3 Takeaways as Michigan State Basketball Routs Toledo

On Thursday, Michigan State basketball squared off against Toledo in a rematch of last year’s matchup. Tom Izzo was looking to become the second head coach for the Spartans to topple Toledo this year, joining Pat Fitzgerald’s football program, who won 30-20 in September.

It was safe to say that the football game was much closer than the basketball matchup. The Spartans trailed or had a tie game for less than two minutes of game action, lighting up the scoreboard with a 17-0 run after going down 2-0 and never looking back. Ultimately, Tom Izzo’s squad came out with a 91-61 victory.

Here are three takeaways from the contest.

Ugly Game For the Spartans

In spite of a 90-point effort and 30-point win, this was not a pretty game. The Spartans surrendered plenty of good looks to Toledo when on defense, but an ice-cold Toledo team aided MSU.

Meanwhile, the Spartans could only convert 60 percent of their free throws while seeing plenty of their own good looks fail to fall. Offensively, the Spartans were their own worst enemy.

Defensively, Tom Izzo lamented the ball screen defense in the press conference post-game, saying he was let down by the team’s lack of grit and physicality. The Spartans, with quite a few new faces, have not reached the standard of physicality needed to keep their playing time come conference matchups. Their coach was quick to quip that the physicality will be taught into them.

Jeremy Fears Jr. Has Another Level

Fourth-year Spartan Jeremy Fears Jr. had another solid performance on Thursday, turning in 10 points and nine assists in under 26 minutes of game action. It was a solid follow up to his double-double outing to open the season against Quinnipiac.

Based on Tom Izzo’s post-game press conference, though, Fears has not reached the level Izzo wants. The coach was quick to give the Illinois native his flowers for his improvement over the offseason, but mentioned on many occasions that he expects more.

Fears himself believed similar in the locker room post-game. The senior is the leader for this program, and he is the face of the Spartans on the court. Izzo mentioned that the top improvement he is still working on with Fears is his leadership when things are not going his way, such as on Thursday with a 0-for-4 mark from three and an uncharacteristic missed free throw.

When box score watching, the senior is off to an amazing start. However, when faced with the standards that Tom Izzo has and Fears’s own potential, there is much more to be gained to give the team an extra edge.

Two Players Will Decide This Team’s Ceiling

The Spartans know what they have with Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr, the captains of this season’s team. However, two underclassmen will decide how this team is remembered. Jordan Scott and Jasiah Jervis have each worked their way into the starting lineup, with Scott bumping to the starting three after starting at the two last year.

Jervis, a true freshman from Bronx, N.Y., has been the biggest standout through the exhibition matches and the opening two games. The freshman shooting guard is getting mentioned in first-round discussions for the NBA Draft already, and for good reason.

He caught fire from beyond the arc on Thursday, nailing four of his seven shots and adding two free throws and an addition bucket for 16 points. Jervis also added five rebounds. However, what stands out about Jervis is his hustle. He and Scott both make plays that do not show up on the box score, but contribute to elevating their team.

Scott has been known as the do-it-all effort player during his freshman season, and is doing the same in a slightly different role this year. The Virginia-native is the most versatile player on the team, and he contributed a 12-point, nine-rebound night to the Spartans. However, his effort plays that are not always on the stat sheet make him one of the most complete players on the roster.

Scott also added five assists and a steal. He had many good looks that the sophomore either could not get to fall or kicked out for the extra pass and an even better shot. Tom Izzo said post-game that he would have to go “way way way way way back” (I may have missed a few ways) to find a player with a similar effort level to Scott.

With two players that have similar high motors and an ability to contribute at all points, it turns the ceiling for this team even higher.

While Jeremy Fears Jr. is rightly the star for this team, and Coen Carr flies around with dunks, rebounds, and blocks that inspire the team, it is the two underclassmen that have the ceiling that could be sending this team to Detroit for the Final Four.