3 Observations From Michigan State's Victory over Colgate
EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Monday night's 80-69 win over Colgate felt like a bit of a rough draft about what Michigan State is going to look like this year.
That's kind of how November college basketball goes. Last year's team was awfully close to being upset by Bowling Green last season during November, and ended up winning the Big Ten by three games and reaching the Elite Eight. It happens.
From this one, there are some positive takeaways, but certainly some less-optimistic ones. Colgate is a very solid mid-major program, but MSU must play better come Saturday against No. 14 Arkansas, or it will get "embarrassed," as Tom Izzo said after the game.
But that's Saturday. Here are my three main observations from Monday.
Freshman Jordan Scott's Hustle
One debut that stood out was freshman forward Jordan Scott. The box score that just says “six points, six rebounds” does not pop out, but the things that Scott was able to provide that do not show up there were big.
“I thought Jordan Scott played very well, and that’ll be encouraging because he did play hard,” Izzo said after the game. “He’s skinny, he’s not a great athlete. He just plays hard, and I’m really proud of how he played. Hopefully that could be of some help as we move forward.”
Slow Start on Offense
The first cause for concern is the lack of offense at the beginning of the game. While MSU finished with a pretty respectable 80 on the scoreboard, after 10 minutes, the Spartans only had 13 points.
Michigan State had some decent looks at times, but often could not capitalize when it had to run a half-court offense, and Colgate switching a lot between man and zone defense seemed to cause just a bit of confusion.
“I think they [Colgate] did a good job [defensively],” Izzo said. “They played some zone and some man, and they did a good job, and I thought we missed some great shots.
“And again, we missed, like, four or five layups. They didn’t miss any. They hit some tough shots and we’re missing layups in there. We had two jump-hook air balls, and that’s just inexcusable. So, it’ll be a fun couple days [at practice].”
Too Many Missed Free Throws Again
Michigan State left far too many opportunities at the charity stripe. The Spartans ended up missing 13 free throws, finishing with a 24-for-37 mark and a percentage of just 64.9%.
MSU ended up clanking more than twice as many free throws as Colgate attempted, six. If the Spartans shot at their average from the free-throw line last season, 77.9%, it would have resulted in five more points if you round to the nearest full number.
This was a big problem during exhibitions, too. Against Bowling Green and UConn, the Spartans were converting at just a 65.6% clip at the line.
“I think the free-throw [struggles] is just something… it just rattles in and out sometimes,” senior forward Jaxon Kohler said. “It’s all about the reps. The confidence comes from repetition…
“I think there was just a couple free throws today where I shot it and it just kind of rattled in and out.
“If I get down about it, I’m going to miss the shot and be down about it. But if I look forward to the next shot, try to get another one and make it, it’s going to be better.”
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.