Michigan State basketball: 3 takeaways from ugly win over Western Michigan

Have you ever watched a game and just felt like a team looked like it had an extended holiday break? That’s exactly what Michigan State basketball looked like on Monday afternoon in East Lansing against a bad Western Michigan team.

And Michigan State was still able to hold on for an 80-62 win.

What did we learn from this 18-point victory over Dwayne Stephens and 3-9 Western Michigan?

1. Xavier Booker was not locked in

It feels like we haven’t said this since before the North Carolina game, but Xavier Booker did not look like he wanted to be out there against Western Michigan. Was it because his shot wasn’t falling and frustration was setting in? Maybe, but there’s no excuse for how he played.

You know it’s bad when you’re getting chewed out by a freshman (Jase Richardson) for a sloppy turnover.

Booker finished with two points, two rebounds, and a block on 1-for-4 shooting and that’s just not going to cut it against better teams. Hopefully this is out of his system before Michigan State takes on Ohio State to resume Big Ten play on Jan. 3.

2. Coen Carr might just have a jumper

While he didn’t have a typical high-rising performance against Western, Coen Carr had some highlights still. One was a block near the end of the game that led to a fast break for the Spartans and the other was a 3-pointed which was nothing but net for the second game in a row.

Oh, and he was 6-for-6 from the free throw line and made his only jumper attempt.

If he can start making threes, watch out.

3. The Spartans were rusty

Honestly, this was one of the rustiest performances that Michigan State basketball has had in years. This may have been the worst game the Spartans have played this season and they still won by 18.

They were out-hustled, sloppy, and the offense just looked clunky.

Michigan State needed to get this ugly performance out of its system before Big Ten play resumes after the new year and we won’t know if that’s the case until Jan. 3 when the Spartans face Ohio State on the road.

Good thing this was Western Michigan and not anyone else.