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Michigan State Basketball: Report card for 87-74 road win over Illinois

By Connor Muldowney

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Miles Bridges #22 talks with Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Miles Bridges #22 talks with Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 22: Gavin Schilling #34 of the Michigan State Spartans reaches for the rebound against Da’Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 22: Gavin Schilling #34 of the Michigan State Spartans reaches for the rebound against Da’Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Bench

Michigan State’s bench didn’t have the best game, but that doesn’t mean contributions weren’t made. The Spartans have depth, but didn’t exactly need these role players to shine on Monday night in the win.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 reasons not to panic after Michigan loss

How’d the bench fare against Illinois?

Tum Tum Nairn: C

If Cassius Winston needs to play under control, Tum Tum Nairn needs to slow things down even more. There are times to push the ball, but when you’re pushing it up the floor without numbers and you don’t have much of an offensive game, that’s when turnovers happen. He had four points, five assists and four turnovers. Sloppy game from the senior leader.

Kenny Goins: B

Kenny Goins constantly comes in and delivers quality minutes. I’ve been one of his harshest critics this season, but he looked to be a solid role player against Illinois. He finished with four points, three rebounds, two assists and a block and played an all-around complete game in 17 minutes.

Matt McQuaid: C-

Matt McQuaid probably wishes he had Monday night back. He had a rough outing, finishing with three points, all on free throws resulting from a foul on a 3-point attempt, and three turnovers. He had a steal and a rebound as well, but he played far too timid, passing up open shots and making lazy entry passes into the post.

Xavier Tillman: C+

It’s tough to judge players on 10 minutes or less of action, but Xavier Tillman did have an impact. He did finish with just one point, a turnover and two fouls in 10 minutes while filling in for Nick Ward and an injured Jaren Jackson Jr., but he also had a nice steal and two rebounds.

Gavin Schilling: B

You can’t really say anything bad about Gavin Schilling’s performance in just nine minutes on Monday, so he gets a B. He finished with two points and had two huge offensive rebounds in the second half to help put the game away — he finished with four total.

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