5 Observations: Michigan State Unleashes Hell On Previously Unbeaten No. 6 Baylor
Before the opening battle sequence at the start of the Academy Award-winning film Gladiator, Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe) says this to his second-in-command:
"At my signal, unleash Hell."
Today, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan State unleashed Hell on an unsuspecting and previously unbeaten Baylor Bears team, which came in ranked No. 6 in the country. The Spartans played with a fury we had not yet seen this season, taking out the frustration of their 4-5 start to the year and pounding Baylor to the tune of a 88-64 final score.
The game was never close. Michigan State scored the first five points of the contest and never looked back. The Spartans led wire-to-wire. The win improves MSU to 5-5 on the year and give them their first Quad 1 victory of the season. Here are five observations from a must-have dynamite performance from MSU:
1.) Spartans come out angry
I'm not going to lie. When I saw Izzo trot out the same, normal starting lineup again today, I rolled my eyes. Michigan State has notoriously started slow throughout the season (and even going back to last year), and I had no reason to think this starting lineup would do anything different.
Except, they did.
Michigan State finally came out of the gate with a fire under their backsides and punched Baylor square in the mouth from the opening tip. It started with the Spartans' defense, which forced a shot clock violation on Baylor's first possession and never relented. MSU forced the Bears into 11 first half turnovers and a total of 21 for the game. Baylor came into the game averaging a whopping 91 points per game. The Spartans held them to two-thirds of that total.
This Michigan State squad has shown its defensive prowess at times this season, but their effort and grit on that end of the floor was suffering as of late. Today, the Spartans got it back, and showed just how dominant they can be defensively.
2.) MSU backcourt was excellent
The Spartans' defensive intensity and dominance was a total team effort. Michigan State was more connected on that end of the floor than we've seen them in a long time.
On the offensive end, it was leading-scorer Tyson Walker who carried MSU in the early-goings. The graduate senior was a flamethrower early, connecting on four of his first five shots, including a trio of 3-point baskets, for 14 quick points. Walker couldn't keep up that pace all game (who could?) but finished with an outstanding outing with 25 points (9-of-16 shooting), three rebounds, four assists, five steals and a blocked shot.
Senior point guard AJ Hoggard played the best we've seen from him this season as well. He rediscovered the tenacity he played with down the stretch last March, and the difference in his energy was palpable. Hoggard had 14 points (5-of-10 shooting) and added five assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds.
We also have to give a shout out to sophomore Tre Holloman, who provided the Spartans a huge boost in his 13 minutes off the bench. Holloman scored an efficient 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-for-3 from long range. Just an outstanding showing from Michigan State's guards in this one.
3.) Sloppy 2nd half start, strong response
As near perfect as the first half was for MSU, the Spartans came out very sloppy to start the second half. Michigan State turned the ball over three straight times and allowed Baylor to score the first seven points go on a 12-4 run to begin the second frame. The Bears are too good of a team to relax against. There's a reason why this team was unbeaten coming into this game.
Baylor's extended defensive pressure gave the Spartans a lot of trouble, but they settled back in and went back to work as the half carried on. Michigan State took that punch from the Bears and eventually pushed its lead back to 30 points. While its not exactly difficult to play with a big lead, give the Spartans credit for their ability to overcome some early adversity in the second half and not let this become a game again.
4.) MSU's offense goes through the paint
Michigan State has struggled to shoot the ball effectively this season, though the Spartans had shot it better in recent games coming into this one. Today in Detroit, MSU seemed to figure some things out on the offensive end, and much of that came by getting the ball inside.
The Spartans scored 42 points in the paint against the Bears, and that had an impact on the outside shooting as well. Michigan State didn't settle for the jumpshot. They aggressively and relentless attacked the rim all game long, and that opened up even better looks from the perimeter. The Spartans shot 8-for-12 from 3-point range, easily their best 3-point shooting performance of the year.
It's a one game sample size, but if Michigan State can bottle this offensive philosophy and carry it with them into the rest of the year, this could become the team we expected to see in the preseason.
5.) Spartan bigs answer the call
Izzo — and just about everyone who's watched this team this season — called out his big men after the loss to Nebraska, in which senior Mady Sissoko and sophomore Carson Cooper combined for two points and three rebounds.
Today, Michigan State's centers answered the call. Sissoko got the start and produced eight rebounds, four points and a blocked shot in 19 minutes. Cooper was really good off the bench as well, adding eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a block in 13 minutes
Even freshman Xavier Booker, who Spartan fans have been clamoring for after he didn't play in two of the last three games for MSU, got a little action today. Booker only played seven minutes, but he scored a bucket on a midrange jumper in the first half and added five points late in garbage time. He finished with seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting, including a 3-pointer.
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