts to win the game from 3-point land as the clock hit zero.

However, junior guard A.J. Hoggard had a chance to put the game away with a one-and-one opportunity from the free-throw line late in the game. Hoggard didn’t capitalize as he missed the front end of the one-and-one, which gave Iowa the opportunity to win the game with a 3-point basket.

Hoggard is shooting 80% from the line this season, but in the last five games, he is shooting just 65% from the stripe (17-for-26).

“He’s worked very hard on his free-throw shooting,” Izzo said about Hoggard. “I thought he let that drag him down a little bit in the last couple of games.”

Hoggard was seen shooting free throws on the court after the game on Thursday.

Izzo is not overly concerned with Hoggard’s recent struggles from the free-throw line, however.

“That doesn’t worry me because I see him shooting every day,” Izzo stated.

Senior forward Malik Hall was one of the standout performers from Thursday's game. He tallied 11 points, four assists and three rebounds in his return to the court coming off of a foot injury.

Hall played 25 minutes against Iowa, but Izzo says that Hall feels “more than decent.”

However, Hall did not practice on Friday as he is getting back up to full speed.

MSU will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to play the No. 1 team in the country in Purdue. In the other meeting between these two teams this season, the Boilermakers bested the Spartans narrowly, 64-63, in East Lansing just 11 days ago.

Izzo thinks that Sunday’s game is a “great opportunity” for his team on national TV (CBS). Despite losing the first meeting, Izzo will not make any major adjustments from that first game to Sunday’s game.

However, one of the minor fixes is covering Purdue junior center Zach Edey. Edey put up 32 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in East Lansing. Izzo wants some “diversity” in how they cover Edey to give him some different looks.

“We gotta mix it up a little bit more,” Izzo said about giving Edey some different defensive coverages.

Izzo reminded the media that while Edey had a big game against MSU earlier in the month, it was somebody else who put the dagger in MSU’s aspirations.

“We didn’t guard the big guy like we think we should’ve and yet I think it was (freshman guard) Fletcher Loyer in the last five minutes of the game that beat us,” Izzo said.

Purdue is not a team that makes a ton of mistakes. The Spartans know that and they are prepared for a stiff challenge.

The environment is another factor that MSU has to take into account. While Mackey Arena, the home court for Purdue, has a smaller capacity than the Breslin Center, it is still an intense atmosphere. The single seating bowl contributes to the noise.

“I think we’re prepared for it,” Izzo said about the atmosphere and environment.

Izzo rehashed that this team has played in tough environments before, like at Illinois and at Indiana.

MSU and Purdue will tip off on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.