No upset this time as Michigan State basketball stomps Southern Indiana, 74-51

EAST LANSING — It went a bit smoother the second time around for Michigan State basketball.

However, the Spartans still don’t look anywhere close to being the nation’s fourth-best team. At least not two games into the season.

An alarming number of missed 3-pointers were again an issue, and layups on top of them. Discombobulation in offensive sets. Late close-outs on defense. Frustration from Tom Izzo with his point guards.

Not exactly the resounding response Izzo wanted to see from his team after a shocking upset in the season opener. But there was recovery, relief and an easy 74-51 victory nonetheless Thursday night at Breslin Center.

There were also some things for the Hall of Fame coach to consider as he tries to figure out playing time moving forward.

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Four Spartans scored in double figures, led by 14 points from Tyson Walker, 13 from Jaden Akins, 12 from Malik Hall and 11 from Mady Sissoko, who also had a team-high 10 rebounds.

Izzo did not change his starting group but said after the win that his substitutional pattern — no one played more than the 23 minutes that Walker and Akins did, and the reserves all played at least 16 minutes apiece — was intentional. And the results somewhat were predictable.

"We're gonna expect some bumps on the road, especially in games like this," Izzo said, adding later, "It's gonna take a little time to get these guys — I look at it like I have five veterans and five rookies, really. … The stronger, tougher guys are gonna play more. But it's gonna take some time."

MSU (1-1) lost its opener to James Madison on Monday, 79-76 in overtime. It was Izzo’s first November home loss, the Spartans’ first home-opening defeat since Breslin Center opened in 1989 and the program’s first since 1976 (at Jenison Fieldhouse).

Against the Dukes, MSU went 1-for-20 from 3-point range. Three days later against the Screaming Eagles (0-2), the Spartans missed their first eight from deep and finished 1-for-11 from behind the arc. Walker hit the only 3-pointer with 5:22 to play. They also dominated USI in the paint, 38-14, and turned 15 turnovers into 20 points.

“Who's having a party? We made a 3,” Izzo joked. “I'm sure you're gonna ask me, so I'm gonna ask: Are you concerned about 3-point shooting? And I'm gonna tell you I'm not, because we did it all summer and all fall, we've shot the ball really well. They didn't go in.

"On the other side of the coin, it was great to get to the free throw line a lot and make a lot of free throws. The other positive is our defense was very good early, but we had a few lapses in the second half."

The challenge grows exponentially from here for MSU, which prepares for Tuesday’s showdown against No. 3 Duke in the Champions Classic. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at United Center in Chicago (ESPN).

Jordan Tillmon had 10 points for for Southern Indiana (0-2), which dropped its opener Monday at Saint Louis, 75-63. USI shot just 31.7% overall and went 8-for-27 from deep..

Concerning stretch

Despite some early issues with ball control and outside shooting, the Spartans built a comfortable 23-point halftime lead, then extended it to 27 on A.J. Hoggard’s driving layup and a pair of Hall free throws to open the second half.

But that starting group struggled defensively as USI started to heat up. Izzo tried to call a timeout after Hall was late on a 3-point closeout on Jack Mielke, but MSU’s offense pushed it and missed another shot. Mielke hit another 3-pointer over Hall on the return trip, and Izzo lit into his senior forward during the timeout that followed.

USI then went to work inside, with a pair of Nolan Causwell buckets in the paint over Sissoko. All of a sudden, the Screaming Eagles sliced their deficit to 43-28 a little over four minutes into the second half with a 12-0 run.

"Disappointed," Izzo said of that stretch.

But Izzo found some energy with a Walker-Tre Holloman-Jerermy Fears Jr.-Xavier Booker-Carson Cooper lineup after a media timeout with 15:04 to play. Booker, a freshman, took a pass from the sophomore Holloman for a dunk, then hit a hook shot to spark a 12-3 run, and the Spartans were not threatened from there.

MSU finished with a 37-35 rebounding advantage after getting outboarded by JMU, 51-48. Akins had seven rebounds after getting 11 in the opener.

The Spartans did improve at the line after struggling Monday, finishing 23-for-28 against USI.

Defense rises

The Spartans stifled USI in the first half. The Screaming Eagles went just 4-for-27 overall, including 3-for-12 from 3-point range.

Alhough both teams played sloppy for the first 10 minutes, MSU forced eight of USI’s nine first-half turnovers in a 7-plus-minute stretch that coincided with a 16-0 pull-away run. That included three Akins steals and four of his six first-half points, and the junior guard also was one of four Spartans with four rebounds before the break.

MSU closed the half with another 6-0 run, and both Hall and Sissoko had eight points and four points while taking a 37-14 lead into half. The Spartans had a 20-0 scoring edge in the paint at the break.

"We knew coming off a loss to James Madision, these guys would come out with a different mentality … and we tried to help our guys understand how these guys would come out tonight," USI coach Stan Gouard said. "They jumped on us pretty quick. It took us a while to figure out how to score."

Still, there remained carryover issues for the Spartans from Monday.

MSU missed all five of its 3-point attempts before halftime, a continuation of its problems against James Madison. USI had five offensive rebounds and three second-chance points. And Hoggard remained largely nonexistent, going 1-for-4 with two assists and two turnovers in 10:52 of court time as Izzo divvied up his guards' minutes relatively equally in the opening half.

Hoggard drew Izzo’s ire late in the half when he pulled up for a 3-pointer (and missed) with the shot clock off and the Spartans wanting a single shot. They didn’t score on that final possession even after an offensive rebound.

The senior point guard finished 2-for-7 for four points with four assists and three turnovers. Hoggard did not take a free throw or grab a rebound in his 21 minutes.

"A.J. really has gotta man up. ... I think he's got to do more," Izzo said.

Izzo also got after Fears earlier in the half for missing a closeout attempt on a USI 3-pointer and then failing to grab a loose-ball rebound before it went out of bounds to the Screaming Eagles. That lead to a Screaming Izzo pulling his freshman and following him down the sideline along the bench giving his young point guard a lesson.

Fears finished 1-for-4 with five assists, two rebounds and no turnovers in 18 minutes.

"He does have leadership skills," Izzo said. "He's gotta continue to use them. ... He is tough enough, and he is vocal enough. I think he came here to push the ball, and we want him to push the ball. He has got to push the ball."

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball stomps Southern Indiana, 74-51, for 1st win