Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from pull-away win over Oakland

After a torturous 10-day gap, Michigan State basketball was back on Tuesday. The Spartans traveled to Oakland for their last “road” game of the calendar year. Oakland played host to the Spartans, but this game was held in Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena to accommodate the influx of fans, as per usual during the Golden Grizzlies’ home game against MSU every other year.

With the Spartans having all the momentum (after a 37-point drubbing of Nebraska) erased by the long gap, what did we see from the Spartans on Tuesday? Hint: They played better at the end, but that first half had me sweating bullets in the usually cold part-time hockey arena.

1. Michigan State basketball played like it had not played in 10 days

This was pretty self-explanatory. The Spartans had multiple passes go wide, lazy turnovers, and bad rebounding efforts, leading to a halftime advantage of a single point. Jaxon Kohler played like a man possessed, and Xavier Booker played well. Besides those two, there was not a standout Spartan in the first half. Lapses were plenty, and it was only bad shot selections from both squads that kept the Spartans in the lead. In a rarity, the Spartans failed to record a first-half fast-break bucket.

Evidently, at halftime, the team woke up. The Spartans played with poise and a purpose in the second half. Much like the Nebraska game, this team pushed the lead and put the pesky Oakland Grizzlies away in the second half. A 9-0 run ended the hopes, predominately from seven Booker points.

Tom Izzo said it best post-game, stating that he wishes he could blame it on the Spartans not playing in 10 days, but Oakland had the same excuse. The Spartans will have to avoid a first half like this against their Big Ten slate, or there will be a lot of trouble.

2. Rebounding has to improve

Michigan State basketball has been known for its physicality and ability to rebound, and this season saw the Spartans playing like the “Spartans of old” in that category. In the first half, the “Spartans of old” would be embarrassed. The Spartans let Oakland have three offensive rebounds before the first media timeout, and by halftime, Oakland had corralled nine offensive boards. Thankfully, the Spartans had a “not very fun halftime” as said by Izzo, and the Grizzlies only had six in the second half of the game.

The Spartans did corral eight of their own first-half offensive boards, but it was a dreadful first half on the glass. As said by Oakland head coach Greg Kampe, “At halftime, I thought we (the Grizzlies) should not have been down one. We should have been up three or four points.”

After the Nebraska game, where the Spartans beat down the Cornhuskers on the board, Tuesday was a bit of a disappointment. Ten days off can continue to be an excuse, but Izzo and his crew know better than to hide behind that.

3. Xavier Booker breakout game

Once again, Booker was in double digits. However, Tuesday nearly saw the talented sophomore’s first-ever 20-point game, as he scored early and often. After two first-half triples, Booker followed that up by being all over the court in the second half. As mentioned earlier, he had a 7-0 scoring run against Oakland and also went 4-for-4 on the charity stripe in the second half.

Due to the game being out of hand in the second half, Booker only played eight minutes, but put up an astounding 11 points in his limited action. Booker finished with 18 points but could have easily put up 20-25 if Izzo had elected to run the score up or if, somehow, the point gap closed late.

His four offensive boards were something Izzo made sure to talk about just as much as Booker’s 18 points, as he was crashing the glass and tipping up boards nearly the entire game. While he does not have the same size advantage today that he will in the future, Booker is emerging more and more.

As said by the player himself, a switch flipped for Booker in Maui. It has not, and hopefully will not, flip off.

What’s next?

Michigan State basketball does not have a 10-day gap again, as the Spartans are back in action this weekend. They return home to the Breslin Center and host Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Hopefully, Michigan State athletics can finish the year-long sweep of the Owls after beating them in football this past August.