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Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from victory over No. 5 Notre Dame

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 30: Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against Temple Gibbs JR. #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Breslin Center on November 30, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 30: Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against Temple Gibbs JR. #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Breslin Center on November 30, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball hosted No. 5 Notre Dame in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and came away with a big win. What did we learn?

The Spartans jumped on Notre Dame early and didn’t let up, finishing Thursday night’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup with an 18-point victory. Michigan State was just too much for the No. 5 Fighting Irish to handle as they weren’t prepared for what the Spartans threw at them.

Michigan State came out swinging and Notre Dame didn’t respond until the second half, but it was too little too late. The Spartans held on for a big win even after the Irish cut the lead to single-digits.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 6-1 on the season and record their second straight win over a top-10 opponent from the ACC. They  were fresh off a PK80 title victory over No. 9 North Carolina on Sunday and will look to take down Nebraska in the Big Ten opener Sunday.

What did we learn from the Spartans’ 81-63 victory over Notre Dame on Thursday?

5. Jaren Jackson Jr. doesn’t need big minutes to have impact

Despite playing just 14 minutes, Jaren Jackson Jr. arguably played his best defensive game of the year. How can someone have such a large impact in just 14 minutes? Just ask Jackson Jr. as he came in, made Bonzie Colson’s life miserable and picked up some questionable fouls before finding himself on the bench.

Fouls have been a growing concern for Jackson Jr. this season and it’s something that’s almost out of his control as he will never get the benefit of the doubt seeing as he’s bigger than everyone else on the floor at all times.

Still, he played incredible defense and blocked three shots in the first half, adding five points and three rebounds throughout the game, and the stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story. He blocked three shots and altered probably a half-dozen others in his 14 minutes.

Moral of the story: Jackson Jr. doesn’t need to play 30 minutes to have a major impact. This kid needs to be on the floor more, but he is dominant when he is.

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