Michigan State Basketball: Report card for win over Louisiana-Monroe
Michigan State basketball recorded a comfortable, and important, win over UL-Monroe on Wednesday evening. What’s the report card look like?
Through the first half on Wednesday evening, it was clear as to just why Louisiana-Monroe gave Texas a tough battle on the road. The Warhawks are one of the better mid-majors in college basketball and they proved it through 20 minutes, hanging with the No. 11 Spartans.
It didn’t take long for Michigan State to pull away, but that wasn’t until after Nick Ward went down with a non-contact injury to his ankle which has since been deemed a sprain. According to Tom Izzo, he’ll be day-to-day, which is actually great news.
Michigan State found a way to extend their lead to 20 in the second half without Ward, winning 80-59 in East Lansing.
The Spartans had a shaky shooting night, but there were still some positives. Which area of the team graded the highest?
Bench: B+
Four bench players finished with more than 10 minutes played versus ULM: Kyle Ahrens, Xavier Tillman, Aaron Henry and Foster Loyer. Two others — Marcus Bingham Jr. and Thomas Kithier — played 6-7 minutes and they provided depth after Nick Ward’s injury.
Let’s start with Tillman, who played the most minutes off the bench with 18. He finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points with 13 rebounds and had two steals and a block. He made four of his five shots and had one of his best games as a Spartan.
Henry, who played 16 minutes, scored eight points with two rebounds and a block. He’s beginning to look like a solid scoring option off the bench and his defense isn’t too shabby, either.
Having Ahrens back is continuing to prove fruitful for the Spartans as he contributed six points, a rebound and a block in 15 minutes. He was off on his shots, making just 1-of-4, for the first time this season, but still managed to make an impact.
Loyer struggled a bit in 11 minutes, scoring four points with an assists, but his defensive effort wasn’t ideal. It’s obvious he needs to add some weight and strength as the backup point guard.
As for Bingham Jr. and Kithier, they didn’t score and combined for four rebounds, but the former continues to show his upside with two big blocks.