Michigan State’s 96-59 win over Quinnipiac gave the sixth-ranked Spartans plenty to like, but it also offered an early look at which players are already making noise and which ones still have work to do.
The clearest stock-up performance belonged to freshman point guard Carlos Medlock Jr., who wasted no time making his presence felt in his first official college game. On his very first possession, he buried a stepback three, and that was only the start. In just four minutes off the bench, Medlock scored nine points and handed out two assists, giving Michigan State a burst of offense it didn’t consistently get from its backup point guard spot last season.
That role mattered a lot more than usual for the Spartans after Divine Ugochukwu had his moments a year ago but didn’t bring the same smoothness or offensive versatility Medlock offers. Once Ugochukwu was injured, Michigan State had to lean on Denham Wojcik, which only underscored how valuable a productive reserve guard can be.
Medlock’s performance was especially encouraging because it came after a rough stretch in the three exhibition games, when his shot wasn’t falling. Monday looked different.
He probably won’t light it up like that every night, but just showing he can be that kind of threat is a major step forward.
The one blemish on Medlock’s night came at the line, where he went 0-for-4 on free throws, including missing three on one trip. Still, that doesn’t seem like something to panic over.
If Medlock was the biggest winner, Ethan Taylor was the player whose debut came with a little less shine. With Jesse McCulloch out because of a "minor concussion," Taylor was in line for a bigger opportunity, but he didn’t leave much of an imprint on the game.
That said, the center battle is going to be one of the biggest things to watch during the non-conference schedule. It’s the team’s biggest question and/or concern right now, and every game should help sort it out.
Anton Bonke turned in a strong showing Monday with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks after struggling badly in the exhibitions. Taylor had actually looked better than Bonke in those preseason games, but the regular season opener went to the more experienced transfer portal addition.
None of that means Taylor is out of the picture. His upside remains high, but he’s still a little raw as a freshman, and it may take a month or two before he really settles in.
In Other News...
Michigan State's Opener Revealed A New Look That Could Matter Fast
Tom Izzo wasted little time tinkering with Michigan States opening-night look, and the changes were hard to miss against Quinnipiac. Coen Carr slid into the power forward spot, Jasiah Jervis got the start at shooting guard, and transfer Anton Bonke was in the first five as well, giving the Spartans a different blend than they showed in the exhibition games. It was the kind of early-season adjustment Izzo often makes when he thinks a lineup can be sharpened quickly, and this one had immediate consequences on both ends of the floor.
Carr responded with a lively all-around effort, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal in 25 minutes, while Bonke made his presence felt inside with 13 rebounds and 11 points in 19 minutes. For Michigan State, the bigger question now is whether this was simply an opener experiment or the start of a more permanent reshuffling, because the Spartans already have evidence that the new alignment can change the teams balance in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Opener Raised An Early Rotation Debate Fans Will Notice
Michigan State opened its season with a look that immediately gave fans something to track beyond the final score. Jesse McCulloch was unavailable because of a head injury, but he was still on the bench, and Tom Izzo answered by rolling out a small-ball starting group of Jeremy Fears, Jasiah Jervis, Jordan Scott, Coen Carr and Anton Bonke. It was a lineup built for speed and versatility, and it signaled that the Spartans are willing to mix things up early as they sort through the frontcourt.
The first half offered a glimpse of why the approach was worth watching, with Fears and Medlock providing key scoring support while Bonke made his presence felt on the glass. Even without McCulloch on the floor, Michigan State found enough balance to take a halftime lead, which only sharpens the conversation about how Izzo wants to use his pieces once the roster is whole again. For a team with real depth questions to answer, the opener already hinted at a rotation debate that could linger. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Just Showed Why Izzo Has A New Early Decision
Michigan State opened the regular season in the kind of lopsided fashion that usually tells you a lot about a team before the schedule gets any harder, rolling past Quinnipiac 96-59 at the Breslin Center. The Spartans looked deep from the start, with Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr and freshman Carlos Medlock all turning in strong showings as Tom Izzos group controlled the game in transition, on the glass and around the basket.
The broader takeaway was less about the final margin than the way Michigan State piled up advantages in the areas that tend to travel once Big Ten play arrives. Fastbreak points, rebounding and post scoring all tilted heavily in the Spartans favor, giving Izzo an early look at a roster that already appears to have multiple ways to beat teams. For a program trying to establish its identity right away, this was the kind of opener that can shape the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]