Michigan State’s first-ever Izzone Campout exhibition gave the Spartans a little bit of everything Friday night: a lively crowd, a fast offensive start, some sloppy stretches, and a few moments that fit the program’s personality perfectly.
The event marked the first time MSU paired the annual campout with an exhibition game, made possible by the NCAA’s allowance of a third preseason contest. That change also ended the school’s 30-year Michigan State Madness tradition. Instead, the Spartans will hold an autograph-signing event during the afternoon of the Oct. 10 football game against Illinois.
After the game, Tom Izzo stepped onto the court to thank the fans who turned out for the campout atmosphere.
“It is one of the unique things that we have at Michigan State, and I'm damn proud of it,” Izzo said.
On the floor, MSU’s offense was in rhythm early and often. The Spartans piled up 45 points in the first half, led by a breakout night from sophomore forward Jesse McCulloch and another strong showing from sophomore forward Jordan Scott. McCulloch finished with a career-high 20 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers, while Scott scored 16 points on 75% shooting.
McCulloch’s performance stood out not just because of the scoring total, but because of how he got there. He attacked from all over the floor, pulling up from deep, driving to the rim and creating pressure on defense.
He also chipped in 5 rebounds and shot 8-of-13. Before Friday, he had never scored more than 9 points in a game.
McCulloch pointed to the people around him and the work he has put in over the last two years when talking about his jump.
“It's all about the preparation, and we prep really hard,” McCulloch said. “I learned from the past guys and the culture and Jeremy (Fears), Coen (Carr) and all of our leaders. Learning from them really helped me to see what I can and should not do.”
Jeremy Fears Jr. also did what he does best: run the offense. He finished with 13 assists, which was 8 more than the next Spartan. Fears led the country last season with 9.4 assists per game, and after Friday he made it clear his job is to keep feeding the options around him.
“We got a little bit of everything,” Fears said. “So I know my job is to just give them the ball, and then they got the hard part.”
Still, the night wasn’t clean. MSU turned it over 18 times, and once the rotations changed, the flow disappeared at times. The Spartans were outscored in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and the defense was loose enough to let Incarnate Word find easy cuts to the basket.
Halftime also brought a familiar Michigan State moment, with the women’s basketball team being recognized in front of the crowd. Head coach Robyn Fralick spoke to the mostly student audience and urged fans to show up for more women’s games.
Then came one of the evening’s most memorable scenes. With 30 seconds left, former manager turned walk-on Matthew Watkins got on the floor for the first time as a full-time player. The crowd chanted his name, Izzo relented and sent him to the scorer’s table, and Watkins finished the moment by launching an airball 3 as time expired.
MSU now turns to its next exhibition, and the one that will bring a familiar opponent back to East Lansing. The Spartans host UConn at Breslin Center at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20, with the game set to stream live on Big Ten Plus.
MSU will also travel to Marquette on Oct. 25 before opening the regular season at home against Quinnipiac on Nov. 2.
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