Michigan State Basketball: Report card for Duke loss in Week 2
Offense: B+
Offensively, you have to feel good about how the Spartans responded to being a little flustered by Duke’s 2-3 zone early on. Michigan State was able to break the zone as the game progressed with sharp passes as well as feeding the post with Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr.
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It would have been a much more successful offensive game if Miles Bridges were to attack the zone and earn some trips to the free throw line. He must get into the paint more and stop settling for the outside shots. He’s the most physically-imposing player on the floor at all times and he must take advantage of mismatches.
Michigan State did, however, shoot 50 percent from the floor, which is a refreshing statistic, to go along with 36 percent from 3-point range and just 56 percent from the line. The Spartans’ poor free throw shooting looked to be fixed in the season opener against North Florida, but regressed against Duke.
Turnovers were still an issue, too. Having 17 against the No. 1 team in the country won’t win you the game. The Spartans need to start valuing every single possession.
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This offense can be dominant, especially if Jaren Jackson Jr. can stretch the floor and hit threes like he did on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 from deep. Michigan State scored 81 points with Josh Langford going 3-for-9 from the field and Cassius Winston scoring just three points. Think about that.