Michigan State basketball: Good, great, bad, ugly from opening win over Monmouth

Tom Izzo has said he is rejuvenated this season in his quest for a second championship, and that started on Monday night against Monmouth. The Hawks were actually 3-0 against Big Ten opponents, but Michigan State basketball took care of business to start its 2024 campaign.

Here’s our first good, great, bad, and ugly from their 24-point win, that was, at times in the second half, only single-digits. 

Good: Jeremy Fears, Floor General

There were some questions about whether Tre Holloman was ready to take over as starting point guard for the Spartans this year. I personally always saw the junior as an off-ball, sharp shooting wing. Which would leave MSU with an open point guard spot. Jeremy Fears has taken that opening in stride, and is commanding the floor. 

His stats didn’t quite show that scoring-wise, only finishing with three on the night, but he had eight assists, even with almost every Spartan missing all their threes, and very much looked the part of a confident point guard getting his players involved.

If he can continue to develop his offensive game, the Big Ten better watch out. 

Great: Michigan State-style rebounding

Similar to the 3-point shooting, spoiler-alert for later on, rebounding has been somewhat an issue for the Spartans in recent years. For the last 20 years, Michigan State basketball has hung its hat on being tough, physical, and out-rebounding anyone. They did that against Monmouth on Monday night, winning the rebounding battle 48-31. Offensively, Michigan State was essentially even with the Hawks, 13-11. But on the defensive end, MSU crushed them, 33-20. They did a great job limiting Monmouth’s offensive opportunities, which somewhat came in handy as they mounted a small comeback in the second half. Jaden Akins actually led the way for MSU with nine (!) rebounds. I’m not sure if that says more about Akins or our other bigs.

Michigan State is obviously a bigger, better team than Monmouth. They should win the rebounding effort against a team in the CAA, no offense to them. But it’s a good sign of things to come, as the Spartans will need to limit their opponents to just one shot per possession this season.

Bad: Xavier Booker’s offensive production

As always, I try to stay away from calling out one player’s performance in our good, great, bad, ugly articles. Sometimes guys just have off nights. With that being said, Xavier Booker’s offensive production was less than good on Monday night. After getting the start, Booker ended the night shooting just 2-for-10 from the field, and 0-for-4 from three. In 19 minutes, he had just four points, two rebounds, and two turnovers on the offensive end. 

Since stepping onto campus, Booker has been Michigan State’s X-factor. We’ve seen him light it up and be the true unicorn he is, but unfortunately, we’ve seen this type of performance even more. If the Spartans are to make any noise in the Big Ten this year, Booker will need to get this figured out. 

Ugly: 3-point shooting

What has now been a recurring theme in Tom Izzo-led teams, the Spartans’ 3-point shooting was a disaster on Monday night. Of the eight players who attempted a three against the Hawks, only three connected, none more than once. Michigan State basketball finished 3-for-18 (16.7%) from deep and, at times, almost gave Monmouth a way back into the game. Akins and Booker both didn’t let the cold performance deter them, attempting four each, but with the overall lack of scoring this team has, their 3-point shooting has to be not just average, but elite.