Michigan State Basketball: MSU 71 - Nebraska 72 Kneejerk Reactions

All seemed right in the world. MSU came out blazing with a 5-0 start and Tim Miles called a timeout within the first minute of play.

Then the other 39 minutes happened.

Give Nebraska credit; they weren’t intimidated by the Breslin Center crowd and played with a lot of energy all night. You kept waiting for that big run the chase Nebraska away, but it just never came.

The Spartans fell victim to a 13-0 run in the first half and an 11-0 run in the second half. You simply can’t have two of those lulls at home in Big Ten play and expect to win.

It’s also tough to win when you shoot 42 percent from the field and 57 percent from the line. Yeah, there were questionable foul calls once again, but that wasn’t the difference. It was the shot selection at times and the inability to finish in other moments.

It goes without saying, but this team goes as Denzel Valentine goes. When he scored 11 of MSU’s first 14 points, it looked like the Spartans would cruise to an easy home win. When he went the remaining 15 minutes of the first half without a bucket, the Cornhuskers found a rhythm.