Three Takeaways following Michigan State basketball blowout over Toledo

Michigan State basketball was back after a scare against Penn State on Saturday, and it was clear that the Spartans had a fire lit under them before Tuesday’s game. The Spartans took on the Toledo Rockets, and the Spartans never left a doubt. Michigan State basketball laid waste to the Rockets in the first half, and wound up easily winning 92-69.

What can you take away from one of the final non-conference games of the season?

1. It Was a Tale of Two Halves

While this was not a game described as “fat and sassy” by head coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans had a clear difference in halves. In a remarkably similar repeat of the early season matchup with San Jose State, MSU cruised in the first half, but were asleep at the wheel in the second.

The Spartans went long stretches with scoring droughts, and needed a pair of last-minute three’s by Colin and Brennan Walton to even hit the 30-point mark in the half. Toledo was relentlessly punching the ball free from the Spartans, and capitalizing on any mistakes. It was never a close game, but it was not a game that Tom Izzo or the locker room felt good about afterwards, either.

2. Turnovers Must Be Improved

One of the two bad traits that seem to follow a traditional Tom Izzo team is the near-certainty of double digit turnovers in a game, along with bad free throw shooting. Tuesday, the former reared its head. Toledo was all over Spartan passing lanes, taking lazy passes as their own, and then relentlessly ripping the ball away from the Spartan bigs.

The Spartans had a trio of players finish with three-or-more turnovers, including Coen Carr with four, which was equal to the number of turnovers Toledo had in the whole game. It felt like every Spartan that touched the court was liable for a bad pass or loose ball handling.

On a Tuesday night in December, that does not matter as much when you play a MAC school. Fast forward a month, and that spells doom for the Spartans. The seniors and captains know this, too.

3. What Battle of the Boards?

Heading into this game, there was a clear size and physicality matchup. However, no one expected the matchup to be to the tune of a 30 rebound difference. That amount was sheer insanity. At one point, Jaxon Kohler, by himself, was both outscoring and outrebounding Toledo after the first eight minutes of the first half.

Kohler had a monstrous first half, one that Tom Izzo claimed was only a few layups away from the best first half in Spartan history. Kohler finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds on the night, and he was not the only one dominating on the glass.

Jesse McCulloch had the most complete game of his young career, Cam Ward added his own sets of rebounds, and Carson Cooper nearly recorded his second double-double in three games. The Spartans owned the glass, and that helped lead to a 23-point victory.

What is next for Michigan State basketball?

The Spartans have a few days off before heading down to Detroit and Little Caesar’s Arena, where they play Oakland at noon EST on Saturday.