That was not a bad way to prepare for conference play. On Wednesday, Michigan State basketball faced Louisville at home in the Breslin Center and they came away with the 73-64 victory.
This was a very balanced offensive game for the Spartans, led by point guard Tyson Walker who finished with 10 assists (and four steals on the other end). Four Spartans finished in double figures:
- Gabe Brown: 10 points, 5 rebounds
- Max Christie: 11 points, 2 rebounds
- Malik Hall: 15 points, 5 rebounds
- Jaden Akins: 10 points, 3 rebounds
While the offense finally looked competent thanks to Tyson Walker’s steady point guard play (AJ Hoggard also played well tonight), it was the suffocating half court defense that really allowed the Spartans to get out in transition and blow this one open in the second half.
As mentioned, Walker finished with 4 steals and a block, Marcus Bingham had 2 steals to go with his 3 blocks, and Hoggard also added 2 steals and a block. Gabe Brown and Max Christie also added a steal a piece.
All in all, it was a very encouraging game to watch. This group is so strong at defense, if they can play how they played tonight on offense, they will be in good shape.
Of course, there were some negatives in this one. The turnovers are still a huge problem and, as most fans will tell you, Joey Hauser’s poor career with the Spartans has continued. This is a huge bummer to see from someone who had to sit for a year due to transfer rules and came in with a lot of hype, but he simply has not been good on either end of the floor this year and Izzo will likely have to sit him in conference play (or he will just play him anyway and it won’t end well).
Michigan State will next face Toledo this Saturday before opening Big Ten play against Minnesota on Dec. 8.
