A look at what is driving the 8-0 record for the women of Sparta
The Michigan State Women’s Basketball team is off to a strong start this season and have made their way into the top 25 polls (#24 in AP, #25 in Coaches). At 8-0, the team is clicking right now and they even picked up a trophy Thanksgiving week winning both their games in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Springs, CA. In both those games, the Spartans used 4th quarter rallies to dispatch California and then Vanderbilt.
Those games provided MSU the chance to take on some major conference opposition, but now the schedule will get harder. In the back half of December, Robyn Fralick’s squad will play three ranked opponents – #17 Iowa, #19 Alabama, and @ #7 Maryland. And after the New Year, there are seven more games against teams currently ranked including a mid-February road trip to face #1 UCLA and #6 USC. So chances are that the team will pick up a loss or two along the way, but there are still plenty of opportunities for them to pick up some quality wins.
In their eight games, MSU has averaged 91.8 PPG and they are winning by an average margin of 39.6 points. If not for the two games in the Acrisure, that margin would be much higher as their closest game among their first six was a 37-point win. They are shooting well from all levels – .489 on FGs, .367 on 3s, and .703 on FTs (on 20.8 attempts per game). They are winning on the glass, too, with a rebounding margin of 9.5 boards per contest. They have been forcing their opponents into 26.1 turnovers per game, and have turned those into 32.3 points off TOs. The Spartans are recording an assist on approximately two-thirds of their made baskets. And they are even blocking 5.3 shots per game to help keep the opposition way behind on the scoreboard.
All in all, a very impressive collection of statistics. So who is deserving of the credit for all of it? Well, this team is definitely being led by two players, though there are a number of capable contributors on the roster. 6’2” grad student Julia Ayrault is in her fifth year playing for the Green & White. She got an extra year for Covid, and she also missed one entire season due to an injury, so this is actually her sixth year in the program. This season, she is averaging 16.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 2.6 APG, all career highs. She leads the team in minutes with 24.0 per game. The other leader on this team is 6’3” junior Grace VanSlooten. Grace played her first two seasons for Oregon before transferring to MSU this offseason. Last year, she was the Ducks’ leading scorer. This year, she is leading the Spartans with 17.3 PPG. She also delivers 8.6 RPG and 2.3 APG. She takes nearly 7 FTAs per game though she only converts 59% of them. Defensively, she is a solid rim protecter, often disrupting low-post shots, getting rebounds, and even blocking at least one shot per game. Most importantly, once she has secured the ball, she is quick to start moving the ball up court either with her own dribble or by getting it to one of the quicker guards.
Those other guards, in addition to Ayrault, include Jaddan Simmons, Theryn Hallock, and Nyla Hampton. Simmons and Hallock lead MSU in assists, while Hampton has arguably the best handles and has the ability to drive and score against defenders much taller than her 5’7” self. MSU does play a starting lineup of 4 guards, and VanSlooten is the primary interior player.
Aside from the starters, Robyn Fralick has five other players who are averaging over ten minutes per game. Among them, senior wing Jocelyn Tate is arguably the best player. She has the size and versatility to play inside and out. Also worth noting is freshman Juliann Woodard. Though Woodard only plays 7 minutes per game, she leads the team in three-pointers made this year, and she is hitting a ridiculous .667 of her deep shots. As other parts of her game develop, she will become an even bigger weapon for this squad.
This team is going to go for 9-0 today when they take on DePaul at the Breslin Center. The Blue Demons of the Big East are 3-6 on the season. The game will be televised on BTN+ for those of you who subscribe. Tip-off is at 2 PM EST. Don’t be late getting on this bandwagon. This is a team that could make some noise come March.