During the second half of Michigan State's tilt with Big Ten foe Purdue, coach Tom Izzo showed visible frustration on the sideline. With his team down 7 points and his team sliding the wrong direction down the stretch, he decided the clipboard deserved to be snapped.

The Spartans, who fell 84-73 to the Boilermakers, suffered their fourth loss in five games, and third straight to slide to 4-4 in conference play.

While it's easy to understand Izzo's frustration in a losing effort, it's also important to understand the context. Tom Izzo's Spartans have made 19-straight NCAA tournament appearances. The last time his team missed it was in his second year. And while one loss to a solid Purdue team won't end that streak, losing at home to a ranked team can be considered a missed opportunity for a team looking to snag a signature win.

The Big Ten schedule won't get any easier for Sparty, either. Over the next 10 games to close the regular season, they are favored by KenPom to win just five of those. And frankly, five almost definitely won't be enough to sneak into the tournament.