It was a chippy start to the season for Michigan State basketball as they played a feisty Colgate squad in the Breslin Center that would not stop hitting threes, or talking, for the duration of the Spartans’ season-opening win. After a tight first half, MSU was finally able to pull away in the second half to take control and put the Raiders away, 80 to 69.
Below, you can find our five key takeaways from game one of the season.
1. Free throws… not great
First, the good news. Michigan State got to the free throw line 37 times in this game. In most games, that is a good recipe for success. However, the Spartans only made 24 of those free throws. If they shot it a little better from the line, this game doesn’t feel remotely as close. You can bet the house that MSU will be shooting some free throws in practice this week.
2. First-half defense was troubling
Colgate was largely able to stay in this game by shooting out of their minds, especially from three, in the first half. Michigan State didn’t do much to slow them down, as the defense was concerning to start this one. This is a carry-over of what we saw in the preseason against Bowling Green and UConn; the defense has not been up to its usual standards.
The defense did improve in the second half, and I think that was partially because of the contributions of the next player we’ll discuss…
3. Jordan Scott might end up starting for this team
For me, I think my personal biggest takeaway from the preseason and game one against Colgate is that Jordan Scott can play. He rebounds, he defends, and in general, he just looks ready. It’s game one, so I am not expecting any drastic changes to be made, but Scott’s minutes went up in the second half, and the team started to pull away with him in.
Trey Fort and Kur Teng are both valuable shooters, but Scott’s defense is clearly ahead of theirs. If the defense continues to struggle, don’t be shocked if the defensive-minded Izzo makes a move.
4. MSU’s big three is impressive
Coen Carr. Jaxon Kohler. Jeremy Fears Jr.. Michigan State will go as far as these three players can take them this year. The good news is, they all looked great against Colgate. Fears and Kohler both had double-doubles (Fears actually had a five-by-four, which was extremely impressive), and when Carr decided to take over the game in the second half, no one could stop him.
You’d feel a little better about that big three if Fears and Carr can knock down a few shots, but that’s still a pretty darn good trio to get behind this year.
5. Three-point shooting will need to be monitored
Earlier in this post, I suggested that MSU might eventually start Jordan Scott over Kur Teng or Trey Fort at the two. The major caveat is if Scott or someone else on the team can hit a three. Teng and Fort were two of only three Spartans to hit a three on the night. Not a good sign for a program that continues to struggle shooting the ball on a near-annual basis.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s season opening win over Colgate
Reporting by Andrew Brewster, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
