James Madison knocked off No. 4 Michigan State 79-76 in overtime Monday in East Lansing, Michigan on the first day of the 2023-24 season. Success vs. It was MSU’s 25th win in program history. On December 29, 1992, 19 Cal.
JMU forward Raekwon Harden sank a 3-pointer with 8.6 seconds left in overtime and TJ Bickerstaff sank one of his two free throws on the following possession to seal the victory.
Bickerstaff hit a short jumper to force 30 seconds of overtime. Bickerstaff finished with 21 points and Terrence Edwards Jr. had a team-high 24 points.
The Dukes were able to stop a stellar performance from MSU guard Tyson Walker, who scored 35 points. Walker stole the ball near the 3-point line at the end of regulation. Michigan State finished the game 1-for-20 from deep.
JMU finished 22-1 last season, falling to South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals to end its season.
Michigan State hosts Southern Indiana on Thursday before facing No. 2 Duke in the Champions Classic on Nov. 14. For JMU, the Spartans will need to build on their upset win against Kent State on Thursday.
Tom Izzo’s Uncharted Territory
Monday marked Izzo’s first November home loss against Michigan State in 2005, when the Spartans lost their opener against Hawaii. During his 29-year coaching career at Michigan State. The last time the Spartans lost a home game was in November 1986. The Spartans played their non-marquee games at neutral sites, however, and the improbable streak ended with a loss to the Dukes.
Walker was fantastic, but Sparty needs more
Walker is not only one of the top scorers in the country, but also one of the most clutch players in America. Walker made a layup with 1:26 left in regulation to give his team a four-point advantage, but they couldn’t close it out. Walker is one of two MSU players (Koen Carr) to score in double figures. MSU missed 19 of 20 3-point attempts and other veterans Malik Hall, Maddie Sissoko, Jaden Akins and AJ Hogarth didn’t contribute enough to help Walker.
MSU has a unique combination of experience and veteran leadership that will allow them to win these types of games in blowout fashion. It certainly wasn’t on Monday. Shooting 5% from beyond the arc is not going to win MSU many games.
