For the second time this season, the Spartans needed a late surge to pull away from the struggling Wolverines.
Michigan State used a dominant closing stretch to beat Michigan for the second time this year. The rivalry game was defined by the Spartan dominance in the paint and their clear advantage in fast break points. The Spartans didn’t always look pretty on offense but they found enough to win through some key contributions from their veteran leaders and the bench.
The grades show some great stuff, some things to work on and a few worries (three point shooting) to consider.
Details of the Curve for this Game: Michigan is not good this year. At times they have been straight up terrible. This could very well be the final season for their coach Juwan Howard. Still this is a rivalry game. Michigan has had a few good performances this year and played Michigan State tough in the first matchup. Regardless, the curve on these grades is going to be a bit hard on Michigan State as they absolutely should be able to dominate this Michigan squad with, or without the rivalry implications.
Offense:
Michigan State started out committed to the outside shot. For a team that has been taking a below average (nationally and even for the program) number of threes in recent games it was a clear change in approach. Malik Hall took a long 15-footer on the first possession, AJ Hoggard took a three on the second and Tyson Walker took one on the third. Both Walker and Hoggard missed poorly. It took some points at the rim in transition to get the offense looking at all good in the early going.
The half court offense for the Spartans over the first 7-minutes was simply bad. Beyond two great shots by Malik Hall everyone was cold from the floor (in non-transition situations). Even worse, the Spartans had 4 turnovers in that early going. This team has been careful with the basketball all season, so that many turnovers was very uncharacteristic.
Once the Spartans started holding onto the ball, their scoring picked up. Tyson Walker running the point helped open up the floor. Jaden Akins was able to get his first points of the game on a driving lane opened up by Walker. The real story though of the first half was Malik Hall. His scoring carried Michigan State in the half court for most of the first half.
At the end of the first half Michigan State started beating itself. In the face of a big run by Michigan the Spartans started turning the ball over again. Three turnovers in a 90-second stretch led to Michigan taking a 37-35 lead after being down 8. The defense was porous during this stretch but it was the offense’s inability to hold onto the ball that enabled this run.
In the second half, Michigan State continued to be cold from outside. It took till the 13-minute mark in the second half before the Spartans hit their first three. Considering they started the game seemingly emphasizing the outside shot, it was incredible to see that drought in outside scoring. The difference in the game at that point was Michigan’s three point shooting.
The Spartans answer to the Michigan offensive explosion though was more of what has worked this year: steady use of penetration to get high percentage shots. AJ Hoggard had a nice drive in the second half but mostly it was Walker and Tre Holloman creating the scoring opportunities. Walker particularly contributed in multiple ways. As the Michigan defense started tilting its entire focus on him, he even found ways to make them pay with a great dump off alley-oop to Carson Cooper. This approach wasn’t flashy, or quick, but it allowed the Spartans to tie things up at 56 and force a Michigan timeout.
A really nice return of old school Spartan offense was a Carson Cooper put back jam. Cooper scored because he trailed Tyson Walker’s drive to the basket. Michigan State has been doing that the entirety of the Izzo era but it’s been surprisingly rare this year. The return of this approach gave the Spartans a crucial bucket to keep pace with a Wolverine squad that looked determined.
Free throws became an issue late in the game again for the Spartans. AJ Hoggard missed two in a row and Jaden Akins missed the front end of a 1 and 1. Malik Hall redeemed that a little but grabbing the rebound, drawing the foul and hitting two but the damage was there from the missed shots.
A play later Malik Hall went full on senior mode by taking a drive to the basket and throwing down a monster dunk. Hall has been pulling this squad towards victory for most of Big Ten play. This game was no different.
MSU jumped out to a 71-63 lead with three and a half minutes left. Despite not scoring a field goal in the final stretch of play, that was enough to win the game.
This was not a pretty offensive game for the Spartans. They finished 2-14 from three and assisted on less than a third of their made shots (very low for this team). The Spartans used a decisive advantage in transition and a dominance in the paint with their guards to make up for their offensive limitations.
The good news is despite AJ Hoggard not playing well and Jaden Akins shooting terribly they found a way to win. 8-points from Coen Carr and six from Tre Holloman (who still needs to be shooting more) helped offset some of that. The real key to the victory was Tyson Walker and Malik Hall playing like the fifth year seniors they are. When those two are rolling, this team can overcome weaknesses in other areas.
Offensive Grade: B-
Defense:
The Spartans let Michigan get position early and often. The Wolverines took a 10-4 lead doing what the Spartans had been doing to others: scoring on penetration and early offense. Steals by Hoggard and Walker helped stem the tide a bit, but for the first five minutes of the game Michigan still got too many good looks at the bucket.
The defense tightened up with Tre Holloman and Carson Cooper on the floor. The problem for Michigan State became Tarris Reed, Jr. The big man had six early points and started to pull the defense’s attention. Particularly with Jaxon Kohler on the floor, Reed found ways to match up against the Sophomore and win. Michigan State stayed close during this stretch because Michigan’s shooters were cold (1 of 7 from three early on).
Mady Sissoko continued his recent struggles on defense by committing two fouls in less than five minutes of first half play. Both fouls were committed because Sissoko was out of position and late on his man. Sissoko and Hoggard in early foul trouble led to some different lineups. What stayed consistent during this stretch was MSU’s fast hands and steals. The Spartans forced 7 turnovers in the first 12-minutes of action. That was the difference maker for the Spartans as they clawed their way to a small lead.
Michigan State started to build a lead as Michigan went cold. A stretch of more than five minutes left Michigan without a basket. Notably, that stretch came with Booker on the floor for three minutes. The freshman didn’t add defense particularly, but he was also not exploited for scoring the way he has been in previous stints.
The scoring drought was broken by Michigan’s Dug McDaniel. He put his team on his back and triggered a 7-0 run to close within two points of Michigan State and force Izzo to take a rare momentum based timeout. The last of that scoring was a three from the logo.
Michigan continued the onslaught and tied the game. Forcing a rare second timeout in the first half by Izzo. Only a (literal) last second foul by Dug McDaniel that gave Davis Smith two free throws kept Michigan State in the lead 39-37 at the break.
In the second half Michigan started hard and fast. Tarris Reed returned to the floor and added two baskets where he bullied Mady Sissoko. Both plays were a combination of Sissoko getting out muscled and the refs allowing Reed to commit offensive fouls. Blaming the officials for those baskets doesn’t fully explain the run Michigan went on to build a 48-43 lead.
The Spartan defense got beat for most of the second half. In the closing 8-minutes they found a different gear. Tyson Walker was knocking the ball out of peoples hands all over the floor. Even under the basket, Carson Cooper started standing tall. The disruption MSU was able to cause within Michigan’s offense led to the largest lead of the game (to that point) for the Spartans with three and a half minutes left.
The Spartans were able to hold Michigan scoreless from the 7-minute mark till the end of the game. While the defense looked exposed at times, the fast hands of the Spartans forced 15 steals and caused 22-turnovers. That is truly an impressive performance.
Defensive Grade: B+
Transition:
Michigan State’s defense let Michigan score too easily early on. It seemed like the options were – made shot by Michigan or a steal by the Spartan defense. The steals helped keep Michigan State in the game early on. They led to a dominant transition offensive performance in the first five minutes. Despite everyone other than Malik Hall being cold from the floor, Michigan State were only down two at the first media timeout thanks to the transition offense.
Coen Carr flashed his value in transition almost immediately. On his third possession on the floor he sprinted out after a steal to take a pass on the run. His speed and jumping ability forced Michigan to foul – a call that was upgraded to a flagrant because Carr was in the air so early. Carr converted both free throws and the next basket gave Michigan State its first lead of the game at 20-18.
Late in the first half Carr showed up in the highlight reel again. Grabbing a pass deflected by Tyson Walker, Carr ran the floor for a high flying one handed slam. It extended the lead to 29-22 and sent Michigan to a much needed timeout.
Carr continued his strong performance grabbing a rebound by diving to the floor on defense. Even more impressive, the athletic freshman passed off to Carson Cooper, jumped up and ran the floor unmarked by any defender. Tyson Walker saw him streaking and instead of setting up the offense threw it high for a Carr alley-oop. It was an important play as Michigan was starting to build some momentum.
Transition continued to be key for the Spartans in the second half. By halfway through the second half, Michigan State had a 17-2 advantage in fast break points. It was the counter to Michigan’s advantage at the three point line. The fast pace sent the Spartans on a 9-0 run that put them up 61-56 with just over 8-minutes left.
Michigan State used transition to win this game. The 19-2 official difference in fast break points more than explains this win. After a few games where transition was important but not decisive, this game was a reminder how quickly MSU can get out in transition and score.
Transition Grade: A
Coaching:
Coach Izzo started the game with his standard approach to the rotation. Carson Cooper came in at the 17-minute mark and Tre Holloman followed almost immediately. The minor change was Holloman came in about 45 seconds early for AJ Hoggard. It was unclear if this was simply due to the break in the action or because Hoggard had picked up an early foul.
Speaking of the foul, Hoggard picked up his second foul ten seconds after returning out of the first media timeout. This forced Izzo to play Holloman for an extended stretch early and keep Akins and Walker on the floor longer than they most likely intended.
Kohler took what is becoming his accustomed early stint as a sub for Malik Hall out of the first media timeout. His early performance included Tarris Reed making a tough shot straight over him. A few plays later he had an offensive rebound stripped out of his hands for a turnover – the teams fifth in the first 8-minutes.
Coen Carr came in at the 11-minute mark at the three spot. Izzo seems to know no one respects his shot, so the high flying freshman was positioned closer to the dunker spot and it immediately paid off. Tre Holloman drove and passed across the lane to a closing Carr who drove and got a great and-1. It showed awareness by Holloman, a savvy move by Carr, and an amended version of the offense to take advantage of the freshman’s strengths rather than force him to play his weaknesses.
Xavier Booker took the floor coming out of the 8-minute media timeout in the first half. He had two nice rebounds and showed a lot more comfort moving in the offense. Beyond that his three minutes were largely uneventful. Sometimes that is a step forward for a young player still adjusting to the speed and strength of the college game.
Tom Izzo used two timeouts in the first half. Both attempts to stem Michigan momentum. This was a departure from Izzo’s long standing aversion to taking any first half timeouts let alone two. The decisions didn’t stop Michigan but did keep the score close while the Wolverines looked lights out.
In a more curious decision, Izzo inserted deep bench reserve Davis Smith for the final defensive stand of the half. Potentially to save Holloman from picking up more fouls and adding to the problems they have with Hoggard missing essentially the whole first half due to fouls. The decision paid off unexpectedly well as Smith grabbed a loose ball and drew a foul on Dug McDaniel. Smith adding two made free throws was just icing on the cake.
In the second half, Izzo shortened his rotation substantially. Coen Carr had some good minutes early on in the half, Jaxon Kohler played some critical minutes, and Holloman rotated in. Still, the coach mostly relied on Hoggard, Walker, Akins, Hall and Cooper. Particularly down the closing stretch this lineup was his main call.
Izzo was also able to preserve his last two timeouts – something Juwan Howard did not do on the opposite bench. When the Spartans went on their run to open their lead to 71-63, you could feel the need for a Michigan timeout. Howard was forced to preserve his sole timeout remaining and was unable to break the Spartan momentum.
Izzo found a way to win this game despite his offense looking clunky. He relied on great games from Tyson Walker and Malik Hall while finding ways to get contributions from some unexpected places. The adjustments to Coen Carr’s offensive strengths were notable in this game. Izzo also seems to be finally moving away from Mady Sissoko and embracing the Carson Cooper era.
Jaxon Kohler was deployed in various spots (both he and Cooper played more minutes than Sissoko) that were valuable to get rest for Hall and Cooper. Even if Kohler’s game isn’t really there yet, Izzo is using him well.
Keeping his key players fresh enough to close out the game and navigating foul trouble (and an otherwise largely ineffectual night) for AJ Hoggard was some very good coaching. It didn’t hurt that Izzo looked even smarter in comparison to Juwan Howard’s less able in game decisions.
Coaching Grade: A
Overall:
Michigan State found a way to win on the road. Regardless of how poorly Michigan has played this year, the Wolverines were always going to make this game a fight. The rivalry alone gets people to overperform.
Despite strong games from Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed, Jr (who looked dominant when on the floor which made it inexplicable that Juwan Howard only played him 26-minutes) Michigan could only muster 63 points. The Spartans defense bent a few times but still won the game for Michigan State.
Anytime you have 15 steals you are going to have a good chance to win the game. Turning those steals into a 19-2 transition offense advantage was the back breaker.
The offense may not have been pretty the whole game for Michigan State but the Spartans controlled this game down the stretch and got contributions across the roster. You cannot ask for much more in a road victory over a rival.
Overall Grade: B+
How do you grade Michigan State for this game?