Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 76-66 win over Minnesota
1. That was dicey. MSU’s lucky it was at home and that it has a closer.
EAST LANSING – That’s what you call a home win — and much tighter than the 76-66 final score. Michigan State likely would have lost that game in Minneapolis. They should be wary of that when they return the trip on Feb. 6. The Gophers were game. Better than I thought. Better than their resume and ratings. A sound team, mentally tough, with shooters and a difficult matchup for MSU in the paint. All without their injured point guard, though that did lead to bigger lineups, which were a problem for the Spartans.
There’s no need for MSU to apologize for winning. The Spartans might have lost this game two months ago. If they’re going to put a run of wins together in Big Ten play, they’re going face some surprising teams, some unfavorable matchups, some nights when the home court is a difference-maker.
MSU also won this game because it’s developed a collective grit and calmness when things get tight (including turning the ball over a season-low five times) — and because it has a closer in Tyson Walker, who scored 10 straight points for the Spartans down the stretch, beginning when the game was 62-62 and until their lead was comfortable, 72-64 with 1:12 remaining.
Walker is the sort of player that gives MSU a chance to do things this season — to survive games against plucky road foes in conference play and to pull away against strong teams in the postseason. The Spartans need him to put his foot on the gas earlier.
MSU is a long way from a sure bet this winter or spring. But the Spartans have some components that some other good teams don’t — sharp teeth developed by the scars of games past, a point guard who can take over a game for stretches and a star guard that can turn it on at just the right moment.
We’ll see where that all leads. Thus far, that’s 11-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten, but better than that really since before Christmas. And Thursday night, it led to a win in a game the Spartans couldn’t afford to lose.
2. If you can forget the Northwestern game, it’s time to trust Malik Hall
I don’t know what happened to Malik Hall at Northwestern 11 days ago. Just an off night, I guess. Because otherwise he’s been consistently somewhere between a presence and a force for the past six games — scoring at least 14 points and grabbing between five and 12 rebounds a game during this stretch. He had 16 and 12 Thursday, along with four assists in 33 minutes, scoring his 1000th career point along the way. He wore down late in the game. You could see it in a couple shots late. But he’s been a critical piece for the Spartans of late.
Defensively, in the paint, he was MSU’s best shot at defending Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia on Thursday. On offense, he made Garcia work and scored over him, around him and through him. Hall’s move in the first half had Garcia leaping away from the play as he laid it in. He set the tone for the Spartans. His offense and vigor is what got them off to such a strong start — a start it turned out they needed.
Like with A.J. Hoggard, it’s taken a while to trust that Hall is going to be an impact player every night. But other than one night, he’s been doing it for a while now.
3. Freshman thoughts – the Minnesota edition
If there’s a player on MSU’s team that’s likely to make significant strides between now and March, it’s Coen Carr. Part of that’s being a freshman, a long way from his ceiling. But also you can see how close he is on even the plays he misses. Like the quick catch in the lane and bounce pass to Carson Cooper under the rim that didn’t quite connect. That he saw the possibility and made the pass, like a one-touch soccer pass, is a sign of how well he’s seeing things.
Carr is already MSU’s best rim-protector. He was whistled for goaltending — a close call — on a first-half block Thursday. But it won’t be long before teams start knowing where he is and thinking twice about attacking the rim when his eyes are on it. Maybe not until next year. But that’ll come.
I still think he could be more of a factor on the glass than he’s been at times — he had one rebound in nine minutes Thursday. He’s had just one rebound five times this season in games he’s played nine or more minutes. But his athleticism impacts the game, almost every time he’s on the court. It’s hard to argue that any of his minutes right now should be going to fellow freshman Xavier Booker, other than for Booker’s own development, which, albeit, is important. In terms of development, Carr’s is far more likely to have an impact on this season. Tom Izzo said afterward that he should have played Carr more, a line he's used several times lately. This time he lamented not playing him more on the wing. We'll see if that happens. I'm pretty sure a few more minutes for Carr isn't going to hurt the Spartans.
Booker seems to have settled into the role of getting a couple early minutes and then, if the game state allows for it, another stretch in the second half, before garbage time. Thursday, the game state didn’t allow for it. Minnesota was game and that was clear from the jump. Booker played just under two minutes in the first half. On offense, he recorded an assist on a cutting baseline dunk by Cooper. On the other end, he gave up an and-one layup at the rim to the Gopher’s Parker Fox. Providing more resistance at the rim defensively is a big part of Booker becoming a plus-player for the Spartans and getting more playing time.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State basketball beats Minnesota: 3 quick takes on MSU's win
