Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from win over Southern Utah

EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 9: Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a made basket during the game against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Breslin Center on December 9, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 3: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket against Glynn Watson Jr. #5 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Breslin Center on December 3, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

3. Cassius Winston is becoming one of Izzo’s best sharpshooters

Bryn Forbes, Gary Harris, Chris Hill. What do all of those players have in common? They were all considered some of Tom Izzo’s best sharpshooters. Is it time to add Cassius Winston to the mix?

It might be a little early for the Winston addition to the list of all-time great shooters under Izzo, but the sophomore point guard put in some serious work in the offseason to improve his jumper. That has translated to a heck of a shooting performance in 2017-18.

Against Southern Utah, Winston made 5-of-6 shots from 3-point range, improving his long-range shooting rate to 61 percent on the year. More recently, he has made 14 of his last 19 shots from distance and looks like a specialist from the perimeter.

While Izzo would probably like his point guard to drive more like he did in a dominating effort against Connecticut, he can’t be mad at a 61 percent 3-point shooting rate. Winston is quickly becoming the Big Ten’s best distance shooter and if he keeps this up, he can be mentioned in the same breath as Forbes, Harris and Hill, among others.

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