Michigan State basketball fans are definitely getting sick of how close some of these early season games have been, but nonetheless, MSU was able to leave their game against Samford on Tuesday night with their fourth win of the season and the Spartans are still undefeated at home, albeit with a bit more drama than they probably have wanted.
This is an interesting MSU team, with a lot of new faces and roles, and it’s going to take some time for the coaching staff to sort it all out, but I think we’ve now seen enough from this group where, after this game against Samford, we can start to draw some conclusions.
Below, you can see five takeaways from this win and what it might mean for the season.
Tre Holloman should start at point guard
I am a fan of Jeremy Fears Jr., I think he will be a great player, but after missing last season, it looks like he’s not quite ready for the huge role Tom Izzo is asking of him to run this team right out of the gates. It’s time to let team captain Tre Holloman handle that. Holloman gracefully accepted his role as a backup guard this year, but it’s just undeniable that he is more suited to run point than Fears right now. Fears has had some issues with turnovers, and he’s not a major threat to score himself, which has caused issues for the offense.
I think it’s time to elevate Holloman to the starting unit and let Fears and future running mate Jase Richardson build chemistry off the bench.
Once again, the two-center lineups need to end
I feel like I’m going crazy. Every game Tom Izzo insists on playing these two-center lineups, and every game it leads to MSU going down to opponents they are favored over. It needs to stop. Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, and Szymon Zapala are all centers in the game of modern basketball, and they should never be on the court together. It’s hurting them on both sides of the court and it needs to stop.
Jaden Akins is embracing his role
It looked a little dicey after the Kansas game, but I think Jaden Akins is really starting to blossom in his role as the lead dog of this MSU team. Against Samford, a game where Akins set his career-high in scoring, Akins didn’t just play well, he played aggressive, and with a swagger to his game that the team fed off of. It’s very encouraging to see.
Frankie Fidler has struggled, but is still valuable
Frankie Fidler struggled from the floor again tonight, and some fans are probably frustrated with his shooting so far, but Frankie Fidler still provides a ton of value for this team in an area they have struggled at these last few years: the free throw line.
Fidler finished with 12 points against Samford, seven of those points coming at the line. He drew eight free throws on the night. The next highest total was three, drawn by Jase Richardson, who has also been stellar.
Jase Richardson is an emerging star
Tuesday was another double-digit scoring night for Jase Richardson. Richardson has become one of the Spartans most reliable scorers, and he is looking like a star in the making for MSU. He’s not just a scorer, either. Richardson has been able to run point, shoot the ball, make his own offense, and his defense has been solid too.
Bonus: What is going on with Xavier Booker?
I have no idea what is going on with Xavier Booker and Tom Izzo. Booker was benched going into this game, then came off the bench and provided a major scoring spark for MSU, then he got benched the rest of the game and only played nine minutes. Part of it, I think, are his occasionally lazy fouls on defense, Booker picked up three in just nine minutes, but it is bizarre Izzo didn’t go back to him when he was so effective on offense against a feisty Samford squad.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over Samford
