Michigan State basketball: Good, great, bad, and ugly from Hillsdale win

Bad: Free throw shooting

You would prefer to come out of an exhibition game against Hillsdale with no mistakes or holes in your game. This was, however, MSU’s first game back so we can give it a break.

After the game, Tom Izzo expressed his disappointment in the Spartans’ free throw shooting.

As a team, Michigan State basketball finished 11-for-20 from the line. Against any Big Ten opponent, going 55 percent from the free throw line will likely end in a loss. If Michigan State is going to get to the line as often as they did, they absolutely must convert. Carson Cooper and AJ Hoggard, two Spartans who should expect to be at the line often, went a combined 2-for-9 from the charity stripe. Attacking the defense and forcing coaches to strategize after opponents are in foul trouble is half the battle, but Hoggard and Cooper need to finish by taking advantage of the free opportunity. Hoggard finished last season shooting 81 percent from the line, up from 60 and 61 percent his first two seasons.

Let’s hope Wednesday was just a fluke.

If there is a silver lining from Michigan State’s poor free throw shooting performance, it’s that Mady Sissoko finished 5-for-5. Oh that, and Steven Izzo got his first regular season points as a Spartan from the free throw line.