1. In massive win over Illinois, MSU shows ‘strength and numbers’ are more than a slogan
EAST LANSING – Michigan State still has a long way to go to win a Big Ten title. But if the Spartans can do it, they’ll look back on Sunday afternoon as the game that put them in control.
And as further proof that this team can compete at the top of the sport.
MSU didn’t start well. And the Spartans certainly wouldn’t have won this game away from the Breslin Center. But they still won it 80-78, to improve to 7-0 in the Big Ten and 16-2 on the season. And they did it by showing that “strength in numbers” can be more than just a slogan, even against the upper tier of college basketball.
It was a great game, one that required a number of different Spartans to have their moments in the sun – Tre Holloman’s steely start, Frankie Fidler’s big shots in the second half, Jaden’s defense and late bucket Akins, Coen Carr’s defense and the corner 3., Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper taking control of things on the glass, Szymon Zapala’s important pass in the second half, Jeremy Fears’ attack, the Xavier Booker closer in the first half.
“Everyone did their job in a matter of moments,” Tom Izzo said. “We put on a few plays for everyone and thought they would help us get started. Frankie once, Jase once made a big play on a curl move. We walked into Coop and pulled off this nice hook shot. We went to Jax and made some nice plays. Tre was really good and Jeremy led our team really well. … Book! I mean, don’t downplay Book’s 18 minutes because, he hits a big three, defensively he did a pretty good job,
“I thought every guy had his moment where he brought something to the table, and that’s what strengths and numbers do.”
Holloman’s 17-point day was the closest MSU had to offensive consistency from any individual player — right down to his final free throws to put MSU ahead 80-77 with 5.4 seconds left. play — but the Spartans had a lot of different answers at different times. . That’s what makes this team different, as they like to say: On a night of freshman Jase Richardson’s struggles, Holloman is the veteran who takes control.
MSU took advantage of the home whistle on several occasions and a big technical foul late in the game, which led to two more points for MSU (in a two-point victory). But that’s how the high court works. You receive calls, you are able to answer after a hesitant start, the crowd can give you a little something extra. The Spartans might have to win in a few tough times without those advantages, but less so because they took care of business at home against the kind of team that might still play in the sport’s final weekend, a team from the ‘Illinois Spartans are now three. games ahead in the Big Ten standings.
“It’s time to part ways,” Holloman said.
MSU won this game because it rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game at halftime and tied it on the glass in the second half, and continued to play down the stretch. The Spartans were slightly ahead throughout the final half and relied on a number of combinations to keep it that way, just enough.
“This team is really good,” Izzo said of Illinois. “We are both 1-2 in the league in rebounding. I like the way (Brad Underwood) coaches. I love the way they play. But damn, I like the way we played too. We came back. We had times where we could have gone down. I think it showed a bit of character. There were guys who struggled a little at the start and they bounced back. We moved people around and found combinations that really helped.
“We still have a ceiling to reach and we have to get there. Because they also have a ceiling, and they’re going to get there.
They meet again on February 18 in Champaign.
2. MSU knocked Jakucionis out of the game with Akins’ defense and foul trouble
When Jaden Akins prepares his resume tape for the professional ranks, Sunday afternoon should be on it. On a night where he scored just eight points and made just 3 of 10 shots, he was as important as any player on the court – because he (and early Tre Holloman) arrested Illinois freshman sensation and future NBA lottery pick Kasparas. Jakucionis, how long Jakucionis was actually in the match.
Kasparas Jakucionis, a 6-6 combo guard from Lithuania, attempted just three shots and made just one – just before fouling out. He finished with three points (on a hard bucket at the rim while being fouled) and missed both of his 3-point attempts, including one with an airball, while dishing out three assists in nine minutes. Akins never let it breathe or find a rhythm. Akins said afterward that he asked for this match and that it was what they practiced the most, although the matchups early on dictated he was on the bigger Tre White.
Akins smiled when asked about the match and how it went.
“No easy look,” Akins said. “I mean, he’s obviously a professional basketball player, he’s got a lot to say and he’s really talented. So we didn’t want to give him easy looks at first, and we were just trying to make it difficult for him.
On the other side of the court, Jeremy Fears Jr. gave him trouble by attacking him early on the drive, and Frankie Fidler finished the job, with a nifty leaning over Jakucionis during the shot that sent him definitely on the bench with 6:56 left to play and the Spartans lead 66-64.
Fidler said afterward that he knew it was Jakucionis on his hip and that he knew he had committed four fouls as he tried to make contact.
It was one of the best collaborative efforts I’ve seen to remove a star from the game, with the officials complicit as well.
3. A difficult start, exacerbated by slow adaptation
MSU played the beginning of the game like it had too much respect for Illinois, almost like the game was too big. The Illini were the aggressors, up front, dominating the offensive glass.
Part of what we saw from MSU, I think, was human nature and a product of schedule. The downside of going almost two months without playing in an elite competition or games that seemed like a highlight of the season is that when a player arrives you treat him bigger than he is . You would think that nervous energy might translate into stupid mistakes and excessive aggression. Instead, MSU looked hesitant, caught off guard on the glass and unconfident at the line, all unusual traits.
Worse, Illinois freshman Will Riley, a talented 6-foot-8 wing who hadn’t scored more than seven points in his last five games, made 6 of 8 shots from the start and had 16 points in the first. 10 minutes – from beyond the arc and especially on back cuts – helping Illinois take a 25-16 lead. Much of Riley’s early results came with 6-3 Jase Richardson on him. This was the first challenge all season that Richardson wasn’t able to overcome – and based on Riley’s recent production, I’m sure no one saw this starting. Still, it took a little too long to put a bigger body on him, namely Coen Carr. Riley missed his next seven shots Sunday after that move, until a driving bucket while he was fouled with 3:31 left to cut the lead to 74-69 – with the smaller Richardson on him again for the first time since.
The Spartans came back into the game even at halftime and were happy to compete in the second half, so the start didn’t bury them. But they looked nothing like the team out to prove something that faced North Carolina in Maui. MSU would be wise to exploit that mindset in these kinds of games from now on.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X at @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
This article was originally published in the Lansing State Journal: Michigan State basketball beats Illinois, 80-78: 3 quick takes
