Michigan State’s season-opening exhibition had the kind of rough edges Tom Izzo won’t love seeing on film. Against No. 4 UConn on Tuesday night, the Spartans fell 78-70 in a game that was messy from the jump and never really settled into Michigan State’s rhythm.
UConn came out with the edge, put MSU on its heels early, and kept the Spartans chasing for most of the night. Michigan State never really clawed all the way back, and when it did trim the margin, the Huskies answered by catching fire from long range during a big second-half stretch. By the end, the Spartans simply didn’t have enough left to turn it into a finish.
There’s no reason to treat an exhibition like the end of the world, but there was still plenty for Izzo to sort through. The film session should be a busy one.
One clear bright spot was Jordan Scott, who looked like a player ready to make life difficult for everybody - including his own coach when it comes to keeping him on the floor. He played with confidence, hunted his shot, and brought real energy on defense. Even with just seven points, he filled out the box score and looked like someone who has made a real leap.
Scott is already starting to look like a firm No. 3 option behind Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr. He may wind up logging heavy minutes all season, and if this roster weren’t so deep, that would feel like a certainty under Izzo. Jasiah Jervis also drew attention in a good way.
Michigan State’s perimeter defense, though, was a different story. UConn repeatedly punished the Spartans from three, especially after MSU made small pushes and tried to get back into the game. The pattern was the same several times in the second half: Michigan State would close within a possession, and then UConn would swing the ball, find space, and bury another three.
That kind of shooting line is hard to survive. UConn finished 10-for-25 from deep, and the Spartans never made enough stops on the arc to change the feel of the game.
The shooting problems on Michigan State’s side were just as glaring. Outside of Jervis, the Spartans struggled badly from deep again, finishing 3-for-20 from three.
Beyond Jervis, they were 1-for-15. After a strong showing against Incarnate Word, that was a hard regression to watch.
It might only be an exhibition, and it could turn out to be a blip before the Spartans face Marquette and then open the real season, but the shot chart was ugly.
There was also a noticeable gap on the glass. Michigan State added Anton Bonke and Ethan Taylor to the frontcourt and has Jesse McCulloch and Cam Ward coming along, but the rebound control that Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler gave this program is going to be tough to replace. UConn got too many second chances, and that kept the pressure on MSU possession after possession.
If Michigan State can tighten up the rebounding and get sharper on the perimeter, there’s a path forward. Tuesday night made the fix list pretty obvious.
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Michigan States Early UConn Test Comes With One Big Unknown
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Braylon Mullins is the biggest unknown on the UConn side. The guard sat out the Huskies' previous exhibition because of an undisclosed injury, and his status for this one has not been confirmed, leaving one more question hanging over a game that should offer both teams a valuable evaluation point before the regular season begins. [Read more 🡒]
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Jesse McCulloch May Be Forcing His Way Into MSU's Rotation
A preseason exhibition can be easy to overlook, but Jesse McCulloch made it harder to do that with his performance at power forward when Michigan State needed someone to fill in for injured Cam Ward. McCulloch showed the kind of offensive touch the Spartans have been hearing about throughout the offseason, finishing with 20 points while also contributing on the glass and giving the staff a look at a different kind of frontcourt option.
What stood out most was how natural the fit looked with his shooting and the possibility of using him as a pick-and-pop threat. McCulloch has spent the offseason working to round out his game, and he has pointed to former Spartan Carson Coopers development as a model for what that process can look like. Whether this becomes a one-night glimpse or something more meaningful for Michigan States rotation will depend on how the next few weeks unfold, but the door looks open. [Read more 🡒]