MSU basketball: Video analysis of the Spartans’ win over Arkansas
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press MSU beat writer Chris Solari break down the Spartans’ win over Arkansas.
EAST LANSING – Between an impressive win and a massive trip to Madison Square Garden ahead, Michigan State basketball hosts San Jose State.
A visit from the other Spartans is sandwiched right between the emotional victory over No. 21 Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 8 and a date with No. 9 Kentucky on Tom Izzo’s schedule on Nov. 18. In other words, trapped between them.
Just don’t call this a trap game, because Izzo is cautiously and trepidatiously avoiding the term.
“Coach wasn’t shy to address it early on Sunday when we came in and met,” senior captain Carson Cooper said after practice Tuesday. “It’s not a problem that we have this game. And I think that addressing it is the first problem-solver. Just to make sure we get ahead of it early and don’t think about it as a trap game and all that.
“So right now, it’s just continue to bring that energy and understand how we felt after that Arkansas game. It’s not the end of the season. We didn’t win a championship because we beat Arkansas. That was just one step on this long road.”
The Spartans (2-0) host San Jose State (0-2) at Breslin Center Thursday (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). MSU is coming off a 69-66 victory over John Calipari and the Razorbacks on Saturday, and they face the Wildcats in the Champions Classic in New York on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., ESPN).
But first, Izzo welcomes back former Nebraska coach Tim Miles in a game on the fifth-year SJSU coach’s former TV network. Miles spent a year in the BTN studio after he was fired in 2019 following seven years with the Cornhuskers, whom he led to a 116-114 record (including a 3-7 mark against Izzo and MSU).
Michigan State has won all three matchups against their fellow Spartans, with Izzo defeating SJSU in his lone meeting, in 2007. Izzo was on Jud Heathcote’s staff when their Spartans won at home against San Jose State in 1987 and 1989.
This week, MSU is still buzzing after riding its defense to a nationally televised thriller against Arkansas. Izzo remains concerned with his team’s early shooting struggles – the Spartans went just 1-for-14 from 3-point range on Saturday and are 7-for-35 through two games. He also knows the magnitude of the top-10 matchup with Kentucky coming up at Madison Square Garden.
“We haven’t done anything. And some of these guys know what it’s like to play in the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16,” Izzo said. “Is it a trap game? Well, of course. You got Arkansas on one side and Kentucky on the other – that’s a trap game no matter what. But at the same time, (SJSU) is well coached and their coach was in the Big Ten, so he knows us pretty well.
“We gotta play better. We didn’t play good enough to win any games on a consistent basis.”
So he ratcheted up his intensity and that of his staff to challenge their players to produce the same type of compete level they showed against the Razorbacks.
“I just tell them that was the second game of the season. We still got 29 more games to go,” junior captain Coen Carr said Tuesday. “You gotta be happy with the win. But at the end of the day, you still got a lot more season left. We’re not trying to be front-runners, we can’t get too high on this one.”
Like most seasons, Izzo has assembled a daunting nonconference schedule to build his team’s skills and rapport to compete for Big Ten and national titles. The reality is mixing the marquee opponents with mid-majors is also a skill he has honed in his 31 seasons as MSU’s coach. And facing SJSU provides a chance for him to actualize the lessons of needing more toughness and scoring he saw lacking against Arkansas he preached during practices since Sunday.
“We don’t try to make a game a trap game,” Carr said. “Every team is good and putting good players out there, so you can’t take no team you face for granted. …
“I feel like it’s another game that we can learn from and get ready for the games to come when we play different styles.”
Chris Solari’s prediction
The home Spartans’ scoring takes an uptick, with Jeremy Fears Jr. and their shooting guards looking for increased production. Izzo’s push to get his players delivering defensively drives that offensive burst, and MSU heads to New York with a chance against Kentucky for a second major win before Thanksgiving. The pick: MSU 88, San Jose State 66.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
