Deep bench, ‘togetherness’ keeps Michigan State basketball progressing with Samford next

EAST LANSING — It was a surprising scare Michigan State basketball did not expect in a week that almost went disastrously wrong.

Four days after putting up a tough showing last Tuesday in a loss to No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic, the Spartans returned home to another dogfight against Bowling Green on Saturday. They managed to escape with a win — barely.

MSU erased a 12-point first-half hole and needed to come back again in the final 7½ minutes for an 86-72 win over the Falcons, getting key contributions from seven players who scored in double figures to prevent the upset.

“The mantra of our year and our team is togetherness,” said junior Carson Cooper, who had a career-high 12 points.

Michigan State forward Coen Carr (55) celebrates a play against Bowling Green during the second half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.

GRAHAM COUCH: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball’s 86-72 scare against Bowling Green

The Spartans (3-1) need those well-rounded performances Tuesday when they host Samford at 8 p.m. at Breslin Center. Especially with a long journey to the Maui Invitational — and three potentially arduous games against high-major competition — ahead.

And by the time they land in Hawaii before Monday’s game with Colorado, Tom Izzo’s team will have faced a complete spectrum of the top and bottom of college basketball.

“I mean when you run into these small teams, who knows who we will face in Hawaii, three different teams we will play,” Izzo said Saturday night. “At least we have been put in different positions.”

Tuesday’s game will not be televised, streaming on Peacock, NBC’s online-only service.

Samford (4-1) enters on a three-game win streak and is coming off a 97-82 victory Sunday over Texas Southern. The Bulldogs have twice been tested on the road early in the young season, losing by two at Cornell on Nov. 8 and winning by one in overtime at North Alabama on Friday.

Facing MSU will be Samford’s fourth game in a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/deep-bench-togetherness-keeps-michigan-110834111.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-11-19 11:08:00

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