WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Michigan State men’s basketball team suffered its worst defeat of the season at the hands of No. 1 Purdue on Sunday. Zach Edey led the Boilermakers to a 77-61 win over the Spartans, and he recorded a new career-high with 38 points. 

Edey had 13 rebounds to go along with his dominant performance. He’s recorded a career-high in points three times against the Spartans throughout his career. 

“I thought we just couldn’t cover him [Edey],” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “He’s physical. You can’t push him out. I was disappointed in that a little bit.” 

All signs in the first eight minutes of the game pointed towards a tightly contested game, but as soon as Edey caught fire, it became an uphill battle for the Spartans. 

That's some effort. 👀@zach_edey x @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/baUAxP3b8W

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 29, 2023

MSU only scored two baskets out of their last 11 attempts to end the first half. 

Michigan State went into the halftime break trailing 40-22 and was essentially bullied down low. 

“They played well and they did an unbelievable job of giving him [Edey] the ball,” Izzo said. “He can back you down and you can’t do much about it.”

It was a deja vu of MSU’s trip to Mackey Arena on Jan. 12, 2020, where the Spartans lost 71-42. In that game, the Spartans trailed at halftime by a 17-point deficit. On Sunday, they went into the break with an 18-point deficit. 

To make matters worse, Izzo received a technical foul while heading to the locker room, giving Purdue two free throws as soon as they returned for the second half. 

“The place [Mackey Arena] was electric and it was a great crowd,” Izzo said. 

After halftime, Michigan State started the game with two straight baskets by Mady Sissoko and Tyson Walker. Unfortunately for the Spartans, it did not create enough of a spark to hold down Purdue. 

Edey scored 22 points in the second half while the rest of Purdue shot a combined 15 points. To say that Edey had a dominant second half would be an understatement. 

MSU changed the tactics defensively and began double-teaming Edey, but it still did not help the cause. 

For the Spartans, the bright spot was that point guard A.J. Hoggard recorded a team-high 20 points and six assists. Hoggard went to the free-throw line nine times and was successful for seven of those attempts. 

Hoggard and sophomore Jaden Akins were the only Spartans who finished the game with double-digit scoring.

“He [Hoggard] did his job today,” Izzo said. “I thought we played him a little too much and he got tired.”

In Hoggard’s last game against Iowa, he went to the line once. He improved in earning some fouls while driving to the basket. Michigan State will have to significantly improve in its upcoming break to hold on to a top-four spot in the Big Ten standings.

The Spartans have six days of rest until they travel to Madison Square Garden in New York City to face Rutgers on Feb. 4. Tip-off from MSG is scheduled for noon.