Michigan State basketball: Tre Holloman made statement vs. Alcorn State

Tre Holloman proved to be a key piece to the Michigan State basketball title puzzle this season vs. Alcorn State.

Tre Holloman had a huge opportunity in front of him. And did he ever take advantage of it. Tyson Walker did not play on Sunday due to an illness, so Holloman got the nod to fill his spot as a first-time starter for Michigan State basketball.

I’m sure most of you, me included, were nervous when we saw this news before the game. Not that I didn’t trust Holloman to play well, but Walker had been carrying this team so far this year. Tre also hadn’t had a breakout game in his two seasons in East Lansing, so we just haven’t seen him make his mark in a significant way yet.

That, however, is not the case anymore.

Tre Holloman stats vs. Alcorn State

Holloman poured in a career-high 17 points shooting 6-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from 3-point range. That 3-point shooting is what this team has been missing most this year, so that was a huge boost for the Spartans. Holloman also added five assists, one rebound, and two steals. He also only had one turnover.

This Michigan State basketball team did not skip a beat with Holloman replacing Walker. That’s something I don’t think anybody expected. Alcorn State is not a good team, so a win on Sunday night was never in doubt. But I didn’t expect the win to be as lopsided as it was. Holloman came in and filled Walker’s role to perfection, and Michigan State looked even better than they had most of this season.

What can Holloman bring to this team?

The emergence of Holloman is exactly what this team needed. Three-point shooting has been horrible so far this year, with Walker being the only reliable one from deep. After Tre’s perfect night from 3-point range, he gives us another option from deep. Having another legitimate threat from deep is huge for the entire team. Every opponent for the rest of the season will have to respect his shooting ability. They will have to guard Holloman tight knowing what he can do from deep. That will open up the rest of the offense from our post-up game to our dribble penetration and cutting lanes.

This game from Holloman also gives Tom Izzo a lot more confidence in our second unit. Holloman will not be taking anyone’s starting spot, but he can be a leader off the bench. He has always had good control of the offense, even as a freshman last year. Now he is turning into a legit scoring option for MSU, something the second unit has been waiting to find for quite some time.

A game like this will make Izzo very happy. A low-drama win from the get-go with a star performance from someone new. Izzo will have no problem with drawing plays up for him and letting him run the show with the second unit now.

This game gives me a lot more hope going forward for the rest of this season. Bring on Arizona.