Michigan State basketball: 3 quick thoughts on blowout win over Washington

For 40 minutes on Thursday night, Michigan State basketball was dominant. Rarely do we see completely dominant performances for a consistent 40 minutes out of the Spartans — or anyone for that matter — but this game was all green and white.

From the start, Michigan State took a commanding 16-1 lead and Washington couldn’t seem to get anything going. The Spartans weren’t exactly making their open shots as they finished 7-for-21 from deep, but they were 25-for-40 inside the arc. Oh, and going 17-for-18 from the line, winning the rebounding battle by 10, and recording 24 assists on 32 made baskets helped.

The Spartans cruised to an 88-54 win in East Lansing, covering the spread and then some on Izzone Alumni night yet again.

Here are my quick thoughts from the win.

1. Jaden Akins can take over when he wants to

Senior Jaden Akins might be one of the most consistent players that I can remember. Through his first three years in East Lansing, “inconsistent” was basically his middle name. As a senior, though, he’s scoring in double figures on a nightly basis and when he really wants to, he can take over a game.

On Thursday, he took just 13 shots and finished with a somehow quiet 20 points which led all scorers. He was 2-for-6 from deep and 8-for-13 from the floor and truly just made it look easy. He made all but one shot from inside the arc. When Akins takes at least 13 shots in a game this year, he’s averaging 17.2 points per game and he’s usually shooting around 50 percent from the floor. He needs to keep that up if this team wants to make a run.

Feed Jaden Akins.

2. Jeremy Fears is looking more comfortable offensively

Through the first two months of the season, Jeremy Fears Jr. was seen as a lockdown defender at the point and an excellent facilitator who could sometimes play out of control. His offensive game left a lot to be desired, though.

That has seemed to change recently.

Fears opened the game with a 3-pointer to put the Spartans up 3-1 in the opening minutes. He missed another three shots from deep, but he looks much more comfortable lining it up and shooting when he’s open. That’s a great sign. He also made 3-of-4 from inside the arc and 3-for-4 from the line. Fears scored 12 points with 10 assists, recording his first-ever double-double and I’d be willing to bet he’ll have a ton more of those in his future.

3. MSU’s depth just wears teams out

Imagine opening a game by taking some massive right-hooks and failing to respond, finding yourself down 16-1 and the opposing team is ready to make substitutions. You’re probably relieved to get a break from the starters that just lit you up, but the opposing team brings in an entire lineup of starting-caliber players to replace the starters.

That’s what Washington — and every team that faces Michigan State basketball — had to face on Thursday night.

The Huskies were down 15 points early and all Tom Izzo did was make substitutions with guys who are just as good — if not better — as the starters. Out go Jaxon Kohler, Szymon Zapala, Tre Holloman, Jeremy Fears, and Jaden Akins and in come Jase Richardson, Coen Carr, Xavier Booker, Frankie Fidler, and Carson Cooper. Not too shabby. That wore Washington down in a hurry and it’s part of the reason they weren’t able to chip away at the big lead.

Michigan State is just wearing teams down with hounding defense and elite depth.