January ended with a win for Michigan State, and February began with another. The Spartans rolled into Rutgers on the first Saturday of this month ranked No. 13 in the country, 17-4 overall, 8-2 in the Big Ten. The NCAA Tournament was a lock.
Ever so slowly, the lock is coming undone.
You may have heard, but Michigan State has lost five of its last six games. Its defense has crumbled. Its offense has cratered. It's been crushed on the glass by the standards of an Izzo-coached team.
All of which begs the question: have Izzo and the Spartans ever been here before?
The answer is yes -- but not in a long time.
And with No. 4 Purdue looming on Saturday, Michigan State is veering toward near-unprecedented territory in 27 years under its legendary head coach.
This marks the first time the Spartans have lost five of their last six games since January/February of 2011. That team finished the regular season 17-13 and lost as a 10 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Under Izzo, Michigan State has only lost five of six on two other occasions: December/January of 2002-03 and February of 1996 -- Izzo's first season at the helm.
After this year's team hit rock bottom Tuesday at Iowa, Izzo promised a shake-up. He vowed "some things will be changed ... and we'll see if we can get this thing back. As for specifics: "That'll be none of your business until you see it." So Saturday will be telling.
There's no reason to doubt Izzo can make the necessary adjustments. (27 years, anyone?) Whether he has the necessary personnel is another story. If the tailspin continues against Purdue, which has won nine of its last 10, it'll be six losses in seven games for Michigan State for just the second time in Izzo's tenure -- and the first since his second season in charge. That team ultimately lost seven of eight and landed in the NIT.
The Spartans haven't missed the NCAA Tournament since. And they're not in danger of doing so right now. (Most experts project them as a 6 or 7 seed.) But things could get dicey if they don't catch themselves down the stretch. After Purdue, they pay visits to Michigan and No. 22 Ohio State and host Maryland.
It's not panic time, not yet. Izzo and the Spartans have been here before. But they're spiraling toward somewhere they haven't been since Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson were freshmen. This year's team has experience. Four of its starters are upperclassmen, three of whom are seniors. And its head coach is one of the most experienced in the country. Together, they have four more games "to get this thing back."
