Michigan State Basketball: Report card for monster road win at Ohio State

It wasn’t easy, but Michigan State basketball hit the road and recorded a big win over Ohio State. How did the Spartans grade out?

No road win in the Big Ten is easy these days, especially at Ohio State, but the Spartans made their doubters look silly with a nine-point win over the Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus, 86-77.

Scoring 86 points on the road is one thing, but it’s another to do it against a defensive-minded team that is ranked No. 14 in the conference and that hadn’t lost a game in Big Ten play to that point.

Michigan State won, improving to 13-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. Tom Izzo has to feel good about the direction his team is headed in, especially entering a tough stretch which will see the Spartans face Purdue, Nebraska, Penn State and Maryland. Things won’t get easier after that, but this is a huge confidence-builder.

How did the Spartans grade out in the win over Ohio State?

Bench: C+

Sure, C+ may be a bit harsh, especially since the only guys off the bench to earn 10-plus minutes were Xavier Tillman and Aaron Henry, but that’s exactly why this grade isn’t higher.

The Spartans played just four guys off the bench and two — Foster Loyer and Gabe Brown — didn’t score a single point and had two total rebounds and two turnovers. This grade is partly on Tom Izzo for not extending the bench and getting guys like Marcus Bingham Jr. and Thomas Kithier in there, but he didn’t need to because of his starters playing well.

Tillman had yet another solid game, finishing with eight points, five rebounds and four assists with a steal. He was 3-for-5 from the field and played a strong game off the bench.

Henry, too, played well, but did have three fouls and two turnovers. He scored five points — all in the second half — including the go-ahead 3-pointer with about 15 minutes left in the game.