EAST LANSING — Tom Izzo gave his team the day off Saturday.
A reward for a rivalry win. But more importantly, a momentary rest for a Michigan State basketball team that won its third game in six days — on the road at Michigan, no less — to catapult back into first place in the Big Ten.
It’s a chance for the Spartans’ “strength in numbers” to rejuvenate before their final four games in the chase for a conference championship.
“It was tough, but we embraced it,” sophomore Coen Carr said after practice Monday. “We knew it was gonna be hard, so we just had to put our head down to keep working, make sure our bodies were right and not do too much off the court, make sure we’re getting our rest and everything.
“So yeah, it was hard, but we were excited that we were able to push through and come out with a good win.”
The next test will be again away from home, with MSU’s third road game in its past four coming Wednesday at No. 15 Maryland (6:30 p.m., BTN). And it will be another moment where the Spartans (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) hope to use their 10-man rotation to wear down an opponent and silence a hostile crowd.
“Most coaches I talked to in the league say (the Terrapins) may be the most talented starting five in our league …,” Izzo said Monday. “I’m expecting them to be aggressive, I’m expecting the place to be rocking, and I’m expecting them to come at us. And that’s the way we’re gonna prepare.”
MSU beat No. 13 U-M on Friday, 75-62, to reclaim a half-game lead over the Wolverines in the Big Ten standings and re-entered the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll at No. 8 on Monday. Jase Richardson also earned his first Big Ten freshman of the week honor, astoundingly MSU’s first weekly league award of the season.
Though much of that lack of individual recognition has more to do with the depth and across-the-board contributions the Spartans have had all season at both ends of the floor.
Izzo’s “strength in numbers” rallying cry has been documented through the stat sheet, with the 30th-year coach using 10 players for 14.7 or more minutes a game while frequently mixing and matching lineups. No one averages more than senior Jaden Akins’ 26.3 minutes a game, one of six players getting 20-plus minutes. Ten players average at least five points a game, with Akins’ 13 tops; six grab at least 3.4 rebounds, with Jaxon Kohler’s 7.6 the team high.
And the Spartans feel there are residual benefits from maintaining such a deep playing group this deep into the season.
“I feel like just how long the season’s been so far, a lot of teams are starting to wear down. And so we know that we got to stay on top of our recovery,” said Richardson, who posts 10.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 23.5 minutes. “And then we got 10 guys playing, so we know you gotta work as hard as you can on the court, and we got a sub that’s coming on for you to get you a rest.”
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Maryland coach Kevin Willard’s rotation has been much smaller, with all five of his starters averaging between 27.7 and 30.8 minutes a game. The Terps (21-6, 11-5), who have won four straight and eight of nine, are led by 15.9 points from guard Derik Queen. The other four starters — Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Julian Reese, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel — each add between 11.9 and 14.9 points a game.
“There’s no question our depth should help us,” Izzo said. “But (Maryland’s) talent is at a high level.”
The Spartans’ freshness has shown frequently on the defensive end, particularly in going 6-2 on the road this season. They lost earlier this month at USC and UCLA by a combined eight points. Opponents are scoring just 67 points on their own floor in those contests. MSU’s four road foes in February are scoring just 65 points a game and making 27.4% from behind the arc. MSU’s opponents during its three-game win streak — Illinois, Purdue and U-M — have scored 65 or less.
“I know if I’m gonna play a hard four minutes, I know somebody’s gonna come in and give another hard four minutes in,” Richardson said. “We all know that we’re all gonna fight in these minutes that we play.”
The trip to Maryland, which is 16-1 this season at Xfinity Center, and a March 6 visit to Iowa are among MSU’s final four games of the regular season. It hosts No. 12 Wisconsin on Sunday and close at home against U-M on March 9.
And the Spartans understand they can capture Izzo’s 11th Big Ten regular-season crown if they continue to maximize their rotation depth and versatility.
“That would mean everything to me,” Akins said of potentially winning MSU’s first league title since 2020. “That’s really all that’s on my mind right now, because that’s what’s in front of us right now.”
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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Next game
Matchup: No. 8 Michigan State (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) at No. 15 Maryland (21-6, 11-5).
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball ‘strength in numbers’ boosting Big Ten hunt
