The good news? Michigan State basketball goes to Maui tested. But big questions remain

1. MSU will arrive in Maui tested — by Samford and Bowling Green as much as anyone

EAST LANSING – As Michigan State’s basketball team tried to survive the final minute against Samford on Tuesday night, none of it really mattered in that moment. The season — aka freshman Jase Richardson — was on the bench, having his left ankle wrapped with ice after landing awkwardly on the baseline.

Seconds later, senior Jaden Akins joined him, having fouled out.

The Spartans will be glad to be done with the Bowling Green-Samford stretch of their schedule. Happy to see Colorado and maybe UConn and North Carolina, Auburn or Iowa State next week in Maui. Well, happy to see Maui, at least.

These last two home games have been a stress test that might serve Michigan State’s basketball team well in the long run — challenging styles and matchups, well-coached teams that believed they had a chance to beat the Spartans. Worth it if Richardson is OK. Better than pounding some bottom-feeder and getting nothing but a win out of it, I guess. We’ll find out for sure when MSU puts together next year’s non-conference schedule.

Michigan State guard Jase Richardson (11) pulls down a rebound against Samford, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in East Lansing.

The Spartans did get something out Tuesday night’s 83-75 win over Samford: They were again forced to deal with tangible in-game adversity, this time including an opponent’s pressure defense that made life uncomfortable and sometimes chaotic. They were forced to deal with their own outside shooting demons and conquer them. Akins, whose shooting struggles have been a big part of that, had to figure it out. He did — scoring 25 points in the game’s final 26 minutes, hitting 10 of 15 shots after missing his first three shots, all 3s. He made 3 of 4 from beyond the arc the rest of the way, before fouling out in the final minute.

Richardson was efficient again, with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting. They’ll need him next week to do much of anything at…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/good-news-michigan-state-basketball-111022249.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-11-20 11:10:00

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