Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's loss to Kansas in the Champions Classic
1. MSU should kick itself for how it lost to Kansas
NEW YORK – Michigan State should be upset with its performance in Tuesday night’s 87-74 loss to Kansas in the Champions Classic, because the ingredients are there for a better showing and outcome.
There have been years when MSU has been overmatched or outclassed at this event. This wasn’t one of them. The Spartans’ roster isn’t quite as seasoned as the Jayhawks. That made a difference. MSU’s freshmen had some freshman-like struggles. But MSU lost this game largely because it turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 16 Kansas points, and missed 7 of 16 free-throw attempts, including multiple front ends of bonus opportunities.
The Spartans’ two point guards, Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard, had three turnovers apiece, with just seven assists total. That ratio won’t do. They’ve got to take care of the Spartans better than they did.
It was a tough first game for Walker, the transfer from Northeastern, who helped MSU settle in early but then wound up in foul trouble and sat most of the first half. He was willing to explain himself emphatically to Tom Izzo. Izzo doesn’t mind give-and-take with his players. I don’t know if he was buying what Walker was selling. It’ll be interesting to watch that relationship.
Hoggard had some fantastic moments, especially in transition, finishing with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. MSU will be fine at point guard — so much better than a year ago — as long as they get the turnovers under control. It killed them on both ends of the court Tuesday.
2. Freshman thoughts — the Champions Classic edition
This wasn’t the debut Max Christie dreamt about. He didn’t shoot it very well, finishing 3-for-10 (2-for-4 from 3), with nine points in a team-high 31 minutes. But you could see it. He’s going to be a player this year. When he got it going for a bit in the first half, it changed the game. But he also looked like a guy realizing this is a new level, where turnovers and misses can swing momentum in ways that you can’t get back. I’m curious to see his next few games and how quickly it comes together for him. A big reason I think MSU has a chance to challenge teams of Kansas’ caliber as the season goes along is Christie. Nothing that happened Tuesday night makes me think differently.
Jaden Akins had a rougher go. He shot it well short several times, like a freshman playing his first game against Kansas at Madison Square Garden. One of his misses led to a fast-break dunk the other way. Same for when he didn’t catch a pass from A.J. Hoggard. You could see the relief on Akins' face when a free throw finally bounced in for him late in the first half, his first point of his career. I like that Izzo let him play through it for a while. Some of it had to do with foul trouble elsewhere. But Akins got 10 minutes in before the break. This game can set a tone early in a season, but otherwise, the result isn’t all that important. The experience is. Akins got his feet wet on a big stage.
MORE: Couch: It's a lot to ask of Max Christie, but for MSU to reach Kansas' level, he can't be a freshman
3. Marcus Bingham actually looks the part at center — that’s no small development
I thought Julius Marble and Mady Sissoko played well Tuesday night. Marble especially looked comfortable out there on both ends. MSU, it appears, has three guys it can count on for minutes at center. Not bad considering all three were a part of last year’s jumble at center. But Marcus Bingham has separated himself — and that’s a significant development.
I was hesitant to entirely believe what I saw from Bingham in the exhibition games. Tuesday was his moment of truth, against Kansas big man David McCormack — a skilled and bruising 6-foot-10 center, an imperfect player but not unlike other top bigs MSU will face this season. Bingham more than held his own. He outplayed McCormick and played most of his minutes against him. If the Kansas big man was in the game, other than for a couple minutes, Bingham was, too.
Bingham, who picked up his first foul with 17:41 left in the first half, did a great job of playing defense without fouling the rest of the half and the game. He bothered McCormack all night, holding him to 3-for-10 shooting (he later scored over Marble) and two rebounds and blocking one of his shots. The bonus for MSU was on the other end, where Bingham looked comfortable in the post with his jump hook and scored once driving the baseline. He finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes — and won a matchup with a legitimate big man. MSU lost this game for a lot of reasons. Bingham wasn’t one of them, even if it would have helped if a couple of his 3-point attempts had rattled home.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball falls to Kansas in the Champions Classic: 3 quick takes
