Michigan State Basketball: Report card for win over Southern Utah

Starters: B+

Is there a game in which the Spartans’ starters can be considered ‘disappointing’? Probably not since each time out, when one player struggles, the rest of the group picks him up.

On Saturday, that was Josh Langford as he was the only one to finish with less than 10 points, scoring seven. He did only attempt seven shots, making three of them, to go along with three assists, but the starters received a B+ as opposed to an A because they got off to a slow start and let the Thunderbirds hang around too long.

Miles Bridges had yet another strong game, though, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks. It’s clear he has his mojo back and his confidence continues to grow with each outing. He scored 17 even though he made just 1-of-3 long-range shots.

Nick Ward seemed to put his frustrations behind him, scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots. He played 21 minutes and was 6-for-10 from the floor.

Jaren Jackson Jr. had an incredible game, making 11-of-12 free throws which is a good sign for the Spartans as he’s going to get fouled a ton in the post as a serious mismatch for opponents. He also had 17 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks to follow up his eight blocks from the Rutgers game.

Lastly, Cassius Winston continued his hot shooting, making 5-of-6 shots from 3-point range and finishing with 15 points to go along with five assists, three rebounds and just a single turnover.