Michigan State basketball: 3 quick takes from defensive showcase vs. Minnesota

After six days between games last week, Michigan State basketball got a much shorter break, and they were back in action on Tuesday night. After exorcising some Madison Square Gardens demons on Saturday, the Spartans got to play Minnesota (again). The Gophers were the first team that MSU has played twice this season, following a 90-72 drubbing in Minnesota in December. However, with the Gophers on a tear as of late, boasting ranked wins against Michigan and Oregon, it was not expected to come easy.

Tuesday’s contest screamed “trap game”. In a way, I was right. The Spartans were held to season-low of 73 points at home. In a way, I was so wrong.

Apparently, it screamed “trap game” at Tom Izzo during his preparation for the Gophers, too. After a proclaimed “championship prep”, the Spartans held the Gophers to 51 points, the best Michigan State basketball defensive effort of the season.

1. Turnovers and sloppy play dominated the beginning

The Spartans and Gophers both came out of the gates sluggishly, with both going the first few minutes scoreless. Minnesota had Lu’cye Patterson with two fouls before the game was a minute old. After eight minutes of play, there were 21 combined fouls and turnovers and only 22 combined points. Both teams were sitting at five turnovers by that point in the game. While the Spartans and Tre Holloman heated up to end the first half, the Gophers limped to the finish. They only put up 16 points to seven fouls and 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of basketball.

The Gophers came into Tuesday night averaging 10.4 turnovers per game, too. This was not a sloppy team. On Tuesday, the Spartan defense made them struggle. Three of those 11 turnovers were shot clock violations. The Spartan defense was suffocating. Without a 9-0 Holloman run in the final few minutes of the first, the game and first half would have looked a lot different.

If it had not been for a basket with 1.3 seconds on the clock, Carson Cooper would have had more rebounds (7) at half than the leading Gopher, Dawson Garcia, had points (8) at half.

2. Carson Cooper legacy game

Carson Cooper has been the focal point of a ton of criticism during his first 2.5 seasons on campus. Cooper had his own shot back at the critics on Tuesday. He was a man possessed, grabbing five offensive boards and six defensive, with his 11 total rebounds being both a season-high as well as tying his career-high.

Despite his output on the glass, it looked like the junior was snake bitten in the scoring column to begin the game. After having a good season heading into the night, Cooper missed his first three foul shots of the night. In his defense, his first two shots were from a technical foul, and the lack of bodies around a foul shooter throw some of the best players off their game. He then ended on a 3-for-3 mark from the stripe to recover some of his early season foul shooting. Cooper added in a pair of dunks, including a heads up grab and dunk after a Jaden Akins lob was a bit too high for the high-flying Coen Carr.

Cooper put up nine points and also added a team-high three blocks, also tying his career high. This resulted in the center playing the most minutes of the season today, and playing the most of any big.

Cooper’s effort inspired the team, as Szymon Zapala had four offensive rebounds, Kur Teng had four rebounds in 2:43 of action, and Xavier Booker had three boards in his first 40 seconds in the game. It was a rebound party for the Spartans, as they dominated the boards 40-22 over the Gophers. Cooper deserves the most praise, with his night being the best conference game of his career.

3. Tr3 Holloman scars the hometown team, again

Tre Holloman was electric against the Gophers. In the most dominate two-minute stretch by an Michigan State basketball player wearing No. 5 since Cassius Winston left the hallowed halls of the Breslin Center, Tre Holloman hit back-to-back-to-back threes. Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson said it best post-game, stating that the Minneapolis native always hits the big shots against his team.

When asked if there was motivation playing the hometown team, the co-captain stayed true to form. He was not as concerned about individual accolades. Holloman stated that there was the pressure to win, so that he would not have to head home and hear about it from his friends in the basketball scene about Minnesota beating him.

Holloman stretched the lead to a near-insurmountable 22 with 58 seconds left in the first half, and the Gophers never got within four possessions the rest of the way.

Addressing the elephant in the room, Holloman was held scoreless in the second half, which he was quick to credit Minnesota for post-game. However, his presence was felt. Every eye was on him, which let the guard create space and plays for his teammates.

When Holloman subbed back in following a brief Minnesota run, his first play was a defensive rebound that led to an assist on a transition basket. Even in the second half, the guard did not need to score to scar his hometown team.

Unsurprisingly, Holloman was the “hot hand” that got the most minutes tonight. That said, the team depth is still undefeated. Holloman saw the court for 26:11, which was the most by a fair amount.

There was a pressure to win against the hometown team, and Holloman’s four first-half 3-pointers nearly equaled the entire first half Gopher offense. Talk about domination.

What is next?

The Spartans have a few days to recover before packing their bags for a West Coast swing, facing USC and UCLA in back-to-back games on the upcoming Saturday and Tuesday. When they get back home, they get a few days to re-adjust to the Eastern Time Zone before hosting Oregon next Saturday (Feb. 8). Three games against the newer teams to the Big Ten will be a true test of the Michigan State basketball depth. If the defense is as suffocating as they were on Tuesday night, we are in for a treat.