Let this be yet another lesson: there are no easy games in the Big Ten, even if it’s a home game against a team missing two of their top three scorers. Michigan State basketball fans learned that lesson again on Sunday, as the Spartans narrowly escaped a good challenge from Ohio State at home in the Breslin Center, taking down the Buckeyes 66-60.
Below, you can see our top three takeaways from the game.
1. Michigan State struggles against the zone, again
We have seen it almost every game this season. Teams resort to a zone defense to try and slow down Michigan State and force the Spartans to win with their shooting and interior passing. It hasn’t always worked, but it’s definitely been a major thorn in MSU’s side this year as their shooting continues to be up-and-down.
One reason this works, and another sub-takeaway I had from this game, and much of the season, is that it might be time we had a tough conversation about Coen Carr’s role at small forward. Carr has been thrust into that position for a few obvious reasons. For one, Jaxon Kohler has been too good this year to come off the bench. In that same vein, Coen Carr is one of the team’s most talented players. There is also a consideration that, at his size, if Carr wants to go to the NBA someday, he will need to get comfortable playing the small forward position.
The issue is that Carr is not a confident three-point shooter yet, and it causes a lot of issues on the offensive end. It’s a confounding issue for Izzo, and I empathize with the situation, because Carr is one of the five best players on the team and deserves to start, but it makes MSU very vulnerable to zone defense with his lack of shooting.
2. Carson Cooper saves the day
If you told me going into this game that Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Coen Carr would combine for just 25 points, I would have assumed MSU lost the game. Fortunately, they were saved by a career day from Carson Cooper. Cooper scored 20 points while adding 11 rebounds in a heroic effort for the Spartans. Cooper continues to shine this year, and it’s amazing how far he’s come since he first arrived on campus.
3. Jordan Scott’s importance cannot be understated
It’s just beyond crazy to think that, six months ago, there was talk that Jordan Scott might be taking a redshirt this season for Michigan State. Now, he’s not just a starter, but he’s quickly becoming one of the most important players on the team. Not only does Scott get tasked with guarding the other team’s best perimeter scorer, he has become of the better outside threats on the team, and he’s even started to add some playmaking to his game, something this team has sorely needed following the injury to Divine Uguchukwu.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over Ohio State
