In classic Tom Izzo fashion, Michigan State basketball decided to take on a very difficult task on Tuesday night, traveling on the road to face college basketball juggernaut UConn on the road in an exhibition. It was an ugly, disjointed game, as you might expect in a preseason scrimmage, with 56 fouls being called on the night as MSU fell to the Huskies 76 to 69.
You might hear people say ‘the score makes it look closer than it was’ about this game, as UConn led by double-digits most of the night. However, it has to be said, if MSU had shot it a little better from the free-throw line, they very much could have had a chance at the end there.
Below, we put together our five takeaways for those of you who didn’t want to pay for UConn+ in order to watch this one:
1. Jeremy Fears looks like a new man
While he did end up with six turnovers in an ugly, physical game, Jeremy Fears just so clearly looks like a new player this year after finally having a full, healthy offseason to get himself right. Fears looks faster, more confident, and aggressive on both ends of the court. It’s a huge development for the Spartans. Fears ended up with 14 points, six assists, and three steals on the night.
2. Jordan Scott is for real
When Michigan State lost transfer Kaleb Glenn for the season due to an offseason injury, all eyes turned to true freshman Jordan Scott. Before Glenn’s injury, it was thought that Scott might even take a redshirt this season. Now, the Spartans really need him to contribute some minutes at the small forward position, and he has been impressive. So impressive, I’ve even seen him pop up on at least one NBA draft board. Scott looked solid again on Tuesday, playing solid defense, rebounding, and looking confident on offense.
With only six points and three steals, the box score might not look like MSU has another star on the rise, but he popped off the screen and looked like he fit in amongst two of the top teams in the country.
3. Defense and Rebounding have to improve
Tom Izzo is known for his team’s perennial defense and rebounding ability, so I’m sure he will be addressing the defense and rebounding with his group when they are back in East Lansing. The Spartans were really outplayed in those areas on Tuesday, but I expect that to be cleaned up soon, or Tom Izzo will die trying.
4. Free-throw shooting was a huge difference
Michigan State lost this game by seven points, and they missed 15 free throws, going 29 for 44 overall. That is simply not good enough. UConn only missed seven, by comparison. If MSU shot it closer to 76-percent like the Huskies, they might have won this game. It definitely would’ve been closer throughout.
5. You can expect Coen Carr to get more involved in the season
I wouldn’t say this was a bad Coen Carr game. He still ended up with 11 points, a steal, and a block, but I also think he’s capable of much more. Part of that is, I think his game is best suited to get out and run in transition and wreak havoc, and quite frankly, MSU wasn’t getting many stops in this one where they could run, which is a cornerstone of a Tom Izzo program. I also think that his rebounding will need to improve. There’s no reason that someone with his physical gifts should only end up with two boards.
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