3 Winners from Michigan State Basketball Opening Win Over Quinnipiac

Michigan State basketball may have been up 30 points over Quinnipiac University, but Tom Izzo was not happy. The Spartans would not be slacking off on their standards in a 96-59 route by the No. 6 program in college basketball.

“The expectations for some of my players are higher now.  Okay is not enough, good is not enough.  We have to be elite,” Tom Izzo said.

Izzo started off quick on the sideline, pulling center Anton Bonke out of the game early after an erred three-point attempt. The head coach let the 7-foot-2 big man know about the error for attempting that shot with the pull. After a whopping 30 seconds however, Bonke went right back into the game and freshman big-man Ethan Taylor sat back down.

Of course, with a 37-point victory and a firm cover of the original 30.5-point spread, there were some bright qualities that shined brightly on Monday night for the green and white, and with as many negatives that Izzo and his staff will point out in the next film session, it might be a good idea to talk about some of the positives that clearly took place against the Bobcats to lead MSU to a 37-point victory.

Here are three Spartans that were impressive against Quinnipiac.

Jordan Scott

There is still plenty of time for MSU fans and alumni alike to actually understand how much firepower this season’s team has. The Spartans do have a wide range of talent and versatility, but mainly the turning point that can allow State to win future games without flat out beating their opponents is the green and white’s surprising hustle and intensity.

Scott has been the main catalyst in that category over the past year.  As a freshman early on, Scott was not seen much on the box score, but rather for his ferocious plays diving and scrambling for loose balls on the court. Those plays themselves earned the Spartans plenty of possessions that Izzo’s squad would not have had otherwise. As a result, the then-freshman entered the starting lineup, and has not been pulled since.

Now in his first game as a sophomore, Scott appeared once more as a clear threat on the stat sheet. Scott finished the game with 11 total points, three assists, six rebounds and two blocks and two steals separate of each other.

Realistically it is the type of game that might not get you noticed to the naked eye, but definitely plays a huge factor in the overall outcome as the night progresses.

Jordan Scott has improved not only in the off-season, but his entire career up to this point. In fact, he could be in the conversation of the best two players on this Spartan basketball team as the season progresses.

Carlos Medlock Jr.

Jasiah Jervis has been the common name going around the Spartan fanbase like wildfire so far, and rightfully so.  Izzo stated in his postgame press conference that Jervis was one of the best two shooters on the entire team.

If anybody watched the game and was wondering which freshman made the greatest impact however, that answer would clearly have to go to Carlos Medlock Jr.

Last season, the green and white had two main roster issues that kept them away from that “Championship Favorite” tier.  Shooting, and a fellow ball-handler behind Fears Jr. to give the star a quick breather on the bench.

This year, Izzo and his team fixed that problem easily. Medlock looked poised and like a veteran in the season opener. Of course, there are still some things not to like from the freshman guard in his first real collegiate game such as being too handsy on defense and not being able to lead an offense on day one, but besides the All-American expectations that bleed onto him being the backup of one of the best guards in all of America, Medlock played with an incredible rate of intensity tonight.

The freshman guard finished with a stat sheet that was sorely needed after the struggles for backup point guards in 2025. The Canton native finished with nine total points and four assists.  It was also clear and evident that Medlock is taking a ton of inspiration in his game from the All-American sitting in front of him.

There was a clear, Fears-esque drawn foul play at the end of the first half, as well as around four lobs to a variety of players.

Overall Medlock Jr. is growing into a role. There are still moments that show why it is Jeremy Fears Jr.’s team, but he is making progress and learning from the Spartan star ahead of him.

Kaleb Glenn

As stated before, one of the biggest issues with MSU last season was their shooting percentage. It was the main reason for the Spartan loss to UConn in the NCAA tournament. A big name that was on the roster and should have been able to contribute was Kaleb Glenn.

Glenn transferred to MSU from FAU (via Louisville) where he shot 43 percent from the three-point section of the court.  After the Spartans lost two of their top three deep-range shooters in the off-season, Jaxon Kohler and Divine Ugochukwu, in the portal, getting Glenn back from his season-ending injury was going to be a big-time boost to the Spartans shooting woes from last-years season.

In the season-opener, Glenn showed his rusty play with some unfortunate defensives possessions, but all in all, the former Owl walked off the court tied for the third-most points on the entire team with 11. Glenn also added two rebounds and two forced turnovers to his stat sheet by the end of the night. It was a much needed night for the fourth-year player after a slow start in the first three exhibitions.

Glenn will be a major factor off the bench moving forward for Michigan State basketball if he can clean up some of his bad defensive possessions, and stay consistent.  Something to remember is that tonight was the first game of the season, and there are plenty of games as the Spartans move forward.