5 Observations: No. 18 Michigan State bounces back in blowout of Butler
After a disappointing 1-2 start to the season, No. 18 Michigan State bounced back on Friday night with a 74-54 blowout win over previously-unbeaten Butler.
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1.) Carson Cooper starts at center
After senior Mady Sissoko started the first three games for Michigan State, Izzo decided to change things up and go with the sophomore big man out of the gate in this one, and the move paid immediate dividends.
In his first career start, Carson Cooper was a terror on the defensive end of the floor and made his presence felt on the glass as well. In __ minutes of action, the sophomore finished with a team-high 11 rebounds and added three points, two blocks and a steal. Sure, Michigan State would like to get a little more scoring out of its center position, but if Cooper can consistently play like he did tonight, the Spartans will be just fine with that.
2.) Michigan State starts fast
The slow starts have been worrisome for MSU, but tonight the Spartans came out of the gate clicking on the offensive end. The catalysts were Malik Hall, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins. Michigan State looked to Hall in the post often in the early-goings, and it got the senior a bucket and opened up some perimeter looks for the guards as well. Unlike in the previous three games, those good looks from 3-point range were falling early, as the Spartans connected on three of their first four attempts from deep.
All-in-all, it was an excellent first half of basketball for Michigan State, outside of a 7-0 run from Butler when the Spartans had both Walker and Akins on the bench together. There's not just enough shooting on the floor with both of those guards resting at the same time, and Izzo should avoid that in the future. MSU led 37-25 at the break after shooting 43 percent from the floor.
It's important to note that after those early makes from three, Michigan State struggled to knock down some decent looks from outside for much of tonight's game. Still, the Spartans improved overall by finishing 7-for-20 from long range.
3.) A.J. Hoggard up and down performance
While MSU as a team got off to a better start, A.J. Hoggard's struggles continued at the beginning of this game. Hoggard missed his first three shot attempts, and had three turnovers in his first 10 minutes on the court. As a result, Izzo elected to give freshman Jeremy Fears more run in the first half tonight, and the youngster performed admirably, getting to the foul line and defending well.
Hoggard stepped up his game as the first half came to a close, getting to the charity stripe himself and adding a floater in the paint to score five points in the final four minutes of the frame. That finish to the half seemed to instill some confidence back into the senior, and he went on to have a fairly strong performance on his way to 14 points (5-of-11 shooting), six rebounds and four assists. After the poor start, Hoggard did not have another turnover for the rest of the game.
4.) Tyson Walker, Malik Hall had big nights
Despite scoring 22 points against Duke on Tuesday, Tyson Walker was challenged by his head coach to be more selfish and be a scorer early in games. Walker responded to that challenge tonight, when he scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the first half alone against Butler. The Big Ten's scoring leader was quieter in the second half, but he helped the Spartans close out of the Bulldogs in the closing minutes with some timely baskets and assists. The senior finished with 21 points (8-of-15 shooting) and four assists.
Meanwhile, Michigan State seemed to find the right usage for Malik Hall, who operated well in the post once again and impacted the game in a variety of ways. The senior finished with 12 points (6-of-9 shooting), nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. I think Hall has solidified his spot in the starting lineup, and when he plays like he did tonight he provides a good scoring option in the frontcourt for MSU.
5.) MSU's defense stands tall
Butler entered this game averaging 88.7 points per game in their 3-0 start to the season, albeit against overmatched foes. Tonight, Michigan State had the Bulldogs' flustered offensively through much of the evening. Butler shot just 29% (15-for-52) from the floor, and that was after they got going a little bit late in the second half. The Bulldogs were just 7-for-25 from 3-point range, and hurt themselves with poor shot selections from deep throughout the game.
Give credit to Michigan State's defense. The Spartans made things difficult throughout the night and did not surrender many easy baskets. Junior Pierre Brooks, the former Spartan, scored 13 points for Butler on 4-of-11 shooting, including 2-for-7 from beyond the arc. The Michigan State faithful greeted Brooks with a chorus of boos when he was announced in the starting lineup, as well as every time he touched the ball in the game.
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