The Spartans (14-11 overall, 6-7 Big Ten) have been exchanging wins and losses for more than a month now, most recently getting crushed by Iowa on Feb. 7 only to turn around for a 56-54 victory against Purdue Monday night.

I don’t understand why the Spartans are beating the top teams in the conference, but drop games — by more than eight points in most cases — to teams they should beat. The top conference teams the Spartans have defeated include Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue.

There are many other annoyances in addition to blood pressure issues for fans and bystanders, involved in the season’s wins and losses.

Five of the Spartans’ six Big Ten wins have come through various rallies and runs to climb the scoreboard in the closing minutes. MSU never manages to grab the lead and hold on, except in its game against Northwestern, a team that has yet to get a Big Ten win.

Also, when MSU loses, it really loses. The 18-point loss to Iowa on Feb. 7 and the 14-point loss to Indiana on Jan. 20 were examples of obvious beatings — especially on the boards where they were outrebounded by at least 12 in both games.

Easier said than done, but why can’t the team just jump and fight at the boards on a consistent basis? When the Spartans win the board fight, they also win the game. I know MSU head coach Suzy Merchant pounds that into their heads day after day because she talks about it at her press conferences and I hear her stress it in practice.

Observing the team in practice and in games makes the results especially frustrating to me, let alone what Merchant must feel on this roller coaster with her team full of cardiac kids. Once you think the team will remain in the dumps of the Big Ten, they pull out an upset win and throw your theories out the window.

With such big wins under their belt, it’s hard for me to believe the Spartans really are eighth in the Big Ten in terms of skill. Hiccups on the court, botched plays, succumbing to the level of its opponent and questionable calls have combined for MSU’s losses.

Allison Grant is the State News women’s basketball reporter. You can reach her at grantall@msu.edu.