Five Takeaways: Michigan State shakes off slow start, routs Oakland in 2nd Half
After nearly two weeks off, Michigan State men's basketball returned to action on Wednesday night against the Oakland Grizzlies. The Spartans showed a little rust during a first half, allowing Oakland to shoot 50 percent from the field through the opening 10 minutes.
However, Michigan State finished the half with an 8-0 run to take a 29-24 lead at the break. In the second half, the Spartans opened hot from outside and quickly stretched their lead to 20 points.
Michigan State got a little loose with the basketball down the stretch, but coasted to a 67-54 win to improve to 8-4 on the year.
1.) Sloppy start for MSU
Through much of the first half, Michigan State looked like a team that hadn't played in 11 days. The Spartans stuggled offensively against the multiple zone looks that Oakland head coach Greg Kampe through at them, most notably the 1-3-1 zone.
MSU had 11 turnovers in the first half, much to the frustration of head coach Tom Izzo. However, the Spartans came out of the locker room with a plan of attack. Michigan State was more effective in transition to start the second half, and bombarded the Grizzlies with the three-ball to bust the game open.
The Spartans had five turnovers in the second half, with several of those coming late with the game mostly in hand. Still, Izzo won't be pleased with 16 giveaways on the night.
2.) Jaden Akins looks healthy again
Izzo alluded to this on Monday during media availability, but sophomore guard Jaden Akins does look to be in better shape and healthier coming out of the 11-day layoff.
Akins scored 15 points and was an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from three-point range. He added four rebounds tonight for the Spartans.
When healthy, Michigan State can play with anybody in the Big Ten and maybe the country. That will be the key for the Spartans as conference play approaches in 2023. Senior small forward Malik Hall is hopeful for MSU's home game against Buffalo on Dec. 30.
3.) Joey Hauser stays hot offensively
Like Michigan State as a whole, senior Joey Hauser looked sluggish and out of rhythm to start the game. However, Hauser settled in and ended up putting forth a strong performance for the Spartans.
Hauser led Michigan State with 16 points, and was red-hot from the floor (6-of-9) and from beyond the three-point line (4-of-5). The senior added four rebounds, four assists and a steal. As mentioned above, Hauser was a little out of wack at times tonight as well — he took a hard blow to the face in the first half while defending a dribble drive, which may have factored in — and finished with four turnovers.
4.) Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard were a bit off
Both Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard played alright tonight, but like Hauser they seemed to be a bit off. I think the layoff had something to do with that.
Walker shot just 1-for-7 in the first half, but he finished with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting for the game and added three rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. He was 3-for-8 from beyond the three-point line. Hoggard, meanwhile, went 3-for-7 from the field but 0-for-2 from deep on his way to eight points, four rebounds, eight assists, a block and a steal.
On a positive note, despite the 16 turnovers as a team, Walker and Hoggard just had one giveaway each. Izzo was happy about that following the game.
5.) Pierre Brooks sits 1st half, Spartans struggle from FT line
Sophomore wing Pierre Brooks did not play in the first half tonight for the Spartans, and head coach Tom Izzo said that was due to disciplinary reasons for tardiness. Brooks played 12 minutes in the second half, but didn't make much of an impact, missing the only shot he took and going 0-for-2 from the free throw line.
Brooks wasn't the only Spartan who struggled from the charity stripe, as Michigan State shot just 7-for-16 from the free throw line as a team tonight. That was a strikingly poor display from MSU, which had shot 77.6 percent on free throws coming into tonight's game.
Up Next
Michigan State will play one final game in 2022 when they host Mid-American Conference opponent Buffalo against Dec. 30 to conclude non-conference play. The Spartans have gone 7-3 against one of the toughest out-of-conference slates in the country thus far, and will be the favorite against the Bulls as well.
The beginning of the New Year will bring the return of Big Ten play with it, and Michigan State will host Nebraska and Michigan in back-to-back games in the first week of January. The Spartans are 1-1 in league play thus far, with a home loss to Northwestern and a road win over Penn State.
