Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s dicey win over Bowling Green

Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo, right, talks with Jeremy Fears Jr. during the first half against Bowling Green on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, Breslin Center in East Lansing.

The box score will make it seem like a comfortable win, but there was nothing easy about Michigan State basketball’s win over Bowling Green on Saturday night. The Falcons came into the Breslin Center and gave MSU a great challenge, controlling much of the game before the Spartans were finally able to break through and win 86 to 72.

Despite a double-digit win, this isn’t going to be a game that MSU fans will walk away from feeling good about. However, I think we learned plenty from this game, some good and some bad. Below, I put together my initial thoughts on the win.

The two center lineups need to end

Michigan State’s Szymon Zapala, right, and Bowling Green’s Youssef Khayat battle for a rebound during the first half on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Multiple times this year already we have seen Tom Izzo use lineups that included both Carson Cooper and Szymon Zapala on the court at the same time. It’s no coincidence that MSU seems to always struggle during those stretches. We have also seen plenty of use of Jaxon Kohler at the four paired with Zapala or Cooper, and we also see struggles there. The game of basketball has moved away from lineups that feature two centers, but Tom Izzo, who is extremely stubborn and also prioritizes rebounding, continues to use them.

This game should end that experiment. It has not worked this year and it’s pretty clear that what this team needs is more offense more than anything.

Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr’s best positions

Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, left, shoots as Bowling Green’s Marcus Johnson defends during the first half on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, Breslin Center in East Lansing.

The best stretch we saw from MSU on Saturday included a lineup with Jaxon Kohler at center and Coen Carr at power forward.

These are exactly the positions they should…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-takeaways-michigan-state-basketballs-014430992.html

Author : Spartans Wire

Publish date : 2024-11-17 01:44:00

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