Michigan State basketball: Notable performances from win over Valencia All-Stars

Michigan State basketball picked up a dominant win over Valencia on Sunday, putting together a complete performance.

Michigan State basketball followed up its victory over Madrid with a convincing beatdown of Valencia on Sunday. They prevailed 105-59, and the game was never in doubt from early on.

As with two days ago, I will dive into some of the notable performances, good and bad, from the box score.

Before I do, thank you to X user Gerard Solé for capturing a more accurate box score where I failed to do so. 

Let me help you. And thanks for all your support 😉 pic.twitter.com/t8x193gDGK

— Gerard Solé (@gsole14) August 18, 2024

Coen Carr has efficient day above the rim

Carr may be harder to keep track of due to his new haircut, but it won’t take long for him to jump off the screen with his freakish athleticism. He led all scorers with 20 points on a very efficient 10-for-11 shooting day. Carr missed one dunk but hammered in nine others, each more dazzling than the last. He was the beneficiary of slick passes from Jeremy Fears, Tre Holloman, and Jaden Akins alike. Michigan State thrives best in transition, and they did that in spades against Valencia. If the Spartans want Carr at his best, they need to continue playing him at power forward.

Jaxon Kohler with back-to-back double-digit games

If we continue to get games from Jaxon Kohler scoring in the low teens this season, I think Spartan fans will be quite pleased. Kohler had an injury-riddled sophomore year, limiting his usage. Everyone has been waiting to see him finally flex his full offensive arsenal. He hit two shots from deep on Sunday and looked very comfortable doing so. 

Freshman guards shine

It remains to be seen how much run they will get when the regular season is in full swing. But it is hard not to be excited about what we saw from both Jase Richardson and Kur Teng today. Both freshman continued to ooze confidence early and often. Richardson, who got the start today, had 9 points on 4 of 8 shooting, along 6 assists and 2 steals. Teng also had 9 on 3 of 7 shooting, including 2 of 3 from deep. It’s clear the effort is there for both of them. They have to push through some typical freshman lapses.

Active hands all around

Michigan State basketball fans voiced their fair concerns about the defense of this young squad. They looked more dialed in today, holding Valencia to just 59 points including a seven-point third quarter. However, the stat that jumped off the page to me was 20 steals. In addition to this, they had several other tipped passes out of bounds. I hope to see the Spartans continue to dial up the pressure in their remaining game against Barcelona.

Continued crashing the boards

The Spartans had 17 offensive rebounds against Madrid and followed that up with 22 today. This is a welcome sight, as the last few years have lost Tom Izzo’s key identity on the glass. Szymon Zapala led the way with six offensive rebounds, much improved from his first outing. Kohler, Kur Teng, Jase Richardson, and Carr also got in on the action showing that it’s not just one player getting after the ball.

Projected starters were limited

Xavier Booker had a quiet afternoon with five points on 2-of-6 shooting. He did not start and played a limited amount of time on the floor. My guess is the staff wanted other role players to get the most out of their trip abroad. Similarly, we had a quiet day from Fears who scored just four points with six assists and five turnovers.

Summary

MSU played considerably more dominant on Sunday despite five of the same players from Madrid on this team as well. They look to finish out their trip to Spain 3-0 with a trip to Barcelona on Tuesday, Aug. 20. As the last two, Michigan State basketball’s Instagram account will stream the game live.