Three Takeaways: Short-handed Spartans fall to Alabama in Phil Knight quarterfinals
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Michigan State men's basketball traveled to Portland, Ore. this weekend for a Thanksgiving Day matchup with No. 18 Alabama in the quarterfinal round of the Phil Knight Invitational.
The Spartans entered the invitational without two of their top six players — starting small forward Malik Hall and sixth-man Jaden Akins — both of which are dealing with foot-related injuries.
After leading Alabama for the majority of the first half, Michigan State had a poor finish to the frame and trailed by five at halftime. That bad momentum carried into the second half, and the Spartans ended up falling by the score of 81-70.
Here's what stood out from a tough loss for MSU:
1.) Crimson Tide make Spartans pay for turnovers
Michigan State only had 11 giveaways, which isn't terrible, but the Crimson Tide made them pay for almost every one.
Alabama scored 18 points off of Spartan turnovers, and it was a major factor in tonight's game. Joey Hauser was particularly loose with the ball, with five turnovers himself. Point guard A.J. Hoggard was close behind with four.
Head coach Tom Izzo warned us last week that there will be consequences for turnovers, but with a limited bench already due to the injuries to Hall and Akins, there's only so much that Izzo can do...
2.) No more training wheels for MSU freshmen
With Hall and Akins sidelined for now, Michigan State is going to have to rely more on freshmen Tre Holloman, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, whether the youngsters are ready for the added responsibility or not.
All three freshman played double digit minutes tonight, and each guy played more minutes than ever before in their young careers. Kohler had six points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot. Holloman contributed six points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Cooper added one point, two rebounds and two blocked shots.
This is trial by fire for these freshmen. Kohler and Holloman were highly-rated four-star prospects, and each are expected to be good players for Michigan State — eventually. Cooper is a much more raw, but he showed something as a rim protector tonight. How quickly can they grow and mature?
3.) Tyson Walker's usage skyrockets
The senior clearly had the green light from Izzo in this game, as Tyson Walker took 22 shot attempts in this game, by far the most of any Spartan. For that many shot attempts, Walker was pretty efficient, converting on nine attempts to finish with 21 points to pace MSU.
Unfortunately, Walker struggled from three-point range, going 0-for-3 from long distance. The senior added three rebounds, four assists and two steals in a well-rounded effort. It can be argued that Walker is Michigan State's best player, and he'll have to shoulder even more of the load for the Spartans without Hall and Akins available.
Up Next
With this loss, Michigan State has entered the loser's bracket and will face Oregon ... The Ducks are off to a rough 2-3 start to their season, with losses to UC Irvine and No. 3 Houston before falling to No. 20 Oregon in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational. While the Spartans should be favored against the Ducks, with MSU's lack of depth it will be a challenge playing another game with just one day's rest. Michigan State and Oregon will tipoff at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26.
