Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over DePaul in PK80

Michigan State football will get a chance to take on Connecticut in the PK80 after a win over DePaul. What’d we learn from the tourney-opening win?

If you were able to stay awake last night after consuming all the turkey and pumpkin pie your heart desired, you were able to watch Michigan State play essentially two completely different halves of basketball.

Early on, the Spartans looked sluggish and tired as if the three-hour time change was messing with their internal clocks. However, they came out in the second half and put on a show, running away with a 73-51 victory over DePaul in the first round of the PK80.

Michigan State will play Connecticut at 12 a.m. ET (also know as midnight for you night owls) for a chance to reach the championship game against either North Carolina or Arkansas. There’s some things that need to be cleaned up before then, though.

What did we learn from Michigan State’s Thanksgiving night win over DePaul?

5. Conner George could have a larger role moving forward

There are some players that often fly under the radar on every basketball team and this year’s Spartans may have another kid who has done just that. Last year it was Kenny Goins and before that it was Colby Wollenman. Now we’re looking at former walk-on Conner George, a sophomore from nearby Okemos.

George wasn’t expecting much of a role this season with stars such as Miles Bridges, Josh Langford and Cassius Winston occupying the guard and wing positions and role players ahead of him such as Matt McQuaid and Kyle Ahrens.

However, he moved up in the rotation with injuries to Bridges and Ahrens and played 16 minutes on Thursday night — his first extended action as a Spartan.

How’d he do? He had a breakout game with seven rebounds, five of them offensive, to go along with a nifty layup for his only basket. He was a spark off the bench and may have just earned himself a larger role moving forward.