Dan Hurley didn’t need long to identify the issue facing Michigan State. After UConn’s 78-70 win over the Spartans on Tuesday night in East Lansing, the Huskies coach zeroed in on the middle of Tom Izzo’s lineup and said the path to elite status runs through that spot.
“If their team could figure out the center thing, you know, and they’ve got three viable guys there that all bring different things,” Hurley said. “I think that once they get this center thing together, I think they've got one of the best teams in the country.”
That has been the biggest question for sixth-ranked MSU since the season began, and it only got louder after UConn bullied the Spartans physically in their own building. The focus now falls even harder on Anton Bonke, Jesse McCulloch and Ethan Taylor, with Izzo insisting he is not ready to reshape the rotation yet.
Bonke remains the starter on paper, but Tuesday suggested that status may not be settled in practice. He played just six minutes and did not return after halftime, finishing with two points, three rebounds and a minus-5 plus/minus. His first exhibition outing against Incarnate Word on Oct. 2 also fell short, with four points and three rebounds in 15 minutes.
“He just didn't seem as ready to play on a couple of things, but it wasn’t all his fault, too,” Izzo said about Bonke’s benching. “There's no clarity yet, because we're one game and a half in. The clarity will come probably five games, seven games from now.”
While Bonke has been trying to settle in, Taylor and McCulloch have pushed the conversation. McCulloch scored 20 points against UIW while starting at the four, then added eight points and five rebounds against Connecticut. Taylor hasn’t posted the same scoring numbers, but Izzo said the impact has been there, especially on defense and with his athleticism.
“I was really kind of pleased with Ethan Taylor,” Izzo said. “Jesse did some good things at different positions, but he also didn't rebound as well on the defensive end, even though he got three.”
Izzo said Taylor was a “surprise” during the team’s internal media day this past week. He also said McCulloch had the best offseason of anyone on the roster and that McCulloch barely left campus after the Sweet Sixteen loss to UConn.
For now, though, Izzo is not ready to make a snap call after one game against an elite opponent. He said he is still sorting through how the pieces fit together.
“No, I'm not going to make a decision one game in on whether I change the lineup or not,” Izzo said. “I'm looking at what lineups fit the other guys sometimes.
You know, maybe I put them in the wrong position. You know, maybe it should be Bonke with maybe Coen (Carr) in as an athletic four-man.
Maybe it would be this and that, so that's not all their fault.”
Izzo continues to watch Bonke against his teammates every day in practice, and if the separation were obvious, the answer would already be clear. Instead, this opening test against UConn has forced the staff to keep digging - and, in Izzo’s view, it has also provided some useful pain.
“There's a sick part of me that is kind of happy we got our butts kicked because some of the reasons we got our butts kicked were things that we worked on,” he said. “And so now the film will do the talking, not the coach.
The coach is going to do some talking tomorrow too, I promise. But the film is going to do more talking than the coach.”
Izzo also made clear he sees a different kind of lesson in this meeting than in last year’s exhibition at UConn. He said the Spartans were closer this time, even if they still fell short.
“Last year he (Hurley) said to me, more or less, almost, ‘You're in trouble. You're not very good right now,’” Izzo recalled.
“And I agreed. Last year, I didn't feel we deserved to be on the same floor.
This year, I really did. It's just we didn't do the things you needed to do to win the game.”
The two programs may not be done with each other this season, either. Hurley left the door open to another meeting and told McCulloch in the handshake line, “‘Get your center room right,’” as he put it, adding, “‘You guys are gonna have a chance to play in the stadium here in Detroit in April.’
We root for Michigan State when they’re playing. I mean, we’ve got the utmost respect… Go Sparty.”
In Other News...
Tom Izzo Sent A Clear Message To MSU Fans In Loss
An October exhibition at the Breslin Center turned into a showcase of how intense Michigan State fans can be, but it also brought a reminder from Tom Izzo about where the line should be. When UConn coach Dan Hurley was met with hostile chants during the game, Izzo stepped in and asked the crowd to stop, even as the No. 5 Huskies went on to beat No. 6 Michigan State 78-70.
The game itself still had the feel of a big-stage meeting between two nationally respected programs, with both coaches showing plenty of appreciation for the other side afterward. Izzo and Hurley each praised the opposing team and coaching, leaving the Spartans with a result they did not want but also a clear message from their own coach about how he wants the home environment handled. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Fears Jr. Just Gave Michigan State Fans A New Worry
Michigan States exhibition against UConn ended with a familiar preseason mix of promise and concern, as the Spartans fell 78-70 at Breslin Center but still got a strong performance from Jeremy Fears Jr. The guard paced the team with 23 points and eight assists, helping keep Michigan State in the game against a UConn frontcourt that controlled stretches of the night and made life difficult on the glass.
The bigger worry for the Spartans came in the second half, when Fears gave the fan base a scare after appearing to deal with an ankle issue. Even in a game that did not count in the standings, his health matters to a team trying to sort out its backcourt and tighten up before another exhibition against Marquette, especially with UConns rebounding edge serving as a reminder of how quickly preseason games can expose issues. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Have A Bigger Jeremy Fears Jr. Story Brewing
Michigan States exhibition loss to No. 4 UConn still gave the Spartans a useful look at where things stand early, and Jeremy Fears Jr. made sure he stayed at the center of it. The sophomore guard led Michigan State with 23 points and eight assists, and he looked more explosive than he did a year ago, punctuating the night with a one-handed dunk that stood out even in a game the Spartans ultimately dropped 78-70.
The bigger takeaway, though, may be how much Fears can shape everything around him if this version sticks. Michigan State also got 11 points from freshman guard Jasiah Jervis, while the starting center spot remains unsettled after Jesse McCulloch played well enough to challenge the expected starter Anton Bonke. For a team still sorting out its rotation, Fears jump is the kind of development that can change the ceiling in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]