Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from overtime loss to Louisville

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EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 18: Hunter Vick #20 of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles drives to the basket while being defended by Kyle Ahrens #0 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half at Breslin Center on November 18, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

4. Kyle Ahrens becoming key piece to Spartans’ puzzle

I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t expecting much out of Kyle Ahrens this season, but the junior wing has been much more than anyone could have hoped, especially on Tuesday night against the Cardinals.

Not only did the athletic wing fill in nicely for an injured Matt McQuaid, but he showed that he deserves more minutes and he’s an important piece to the puzzle for the Spartans.

Coming off the bench will likely continue to be his path, but Ahrens has earned a larger role after scoring 15 points and grabbing three rebounds with a steal on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He was clutch and he made big plays down the stretch, including moves to the basket which led to easy dunks.

Michigan State could use more scoring options, especially off the bench, and Ahrens is the kind of player who can come in, play 15-20 minutes and average 8-10 points.

Ahrens will see his role increase after this one and it should make Tom Izzo think twice about future starting lineups.

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