Perimeter shooting has never been more utized or valuable than it is in the sport of basketball right now with good teams like Duke, Alabama and Marquette — not to mention the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics — taking roughly half of their field goal attempts from 3-point range.
Don't tell that to Tom Izzo, though.
At Michigan State, the Spartans are barely taking a 3-pointer every third possession, making them at an even lower rate, and this should be a real problem — but it's not. Izzo's team won again Friday night, 69-62 at Ohio State, while taking only 18 3-pointers and making just three of them. The Quadrant 1 victory over an Ohio State team that's 27th in the NET pushed Michigan State's record to 12-2 overall, and 3-0 in the Big Ten, despite the Spartans shooting just 28% from 3-point range on the season.
That number ranks 342nd nationally.
"An ugly win is better than a pretty loss," Izzo said following Friday's victory.
Who could argue with that?
Michigan State is No. 9 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Tennessee remains No. 1 for the 31st consecutive day. The Spartans are one of three teams still perfect in Big Ten play with the others being UCLA and Michigan. Given that three of Michigan State's next four games are at home, and that the Spartans aren't currently projected as underdogs again until their Feb. 4 game at UCLA, this seven-game winning streak could reasonably reach double-figures regardless of whether the shooting improves, as long as Michigan State continues to guard at an elite level.
Is it the prettiest, most modern style of basketball?
Nope.
But, like Izzo said, ugly wins are better than pretty losses. And, either way, "ugly" and "pretty" aren't terms the selection committee concerns itself with, point being that winning will ultimately be the only thing that matters. And if the Spartans keep doing it at this rate, the seed they'll get on Selection Sunday, after possibly winning a Big Ten title, will have them set up to take a shot at what would be Izzo's ninth trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 24 points and two assists in Tuesday's 67-52 win over Norfolk State. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 13-0 |
| 2 |  | Johni Broome finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 87-58 win over Monmouth. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | -- | 12-1 |
| 3 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Monday's 79-69 win at Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 11-1 |
| 4 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 24 points and six assists in Tuesday's 88-65 win over Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at SMU. | -- | 11-2 |
| 5 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 21 points and six assists in Sunday's 105-82 win over South Dakota State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 11-2 |
| 6 |  | Alijah Martin finished with 18 points and four steals in Sunday's 85-45 win over Stetson. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 13-0 |
| 7 |  | Kam Jones finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 79-71 win over Creighton. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against Georgetown. | -- | 13-2 |
| 8 |  | Andrew Carr finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 88-54 win over Brown. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Florida. | -- | 11-2 |
| 9 |  | Szymon Zapala finished with 15 points and two blocks in Friday's 69-62 win at Ohio State. The Spartans' next game is Thursday against Washington. | -- | 12-2 |
| 10 |  | Eric Dailey finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 65-62 win over Gonzaga. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Nebraska. | -- | 11-2 |
| 11 |  | Josh Hubbard finished with 16 points and two assists in Monday's 87-73 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 12-1 |
| 12 |  | Tre White finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 109-77 win at Oregon. The Illini's next game is Sunday at Washington. | -- | 10-3 |
| 13 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 92-54 win over Abilene Christian. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Texas. | -- | 11-2 |
| 14 |  | KJ Adams was 1 of 5 from the field in Tuesday's 62-61 loss to West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Sunday at UCF. | -- | 9-3 |
| 15 |  | Jadrian Tracey was 1-of-5 from the field in Thursday's 109-77 loss to Illinois. The Ducks' next game is Sunday against Maryland. | -- | 12-2 |
| 16 |  | Braden Smith finished with 20 points and 10 assists in Thursday's 81-61 at Minnesota. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday against Northwestern. | -- | 10-4 |
| 17 |  | Tyrese Hunter finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 90-62 win at Florida Atlantic. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against North Texas. | -- | 11-3 |
| 18 |  | Solo Ball finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 81-68 win at DePaul. The Huskies' next game is Sunday against Providence. | -- | 11-3 |
| 19 |  | Dre Davis was 1-of-5 from the field in Saturday's 87-70 loss at Memphis. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 11-2 |
| 20 |  | Nolan Hickman finished with 13 points and two rebounds in Thursday's 81-50 win over Portland. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Loyola Marymount. | -- | 11-4 |
| 21 |  | J'Wan Roberts finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 60-47 win at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 9-3 |
| 22 |  | Jalon Moore finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 89-67 win over Prairie View. The Sooners' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 13-0 |
| 23 |  | Eduardo Andre finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 62-61 win at Kansas. The Mountaineers' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 24 |  | RJ Godfrey finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 79-72 win over South Carolina State. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | -- | 12-1 |
| 25 |  | VJ Edgecombe finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 81-56 win over Utah. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Iowa State. | -- | 9-3 |
| 26 |  | Ian Martinez finished with 17 points and three assists in Tuesday's 69-64 win at Nevada. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Fresno State. | -- | 13-1 |
